International Commodity 

Specifications and 

Contaminants Update

USDA Industry Day 

March 3, 2022
Commodity Requirements Documents (Specifications)

• Formulation requirements

• Nutritional Composition

• Ingredient requirements 

• Quality assurance

• Microbiological and food safety 

requirements

• Shelf-life expectations

• Preparation and use details 

• Packaging requirements

• Branding and markings 
International Commodity Specification Process Overview

Product/Concept 

is Complete. 

Align to Work on 

Specification

Team Assigned for 

Specific 

Commodity

Drafting/Updating Internal Revision

Stakeholder 

Consultation Issuing Internal Approval
Specifications Recent Focus

• Auditing 

• Labeling and markings 

• Packaging quality and functionality 

– Performance-based packaging specifications considering the 

supply chain
Specifications Future Focus

Product

Climate and contaminants 

Nutrient/premix alignment with 

partner organizations 

Packaging

Sustainability Program 

Need

Food loss and 

waste reduction

Smaller pack 

sizes

Shelf-life

Recyclability

Less packaging

Reusability
Contaminants Working Group

Interagency Working Group on Specialized Nutritious Food Products sub-team working to 

address emerging contaminants in the food assistance supply chain

● First project: benchmarking 

assessment:

o Understand current 

contaminants landscape, 

including U.S. suppliers 

o Identify gaps for further work 

● Initial Focus Contaminants:

o Toxic esters - MCPDE and GE

o Mycotoxins

o Tropane alkaloids

o Heavy metals

● Involvement:

o World Food Program (WFP)

o USDA

o USAID

o Doctors without Borders (MSF)

o UNICEF

● Upcoming work: Risk assessment to 

identify limits for 3-MCPD and GE in 

Lipid Nutrient Supplement (LNS) 

products 

6
2021 USAID Contaminants Testing – Results Overview 

Product Tropane 

Alkaloids

Mycotoxins 

Aflatoxins, Fumonisin, Zearalenone, 

DON, HT-2, T-2, Ochratoxin 

Heavy Metals

Arsenic, Cadmium, 

Lead, Mercury

3-MCPDE/ Glycidyl Esters**

Cornmeal

2 suppliers

NA

CSB+

1 supplier

DON (0.2 ppm): 0.204 

ppm

1subsample of 9 subsamples/3 lo

NA

SC+

3 suppliers

DON (0.2 ppm): 0.233 

ppm 

1 of 7 lots high

GE Max 50 ppb: 31 ppb

RUTF

2 suppliers

NA Cadmium (0.022 

ppm): 0.022 ppm 

1 subsample out of 11

3-MCPDE (109 μg/kg): 0 -590 

μg/kg

GE (11 μg/kg): 54-540 μg/kg

Vegetable Oil

3 suppliers

NA NA

Maximums are either from USAID, WFP, or MSF specs, or limits for similar food categories:

Codex: Arsenic max in rice 0.2 ppm, Cadmium max in cereals 0.1ppm, Lead max in cereals 0.2 ppm

EU: T-2 + HT-2 for cereal based foods for infants and young children = 0.015 ppm, GE maximums for infant foods/oil going into i nfant foods

7
Second Contaminants Testing 2021 -2022 

Product Tropane 

Alkaloids

Mycotoxins 

Aflatoxins, Fumonisin, 

Zearalenone, DON, HT-2, T-2, 

Ochratoxin 

Heavy Metals

Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, Mercury

Glycidyl 

Esters/MCP

DE

Halogenated 

Solvents, 

Soaps, 

Iodine Value

Soy-Fortified 

Cornmeal

1 supplier

NA NA

Yellow Split 

Peas/Whole 

Green Peas

2 suppliers each

In progress In progress In progress NA NA

Sorghum

1 supplier NA In progress In progress NA NA

Milled 

Rice/Fortified 

Rice

3 suppliers total

NA Partial completion of testing Partial completion of testing NA NA

Sunflower/Soy

bean Oil

4 suppliers

NA NA