DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

No. R. 358

14 March 2003

FOODSTUFFS, COSMETICS AND DISINFECTANTS ACT, 1972 (ACT 54 OF 1972)

REGULATION RELATING TO MAXIMUM LEVELS FOR METALS IN FOODSTUFFS: AMENDMENT

The Minister of Health intends, in terms of section 15(1) of the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act, 1972 (Act 54 of 1972), to make amendments to the regulations in this Schedule.

Interested persons are invited to submit any substantiated comments or representations on the proposed regulations to the Director-General of Health, Private Bag X828, Pretoria, 0001 (for the attention of the Director: Food Control), within three months of the date of publication of this notice.

SCHEDULE

Definition

  1. In these regulations "the Regulations" means the regulations published under Government Notice No. R 15181 of September 1994.

Substitution of Annexure to the Regulations

  1. The following Annexure is hereby substituted for the existing Annexure to the Regulations.

Commencement

  1. These regulations shall come into effect three months after the date of final publication.


ME TSHABALALA-MSIMANG
MINISTER OF HEALTH


MAXIMUM LEVELS FOR METALS IN FOODSTUFFS

(mg/kg or mg/l)

Metal

Foodstuff

Maximum Limit (mg/kg or mg/l)
Antimony (Sb)

Beverages and all liquid foodstuffs

0.15

Any other foodstuff

1.0

Gelatin

10
Arsenic (As)

Canned meat and solid meat packs, swordfish and other billed fish, tuna and shark (including canned fish & tuna) and canned fruit & vegetables

1.5

Eggs, meat and fish (including processed meat & fish), fruit and vegetables (except for cereals, pulses and legumes where limits do not apply)

1.0

Shell fish (including cephalopods) and shellfish products

3.0

Milk and edible fats & oils

0.1

Natural mineral water

0.01

Beverages and all other liquid foodstuffs

0.2

Chocolate and cocoa butters

0.5

Gelatin

2.5
Cadmium (Cd)

Meat (including processed & canned meat)

2.0

Fish and swordfish (including canned fish & tuna)

1.0

Shellfish (including cephalopods) and shellfish products

3.0

Eggs, fruit & vegetables (including canned fruit & vegetables)

0.1

Milk

0.005

Eggs, beverages and other liquid foodstuffs

0.01
Copper (Cu)

Beverages and other liquid foodstuffs

5.0

Shellfish (including cephalopods) and shellfish products

50

Milk

2.0

Any other foodstuff

30
Lead (Pb)

Canned fruit & vegetables, fish (including processed fish) and all canned liquid foodstuffs

1.0

Brassica & leafy vegetables, all uncanned beverages and liquid foodstuffs (excluding wine),

0.3

Cereals, pulses & legumes, small fruit and berries and wine

0.2

Milk and fruit juices & nectars

0.05

All other fruits, Meat (including processed & internal organs)

0.1

Infants formula

0.02

Swordfish (including canned fish & tuna), shellfish (including cephalopods) and shellfish products

4.0

Gelatin

10
Mercury (Hg)

Gelatin, meat (including canned meat & solid meat packs) and cereals & processed cereal products

0.05

Fish (including processed & canned fish)

0.5*

Swordfish and other billed fish, tuna and shark (including canned fish & tuna), shellfish (including cephalopods) and shellfish products

1.0*

Eggs, fruit and vegetables (including canned fruit & vegetables)

0.03

Natural mineral water

0.001

Milk, beverages and other liquid foodstuffs

0.01
Tin (Sn)

Gelatin, fruit juices & nectars and all canned foodstuffs

200

All uncanned foodstuffs

40
Zinc (Zn

Milk, beverages and other liquid foodstuffs

5.0

Shellfish (including cephalopods) and shellfish products

300

Gelatin

100

Any other foodstuff

40

* As methylmercury