60% of EU starch and almost all the proteins and fibres produced by the EU starch industry go into the EU food/feed chain. When starch, proteins and fibresare being extracted, it is often not yet known whether they will go to food or non food applications. All ingredients must therefore comply with EU food and feed law.
Starch Europe members are strongly implicated by EU food and feed law and Starch Europe seeks to ensure that the specific interests of starch producers are taken into account in its development.
Issues of particular interest include:
- Contaminants/Mycotoxins: Food safety must be the basis for any decision regarding the maximum limits for mycotoxins. If safety is an issue, preventive and mitigation methods like the implementation of code of good practices should be put into place and if, despite these codes, safety is still at stake, then limits should be realistic, achievable, consistent, controllable and be based on risk analysis. A realistic and consistent approach should be taken also for limits in feed products.
- Legislation on gene technology: Starch Europe members continue to respond to current customer demands for conventional products in compliance with EU laws and by implementing traceability as long as most European consumers are not ready to accept GMOs. Some new genomic techniques could however play an important role in helping EU farmers to reach targets being set under the Green Deal agenda and more clarity is needed on how these techniques are to be regulated going forward.
- Other: Starch Europe also closely follows the development of the EU legislation regarding, inter alia, additives and processing aids, animal feed and codes of good practice, and materials in contact with food.