Elemental Impurities in Food Ingredients: Pathways to Reducing Levels

Elemental Impurities in Food Ingredients: Pathways to Reducing Levels

Agenda | Speaker Biographies | Event Presentations | Event Summary (Comming Soon) 

The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and Food Chemicals Codex (FCC) hosted an Open Forum in cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), Office of Food Additive Safety. This event was part of a larger effort by USP’s Foods Program to support the Agency’s “Closer to Zero” action plan and revise FCC policies related to limits for elemental impurities in food ingredient monographs.

The forum focused on global regulatory and food safety issues related to elemental impurities in food ingredients and foods. Stakeholders had an opportunity to discuss challenges, analytical methods, and mitigation strategies related to the control of elemental impurities in ingredients and finished foods. Financial and food security-related implications of lowering impurity levels and the best paths forward were also discussed.

Content Covered:

• The FDA’s Closer to Zero: Action Plan for Baby Foods initiative, Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) notification program, and food additive safety determinations

• Global perspectives on elemental impurities in food ingredients from regulatory and food safety bodies

• The role of public standards and the opportunity for the FCC to contribute to efforts to achieve lower levels of elemental impurities

• Industry best practices on the control of elemental impurities, current analytical approaches for testing ingredients and finished products, and challenges we face in these efforts

• Mitigation strategies, best paths forward in reducing exposure to elemental impurities.

Who participated?

• Food industry laboratories, including government laboratories and contract laboratories

• Authorities and experts responsible for food safety evaluations

• Food ingredient and finished food manufacturers

• Standards development organizations active in food ingredients and food products

• Regulatory professionals, consumer safety groups, etc.

For further information, please get in touch with Jacqueline D. Starkes at jws@usp.org.

Day One Presentations:

  1. FDA's Closer to Zero Action Plan, Conrad Choiniere, Ph.D. | U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  2. FDA's Food Ingredient Regulatory Programs, Katie Overbey, Ph.D. | U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  3. Chemical Contaminants in Food, Canadian Perspective, John Field, Ph.D. | Health Canada
  4. Chemical Contaminants in Food, European Perspective, Stephan Walch, Ph.D. | Chemisches und Veterinaeruntersuchungsamt
  5. The Importance and Key Role Standards Play in Setting Limits, Jonathan W. DeVries, Ph.D. | Food Ingredients Expert Committee, Chair
  6. Historical Perspective on Elemental Impurity Limits in the Food Chemicals Codex, Lori Klopf, Ph.D. | Consultant
  7. FCC Standards Related to Elemental Impurities – Plans and Opportunities, Eric Schwartz, Ph.D. | USP

Day Two Presentations:

  1. Industry Perspectives on the Role of Global Harmonization on Food Specifications, Paul Hanlon, Ph.D., DABT | Abbott Nutrition
  2. Mitigating Heavy Metals in Spices: A Case Study of Food Ingredient Challenges and Solutions; Laura Shumow, M.S. | American Spice Trade Association
  3. Managing Chemical Hazards in a Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) World, Brent Kobielush, Ph.D. | The Acheson Group
  4. Current Approaches to Quantify Ultra-low (part per billion) Levels of Elements in Foods, Patrick Gray, Ph.D., M.S. | U.S. Food and Drug Administration