The Food Defect Action Levels: Levels of Natural or Unavoidable Defects in Foods That Present No Health Hazards for Humans is a publication of the United States Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition[1] detailing acceptable levels of food contamination from sources such as maggots, thrips, insect fragments, "foreign matter", mold, rodent hairs, and insect and mammalian feces.
The publication details the acceptable amounts of contaminants on a per food basis, listing both the defect source (pre-harvest infection, processing infestation, processing contamination, etc.) and significance (aesthetic, potential health hazard, mouth/tooth injury, etc.). For example, the limit of insect contaminants allowed in canned or frozen peaches is specified as: "In 12 1-pound cans or equivalent, one or more larvae and/or larval fragments whose aggregate length exceeds 5 mm."[1]
The Food Defect Action Levels was first published in 1995. A printed version of the publication may be obtained by written request to the Food and Drug Administration or see External links below.
The insect fragments are classified as an aesthetic problem. The Food Defect Action Levels states that these contaminants "pose no inherent hazard to health".[1]
^ abcdThe Food Defect Action Levels, last revised November 2005
External linksedit
The Food Defect Action Levels from the U.S. FDA
Levy, E. J. (February 12, 2009). "The Maggots in Your Mushrooms" New York Times.
April 07, 2024
food, defect, action, levels, levels, natural, unavoidable, defects, foods, that, present, health, hazards, humans, publication, united, states, food, drug, administration, center, food, safety, applied, nutrition, detailing, acceptable, levels, food, contamin. The Food Defect Action Levels Levels of Natural or Unavoidable Defects in Foods That Present No Health Hazards for Humans is a publication of the United States Food and Drug Administration s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition 1 detailing acceptable levels of food contamination from sources such as maggots thrips insect fragments foreign matter mold rodent hairs and insect and mammalian feces The publication details the acceptable amounts of contaminants on a per food basis listing both the defect source pre harvest infection processing infestation processing contamination etc and significance aesthetic potential health hazard mouth tooth injury etc For example the limit of insect contaminants allowed in canned or frozen peaches is specified as In 12 1 pound cans or equivalent one or more larvae and or larval fragments whose aggregate length exceeds 5 mm 1 The Food Defect Action Levels was first published in 1995 A printed version of the publication may be obtained by written request to the Food and Drug Administration or see External links below Contents 1 Health hazards 2 Additional examples 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksHealth hazards editThe insect fragments are classified as an aesthetic problem The Food Defect Action Levels states that these contaminants pose no inherent hazard to health 1 Additional examples editProduct Type of insect contamination Action LevelCanned sweet corn Insect larvae corn ear worms or corn borers 2 or more 3 mm or longer larvae cast skins larval or cast skin fragments the aggregate length of insects or insect parts exceeds 12 mm in 24 poundsCanned citrus fruit juices Insects and insect eggs 5 or more Drosophila and other fly eggs per 250 ml or 1 or more maggots per 250 mlCanned apricots Insect filth Average of 2 or more by count has been damaged or infected by insectsChocolate and chocolate liquor Insect filth Average is 60 or more insect fragments per 100 grams when 6 100 g subsamples are examined Peanut butter Insect filth Average of 30 or more insect fragments per 100 gramsWheat flour Insect filth Average of 150 or more insect fragments per 100 gramsFrozen broccoli Insects and mites Average of 60 or more aphids and or thrips and or mites per 100 gramsHops Insects Average of more than 2 500 aphids per 10 gramsGround thyme Insect filth Average of 925 or more insect fragments per 10 gramsGround nutmeg Insect filth Average of 100 or more insect fragments per 10 gramsGround cinnamon Insect filth Average of 400 or more insect fragments per 50 gramsShredded carrots Insect filth Average of 800 or more insect fragments per 10 grams 1 See also editHome stored product entomology Food safety Insects as food Criticism of the Food and Drug AdministrationReferences edit a b c d The Food Defect Action Levels last revised November 2005External links editThe Food Defect Action Levels from the U S FDA Levy E J February 12 2009 The Maggots in Your Mushrooms New York Times Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Food Defect Action Levels amp oldid 952361904, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
