IAM welcomes public opinions for ongoing amendment of “Maximum Limits of Heavy Metal Contaminants in Food”

MACAU, February 2 - The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) is currently collecting public opinions for the amendment of Administrative Regulation No. 23/2018 “Maximum Limits of Heavy Metal Contaminants in Food”. Members of the local food industry and the public can download the opinion collection form from IAM’s Food Safety Information website and submit the form via email or fax. The collection period is from now until 31 March. Members of the food industry and the public are welcome to actively express their opinions to improve the amendment of local food safety standards.

According to the stipulations of Article 7 of Law No. 5/2013 “Food Safety Law”, the production and sale of food must comply with food safety standards which are set by supplementary administrative regulations. The existing Administrative Regulation No. 23/2018 “Maximum Limits of Heavy Metal Contaminants in Food” came into force in 2018. Setting the maximum limits of five heavy metal contaminants (including lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and tin) in 135 food items, it regulates food production and sale in Macao and controls the risk of heavy metal contamination. The amendment of the relevant administrative regulation by IAM this time involves comprehensively referencing the Codex Alimentarius, the National Food Safety Standards of the People’s Republic of China, and the food safety standards of neighbouring regions and major food source areas. IAM also takes into account the monitoring results of heavy metal contaminants in food in the Macao market, dietary habits of local population, risk assessment results, and public opinions to ensure the scientific validity and feasibility of the standards, so as to further safeguard public health, strengthen the enforcement basis and efficiency of risk management, and promote the alignment of Macao’s food safety standards with international ones.

To collect opinions from stakeholders extensively through multiple channels, IAM has added a dedicated page of “Amendment of Administrative Regulation No. 23/2018 ‘Maximum Limits of Heavy Metal Contaminants in Food’” on the Food Safety Information website (https://www.iam.gov.mo/foodsafety/e/index). Members of the food industry and the public can visit the page for detailed information about the amendment of the relevant administrative regulation. Those intending to submit opinions for the aforementioned amendment can download the “opinion collection form” and submit the completed form via email (fsconsult@iam.gov.mo) or fax (8296 1204). The collection period is from now until 31 March. Members of the food industry and the public are welcome to actively express their opinions to improve the amendment of local food safety standards.