Opium alkaloids in poppy and certain bakery products

On 1 July, a new EU Commission regulation on maximum levels for opium alkaloids in poppy and certain bakery products came into force.

In 2018. The European Food Safety Authority adopted an updated scientific opinion on opium alkaloids in poppy seeds. Poppy seeds contain morphine and codeine at low levels, but this content may increase under various factors.

The EU Commission has therefore established maximum limits and stated that the concentration of codeine in poppy seed samples should be taken into account by converting codeine into morphine equivalent using a factor of 0.2.

In Section 8 of the Annex to Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006, item 8.5 was therefore added:

• Whole, ground or crushed poppy seeds placed on the market for the final consumer - 20 mg/kg
• Bakery products containing poppy seeds or products derived thereof- 1.5 mg/kg.

Foodstuffs listed in the Annex that have been lawfully placed on the market before 1 July 2022 may remain on the market until their minimum durability date or their use-by date.

YOUR PLUS: We work with a German accredited partner laboratory for the determination of the opiate content in bakery products and poppy seeds, which has many years of expertise in this analysis.

Link: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/

Author: Annika Rutkowska