2. Food Safety

It is essential that cocoa and chocolate products, in common with all other food products, should be safe to eat.

It is essential that cocoa and chocolate products, in common with all other food products, should be safe to eat. It follows that the ingredients, including cocoa beans, should not contain any impurities which could be present in the finished foods and prove injurious to the health of the consumer. There is a responsibility throughout the supply chain to ensure that raw materials and products meet all national and international legislative requirements enforced at point of entry and in the market place.

A number of organisations have been set up to establish standards for food safety management so that risks at any stage of the foods supply chain, from the farm to the consumer, can be identified and controlled.

These include:

The Codex Alimentarius Commission

Created in 1963 by FAO and WHO to develop harmonised international food standards, guidelines and codes of practice to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in the food trade. The Commission also promotes coordination of all food standards work undertaken by international governmental and non-governmental organizations (https://www.fao.org/codexalimentarius).

International Organisation for Standardization

The ISO 22000 family of International Standards contains a number of standards each focussing on different aspects of food safety management (https://www.iso.org/iso-22000-food-safety-management).

In Europe, there is an integrated approach to food safety through farm-to-table measures and adequate monitoring.

The framework for this was established in EC Regulation 178/2002 and its amendments, and EC Regulation 2019/1381 on the transparency and sustainability of the EU risk assessment in the food chain . Regulation 178/2002 includes the establishment of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) which provides scientific advice and scientific and technical support in all areas impacting on food safety. It also established the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) which enables information exchange to facilitate the restriction or the withdrawal of unsafe food from the market and share information on rejections of food consignments by an EU border post. The Regulations set out food safety standards, risk assessment/management procedures and the responsibilities of those involved in food businesses to ensure compliance with the legislation and traceability of foodstuffs at all stages of the food chain, from the production, processing, transport and distribution stages through to the supply of food.

For further information see https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/.

EU food business operators must comply with the EU hygiene legislation (Regulations 852/2004, 853/2004, 2017/625 and associated regulations) and put in place, implement and maintain a permanent procedure, or procedures, based on HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) principles to ensure that food is produced safely and public health is protected. (See https://food.ec.europa.eu/safety/biological-safety/food-hygiene_en and Commission Notice on implementation of food safety management systems (2022/C 355/01)).

Guidelines have been published for good manufacturing practices in the cocoa, chocolate and confectionery industry (CAOBISCO, 2011) (ICA, 1991) and (Syndicat du Chocolat, 2012).

The commission has established a regulation on maximum levels for certain contaminants in food (Regulation 2023/915). This regulation includes: mycotoxins (including OTA), heavy metals (including cadmium and lead), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), dioxins and PCBs and many others. Maximum residue level of pesticides are established in Regulation 396/2005.

The principal food safety concerns for the cocoa industry are:

Allergens
Dioxins & PCBs
Microbiological Hazards
Foreign Matter
Heavy Metals
Infestation
Mineral Oil Hydrocarbons
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH)
Mycotoxins including Ochratoxin A (OTA)
Pesticide Residues