Animal products (food)

Draft Ministry of Public Health Notification (MOPH), No. ... B.E. ..., Issued under the Food Act B.E. 2522 Re: Food Containing Veterinary Drug Residues. Language(s): Thai and English. Number of pages: 49 and 35

For consumer protection, the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) is proposing to revise the MOPH notification concerning the maximum residue levels (MRLs) of veterinary drug residues in food through a risk assessment using Thai food consumption data.

The main elements of the draft MOPH notification are as follows:

1.    Consolidate regulations related to veterinary drug residues in food, namely: Notification of the Ministry of Public Health No. 268 (2003), No. 269 (2003), No. 299 (2006), No. 303 (2007), into a single document to facilitate implementation and enforcement. The aforementioned regulations shall be repealed upon the entry into force of the draft notification.

2.    Revision of the list of prohibited substances for food-producing animals set forth in Annex 1 by adding additional prohibited substances. The revised Annex 1 currently contains 16 prohibited substances. Any food containing such prohibited substances is strictly prohibited from production, importation, or sale;

3.    Revision of MRLs for veterinary drug residues in foods set forth in Annex 2. The existing MRLs have been reviewed and additional MRLs have been established. The revised Annex 2 currently contains MRLs for 98 veterinary drugs;

4.    The application of MRLs shall be as follows; The veterinary drugs specified in Annex 1 must not be detected. For other veterinary drugs, the following standards shall apply:

(1)  The MRL shall not exceed the levels specified in Annex 2 attached to this Notification;

(2)  For veterinary drug residues not specified in Annex 2, the MRL shall not exceed the requirements of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme);

(3)  For processed foods, residues shall not exceed the levels specified in (1) or (2). If no specific limit is set for a processed food, it shall not exceed the limit set for the raw agricultural materials in (1) or (2), respectively. In cases where the processing method causes the residue level to be higher than in the raw materials, the producer or importer for sale shall be responsible for providing evidence that the residue level in the raw materials was in compliance with (1) or (2);

(4)  For veterinary drugs specified in Annex 1 and Annex 2, residues shall not be detected exceeding the Limit of Detection (LOD) according to the analytical methods specified in Annex 3. For veterinary drugs other than those specified in Annex 1 and Annex 2, residues shall not be detected exceeding the Limit of Detection (LOD) according to the analytical methods specified in the notification prescribed by the Food and Drug Administration.

5.    The analytical methods for the determination of veterinary drug residues in food set forth in Annex 3 shall constitute a reliable method in accordance with internationally recognized principles, subject to the following provisions:

(1)  Methods published by national or international standards organizations;

(2)  Methods with appropriate performance characteristics and validated results (validation);

(3)  Methods and laboratories must meet specific Limit of Quantitation (LOQ) requirements.