The Commission hereby recommends Member States to make all necessary steps to ensure that the “Code of Practice for the prevention and reduction of patulin contamination in apple juice and apple juice ingredients in other beverages” described in the Annex attached is implemented by all operators engaged in the apple processing industry. The aim pursued is to further reduce the presence of patulin in apple juice. The recommendations for reducing patulin contamination in apple juice are divided into two parts, as follows: (I) Recommended practices based on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP); (II) Recommended practices based on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). GAP applies to (i) preharvest, (ii) harvesting and transportation of fruit, (iii) post-harvest handling and storage practices of fruit for the fresh fruit market, and (iv) post-storage grading of fruit for the fresh market or juice manufacture. GMP concern (i) transportation, checking and pressing of fruit, (ii) packaging and final processing of fruit, as well as (iii) quality assessment of fruit.
2003-08-11