International Health Department adopts 16-word principle for ractopamine standards

The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), jointly established by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), voted to set standards for the lean meat stimulant ractopamine, namely, the allowable residue amount of ractopamine is set as: 10ppb for pork and beef muscle and fat, 40ppb for pork and beef liver, 90ppb for pork and beef kidneys, and no standard is set for turkey.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission has approved the establishment of a standard for the lean meat stimulant ractopamine.

Due to the different opinions among countries, the United States proposed that the Codex Alimentarius Commission abandon the consensus decision-making method and instead vote to set the acceptable residue limit of ractopamine. This is equivalent to lifting the international ban on ractopamine.

The Department of Health stated that the Codex Alimentarius Commission's ractopamine standard is not legally binding, and international law cannot override domestic law. The Department of Health's basic principle is to impose penalties on violators based on the results of the amendment to the Food Sanitation Management Act and whether it complies with the 16-word principle of "safety allowance, separation of cattle and pigs, mandatory labeling, and exclusion of offal."

The Department of Health will evaluate and set the acceptable daily intake (ADI) and maximum residue level (MRL) of ractopamine based on the dietary habits of the Chinese people. Further discussion is needed to propose labeling of origin or labeling of content within the safe range.