Clipping of news on Brazilian Culture, Law and Citizenship
07/20/2016
This article was translated by an automatic translation system, and was therefore not reviewed by people.
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Frozen food
São Paulo - This Monday (18) the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) has banned the sale and distribution of a lot of tomato extract Heinz brand. They were found by rats "above the upper tolerance limit by law."
But what does "above the allowed limit"? Since 2014, the Anvisa establishes minimum requirements for the amount of "dirt" tolerated in food and beverages.
In the case of derivatives tomato products, such as the batch manufactured by Heinz, it is allowed a fragment of the rodent per 100g. More than that, the lot is vetoed and the company can still be banned and forced to pay a fine of R $ 2,000 and R $ 1.5 million.
The report of the Ezequiel Dias Foundation (LACEN-MG) - a laboratory accredited by the Agency - reports that a "foreign matter" indicative of risk to human health in tomato extract was detected.
Heinz sent a note to EXAME.com saying that the batch in question has already been collected and that the products on the market are suitable for consumption.
The company states that "the presence of microscopic fragments is intrinsic to natural foods like tomatoes." It also says that the acidity of the product and the high temperature in the production process eliminate health risks.
In the group of "foreign matter", accepted in products such as biscuits and chocolate drinks are insects, rodents, animal excrement, sand and fungi. Anvisa to set these parameters, there were no regulations to the limits of tolerance.
See, the infographic, some examples of "nasties" allowed in foods and beverages. Below there is also the 2014 resolution of the full and complete table with indications of allowed amounts for each type of food. It starts on page 6.
Resolution - National Health Surveillance Agency
Source: Survey
To access the exam site, click here.
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This article was translated by an automatic translation system, and was therefore not reviewed by people.