sunflower oil from Ukraine
In April this year sunflower oil originating from Ukraine was
found to be contaminated with high levels of mineral oil.
Consequently, from 3 July 2008, the import into the EU of
sunflower oil originating from Ukraine will be prohibited unless
accompanied by a valid certificate. This will apply to all
consignments of sunflower oil and products containing sunflower
oil, intended for the manufacture of foodstuffs for human
consumption, originating in or consigned from Ukraine. The
certificate must certify the absence of unacceptable levels of
mineral oil together with the results of sampling and analysis for
the presence of mineral oil. The European Commission has advised
that the level of mineral hydrocarbons in crude and refined
sunflower oil should not exceed 50 mg/kg.
In addition to the certification, all consignments will also
need to be sampled and analysed at the port before release to
confirm the analytical result on the certification. Any
consignments which fail to meet these conditions will be refused
entry to the EU.
For further information please see European Commission Decision
2008/433/EC at
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/Lex
UriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2008:151:0055:0056:EN:PDF.
