联合国委员会批准通过了关于莱克多巴胺的国际标准

联合国委员会批准通过了关于莱克多巴胺的国际标准，此类物质属于饲料添加剂，可以提高猪牛肉的瘦肉率。美国食品及药物管理局对于所有的饲料添加成分进行了讨论，并通过了莱克多巴胺产品。共有26个国家（包括澳大利亚、巴西、加拿大、印度尼西亚、墨西哥、菲律宾以及韩国等）批准通过了此类产品。然而，仍有一些国家对其明令禁止，对于很多出口国家关闭了其市场。

7月2日~7日在罗马举行的每年一度的会议中，食品法典委员会接受通过了莱克多巴胺的技术标准，此委员会由联合国粮食农组织（FOA）和世界卫生组织（OIE）共同建立，旨在促进贸易中的食品安全和公平。特别要注意的是，委员会在周二通过了猪牛肉、脂肪、肝脏及肾脏的每日允许摄入量和最大残留水平。此前由于没有相应的国际标准，造成了关于此类产品、相应肉制品和出口产品的困惑和恐慌。来自北卡罗来纳Wilson的全国猪肉生产者委员会（NPPC）主席R.C.Hunt说，NPPC很高兴食品法典委员会通过了这项科学认证的安全产品，委员会应当完善对基准标准的制定以及科学指导。

这不是法典委员会中的国际专家（包括欧盟的科学家）第一次证实莱克多巴胺的安全性。总的来说，这标志这联合国机构第五次考虑设置莱克多巴胺的最高残留限制值。

在2004、2006和2010年， FOA和OIE关于食品添加剂的联合专家委员会证实了饲喂莱克多巴胺的猪、牛及其肉制品对于人类来说是安全的，除此之外，还得到了国际27个认证机构的证实。

NPPC指出，尽管有以上调查结果和美国、巴西、加拿大、哥斯达黎加、墨西哥等除欧洲之外的世界各国的支持，这个标准又一次以超出法典委员会范围的无科学理由被欧盟和俄罗斯否定。当前，欧盟、中国大陆、中国台湾和泰国仍然禁止饲喂莱克多巴胺的猪肉进口产品。

Hunt说，美国猪肉生产商对于一些国家，尤其是俄罗斯，因无科学理由持续反对莱克多巴胺表示失望，俄罗斯在今年准备加入世界贸易组织（WTO），组织要求成员国遵守国际贸易标准，对于俄罗斯在莱克多巴胺上的不妥协，我们很担心其能否遵守WTO的规则。

美国国家牧场主牛肉协会（NCBA）同样希望法典委员会的决定能够将科学带回由美国贸易伙伴制定的前沿政策上。

NCBA说，没有科学依据的标准会对美国贸易环境产生不必要的波动，这是由于出口商很不情愿将产品运至无科学依据的测试体制的国家。我们希望，法典委员会的决定能进一步给出有科学依据的标准，并将其转移至其他接受依科学为基础的安全标准的国家的贸易政策中。

美国Elanco公司生产用于猪和牛的莱克多巴胺制品。公司人员指出，莱克多巴胺是一种将脂肪转化为瘦肉蛋白质的饲料成分，改善牛和猪瘦肉率。它不是抗生素、类固醇激素或者转基因生物，也不是由转基因生物制造的。

Elanco公司总裁Jeff Simons指出，这些提供了国际食品安全参考点的标准有助于确保消费者的食物是安全的，法典委员会关于莱克多巴胺的标准对于可持续发展的肉制品是一个巨大的跨越，满足了日益增长的动物蛋白质的需求，并可解决全球饥饿问题。

食品法典委员会的决定在7月7日周六的委员会报告时敲定。

A United Nations (UN) Commission has approved international standards for ractopamine, a feed ingredient used to promote leanness in pork and beef. As for all feed ingredients, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had long ago reviewed and approved ractopamine products. In all, 26 countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Mexico, the Philippines and South Korea had approved the products. However, some countries maintained a ban, which kept their markets closed to many exporting countries.

At its annual meeting being held July 2-7 in Rome, the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which was established by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FOA) and the World Health Organization (OIE) to promote food safety and fair practices in trade, adopted a science-based standard for ractopamine. Specifically, on Thursday the commission adopted Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) and Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) for pig and cattle muscle, fat, liver and kidney. The lack of international standards had caused confusion regarding the product, the resulting meat and exports.

“NPPC is pleased that the Codex commission finally approved this scientifically proven safe product,” says National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) President R.C. Hunt, a producer from Wilson, N.C. “The commission, as it should, fulfilled its mandate to base standards and guidelines on science..”

But this is not the first time that a Codex panel of international scientists, including scientists from the European Union, has confirmed the safety of ractopamine. In all, this marks the fifth time the UN body considered setting a maximum residue limit for ractopamine.

The human safety of meat products derived from pigs and cattle fed ractopamine had been confirmed by the Joint FAO/OIE Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) in 2004, 2006 and 2010, as well as by 27 regulatory authorities around the world.

“Despite those findings and the support of the United States, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico and countries in every part of the world outside of Europe, the standard again was opposed for non-scientific reasons outside the scope of the Codex by the European Union and Russia,” points out NPPC. Currently, the EU, China, Taiwan and Thailand ban pork imports from pigs fed ractopamine.

“U.S. pork producers are very disappointed with the continued opposition to ractopamine for reasons other than scientific ones from several countries, particularly Russia,” Hunt notes. “That country is set to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) this year, and it requires member countries to abide by international trade standards. Given Russia’s intransigence on ractopamine, we’re concerned about its commitment to WTO principles.”

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) also is hopeful that the Codex decision will bring science back to the forefront of policies set by U.S. trading partners.

“Standards not based on science create an unnecessarily volatile trading environment for U.S. exporters who are reluctant to ship products to countries with non-science based testing regimes. Hopefully, the Codex decision to move forward with science based standards will translate into a shift in trade policy for other countries to adopt science based safety standards,” NCBA said.

Elanco produces ractopamine products for both hogs and cattle. Company officials point out that “ractopamine is a feed ingredient that directs nutrients from fat to lean protein, helping increase the yield of lean meat from cattle and swine. It is not an antibiotic, steroid hormone or genetically modified organism—nor is it manufactured busing genetically modified organisms.”

“These (Codex) standards provide an international food safety reference point that helps assure consumers that their food is safe,” says Jeff Simons, president of Elanco. “Codex standards for ractopamine are a