China to Suspend Selenium Testing

VANCOUVER - Sep 29/06 - SNS -- Officials in the Chinese government have given "verbal confirmation" they will no longer require that peas destined for animal feed or for use to make noodles will be subjected to testing for selenium.

Pulse Canada said the news is the result of ongoing efforts by the Agriculture Canada in Ottawa and the Canadian embassy in Beijing to resolve this testing issue.

"Pulse Canada will continue to work with colleagues at AAFC to ensure that formal assurances are provided for peas destined for starch extraction in all provinces and that the MRL (maximum residue limit) is addressed in order to allow peas for all end uses to be granted access in the future," the organization said in a statement.

Selenium is a naturally occurring heavy metal found in heavier concentrations in areas which were subject to glaciation in their past, such as the plains region of western Canada and the U.S. midwest.

In October of 2003, China informed the World Trade Organization of new tolerances it was setting for a wide range of contaminants in foods, asking for comments from trade partners. That culminated in the January 25, 2005 publication of a national standard on Maximum Levels of Contaminants in Foods. The standard combines and replaces 13 hygienic standards for chemical contaminants. Most standard requirements for these contaminants were adjusted to comply with Codex Alimentarius Committee standards except where a Codex standard was absent.

China set the tolerance for selenium in field peas at 0.3 milligrams or 300 micrograms per kilogram