{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-1993-315/article-2",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-1993-315/article-2.json",
  "legislation": "eur/1993/315",
  "legislation_title": "Council Regulation (EEC) No 315/93 of 8 February 1993 laying down Community procedures for contaminants in food",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-1993-315",
  "path": "article/2",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "2",
  "heading": null,
  "text": "1. Food containing a contaminant in an amount which is unacceptable from the public health viewpoint and in particular at a toxicological level shall not be placed on the market.\n2. Furthermore, contaminant levels shall be kept as low as can reasonably be achieved by following good practices at all the stages referred to in Article 1.\n3. In order to protect public health and pursuant to paragraph (1), the appropriate authority may by regulations made in accordance with this Regulation make provision where necessary to establish the maximum tolerances for specific contaminants. These measures are designed to amend non-essential elements of this Regulation by supplementing it.\nThese tolerances shall be adopted in the form of a non-exhaustive ... list and may include:\nlimits for the same contaminant in different foods;\nanalytical detection limits;\na reference to the sampling and analysis methods to be used.\n(4.) Any power to make regulations under this Regulation—\n(a) so far as exercisable by a Minister of the Crown, is exercisable by statutory instrument;\n(b) so far as exercisable by the Welsh Ministers, is exercisable by statutory instrument.\n(5.) For regulations made under this Regulation by the Scottish Ministers, see also section 27 of the Interpretation and Legislative Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 (Scottish statutory instruments).\n(6.) Any power to make regulations under this Regulation includes power—\n(a) to make different provision in relation to different cases or classes of case (including different provision for different areas or different classes of business);\n(b) to provide for such exceptions, limitations and conditions, and to make such supplementary, incidental, consequential or transitional provisions, as the appropriate authority considers necessary or expedient.\n(7.) Any statutory instrument or Scottish statutory instrument containing regulations under this Regulation is subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution—\n(a) in the case of England, of either House of Parliament;\n(b) in the case of Wales, of the Senedd Cymru;\n(c) in the case of Scotland, of the Scottish Parliament.\n(8.) In this Regulation, any power—\n(a) of the Secretary of State to make regulations is limited to regulations which apply in relation to England only;\n(b) of the Welsh Ministers to make regulations is limited to regulations which apply in relation to Wales only;\n(c) of the Scottish Ministers to make regulations is limited to regulations which apply in relation to Scotland only.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words in Art. 2(3) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Contaminants in Food (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/639), regs. 1, 5; 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Word in Art. 2(3) omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Contaminants in Food (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/639), regs. 1, 6; 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Art. 2(4)-(8) inserted (31.12.2020) by The Contaminants in Food (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/639), regs. 1, 7 (as amended by S.I. 2020/1504, regs. 1(2), 8(3)); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/1993/315/article/2",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-11-01T15:00:57.714154+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}