Development of criteria for acceptable previous cargoes for fats & oils Report of a joint FAO/WHO technical meeting. Bilthoven, Netherlands, 7-9/11/2006

Edible fats and oils from vegetable, animal and marine sources have been traded and shipped for thousands of years, as they forma n important part of the human diet. Increasing global food trade has meant that the geographical source of these commodities has been broadening steadily. The availability of sea-going vessels reserved for the transport of foodstuffs is insufficient to serve the continuing trade in oils and fats intended for human consumption. A practical solution has been adopted by the industry and involves the bulk transport of fats and oils in vessel tanks that are not exclusively reserved for the transport of foodstuffs. Efforts are ongoing to ensure cargoes of fats and oils are not contaminated with previous cargoes. The Codex Alimentarius Commission has adopted a recommended international code of practice for the storage and transport of edible fats and oil in bulk. An integral part of this code will be the Codex List of Acceptable Previous Cargoes. This Technical Meeting was convened to establish criteria for substances to be included in the Codex List of Acceptable Previous Cargoes.