Algeria Establishes Specific Measures for Food Contact Metals and Alloys

SafeGuardSHardgoodsMay 04, 2023

SG 52/23

Algeria has detailed specific requirements for food contact metals and alloys. The new law can be considered as effective immediately.

On April 12, 2023, Algeria’s Department of Commerce and Export Promotion issued Interministerial Decree of December 18, 2022, on food contact metals and alloys (in Arabic or French translation). The new law prescribes specific measures for general and specific types of food contact metals and alloys.

Highlights of the new Decree are summarized in Table 1.

Department of Commerce and Export Promotion
Interministerial Decree of 24 Joumada El Oula 1444 corresponding to December 18, 2022, setting the specifications relating to materials and articles made of metals and alloys intended to come into contact with foodstuffs, Official Journal of Algeria, No 25, April 12, 2023

Section	Highlights
Article 3 ‘Scope’	Metals and alloys intended to come into contact with food (packaging and non-packaging): Coated and uncoated steels and stainless steels Aluminum and aluminum alloys Non-alloy cast iron Tin and tin alloys Zinc and zinc alloys Articles made of different types of coated metals
Article 4 ‘Exemption’	These include but not limited to: Enameled metals and alloys Metals and alloys with an inorganic coating Drinking water pipes Food contact toys made of metals and alloys
Annex I ‘Specific migration limits (SML) for metals and alloys’	Table 1 details SML for 12 elements for metals and alloys (see Table A below) Table 2 specifies SML for nine elements for metals as contaminants and impurities (see Table B below)
Annex II-I ‘Specifications and limits for steels and stainless steels’	Table 1 defines the areas of application, conditions of use and specifications for: Uncoated stainless steels Uncoated steels for packaging (black iron) Steels with tin coating (tinplate) for packaging Steels coated with organic coating for packaging Uncoated steels not for packaging Steels and stainless steels with metallic coating not for packaging Steels and stainless steels with organic coating not for packaging Table 2 ‘Maximum content limits for elements in several types of steel’ Table 3 ‘Maximum content limits for elements in two categories of steel that are not for packaging’
Annex II-II ‘Specifications and composition limits for aluminum and aluminum alloys’	Table 4 describes the areas of application, conditions of use and specifications for: Aluminum or aluminum alloys coated with organic coating Uncoated aluminum or aluminum alloys Table 5 ‘Maximum content limits for elements in several types of aluminum alloys’
Annex II-III ‘Specifications and composition limits for non-alloy cast iron’’	Table 6 lists the areas of application, conditions of use and specifications for: Non-alloy cast iron: uncoated or coated with metallic coating Non-alloy cast iron with organic coating
Annex II-IV ‘Specifications and composition limits for tin and tin alloys’	Table 7 prescribes the areas of application, conditions of use and specifications
Annex II-V ‘Specifications and composition limits for zinc and zinc alloys’	Table 8 sets out the areas of application, conditions of use and specifications
Annex II-VI ‘Specifications and composition limits for articles made of various metals coated with a metallic coating’	Table 9 stipulates the areas of application, conditions of use and specifications

Table 1

Decree of December 18, 2022 Annex I Table 1 ‘Specific migration limits (SML) for metals and alloy components’ (per Decree text¹)

Entry	Element	SML (mg/kg)
1	Aluminum (Al)	5
2	Chromium (Cr)	0.250
3	Cobalt (Co)	0.02
4	Copper (Cu)	4
5	Iron (Fe)	40
6	Manganese (Mn)	1.8
7	Molybdenum (Mo)	0.12
8	Nickel (Ni)	0.14
9	Silver (Ag)	0.08
10	Tin (Sn)	100
11	Vanadium (V)	0.01
12	Zinc (Zn)	5

¹Magnesium (Mg) and titanium (Ti) are also listed but without SMLs

Table A

Decree of December 18, 2022 Annex I Table 2 ‘Specific migration limits (SML) for metals as contaminants and impurities’ (per Decree text)

Entry	Element	SML (mg/kg)
1	Antimony (Sb)	0.04
2	Arsenic (As)	0.002
3	Barium (Ba)	1.2
4	Beryllium (Be)	0.01
5	Cadmium (Cd)	0.005
6	Lithium (Li)	0.048
7	Lead (Pb)	0.010
8	Mercury (Hg)	0.003
9	Thallium (Tl)	0.0001

Table B

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