EU: Guidelines on the determination of processing factors
A guidance document (of 10 September 2026) provides guidance when setting up specific (research) projects to determine the processing factors for general use in application of article 3 of Regulation (EU) 2023/915 on maximum levels for certain contaminants in food.
This guidance is also useful for food business operators (FBO) to determine the correct processing factor for their specific process.
A processing factor represents the ratio between the contaminant concentration in a processed food and that in the corresponding unprocessed product covered in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2023/915, allowing a maximum level to be derived for the processed product.
European Commission - Sampling and Analysis | Guidance documents