Chemical Risks

The product categories ‘potato crisps’, ‘instant coffee’ and ‘substitute coffee’ showed statistically significantly higher levels of acrylamide in 2008 data compared to 2007 data. On the other hand, ‘French fries’ and ‘fried potato products for home cooking’, ‘soft bread’, ‘bread not specified’, ‘infant biscuit’, ‘biscuit not specified’, ‘muesli and porridge’ and ‘other products not specified’ showed significantly lower levels of acrylamide in 2008 data compared to 2007 data. There were no statistically significant differences in acrylamide level for the other food groups.

Acrylamide levels in food -EFSA-

The British Food Safety Agency (FSA) has performed an analysis of aflatoxins in 197 samples of nuts and dried fruit and products that contain these items. The results showed that aflatoxins were not detected in 70% of samples, in 25% of cases, levels of aflatoxin B1 under the limits established by current legislation were found and the remaining 5% showed levels of aflatoxin B1 above the legal limits. Consequently, the FSA has withdrawn from the market all products or dried fruits with an excess of aflatoxins. These results represent an improvement with regard to the previous study carried out in 2002 in which 13% of the food analysed contained aflatoxin B1 above the legal limits.

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The Catalonian Food Safety Agency (ACSA) has issued a report on chemical contaminants in fish and shellfish consumed in Catalonia. This report emphasizes the higher concentrations of mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls found, whilst also noting, within the white fish group, the relatively high levels of contamination found in red mullet and the high mercury levels found in swordfish.

A total of 7270 samples collected in the period 1999-2008 from 19 Member States, Normay and Iceland were analysed in detail by EFSA.
The highest mean leves of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in food expressed on fat basis were observed for liver and products thereof from terrestrial animals and on whole weight basis for fish liver and products thereof. In feed the highest levels were found in fish oil.
To ensure accurate assessments of the presence of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs, continuous random testing of sufficient number of samples in each food and feed group is recommended.

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The Catalonian Food Safety Agency (ACSA) has issued a report on chemical contaminants in fish and shellfish consumed in Catalonia. This report emphasizes the higher concentrations of mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls found, whilst also noting, within the white fish group, the relatively high levels of contamination found in red mullet and the high mercury levels found in swordfish.

The Finnish Food Safety Authority implemented a control project in 2005, in which the presence of PAH compounds in smoked fish products was investigated. When the skin is then removed, the level of PAH compounds decreases. The results indicated that a higher benzo(a)pyrene level is associated with a higher content of total PAH compounds.

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The Food Standars Agency (FSA) has published two surveys on metals and dioxins in processed fish and shellfish products.

PCBs and Dioxins
Heavy Metals

The Committees on Toxicity (COT), Mutagenicity (COM) and Carcinogenicity (COC) belonging to the British Food Safety Agency (FSA) have published the annual report for the year 2009 on chemicals in food, consumer products and environment.

This report summarized various agreements reached during past year. We highlight: Arsenic, Cadmium, Acrylamide and Fumagillin, inter alia.

COT/COM/COC Report

FAO and WHO held an Expert Consultation on the Risks and Benefits of Fish Consumption last January 2010. Seventeen experts in nutrition, toxicology, epidemiology, dietary exposure and risk-benefit assessments, examined the risks from MeHg and DLCs, including dioxins, furans and dioxin-like PCBs levels in a range of fish species, and review recent scientific literature covering the risks and benefits of fish consumption.

The output is intended to provide guidance to national food safety authorities and the Codex Alimentarius Commission to better assess and manage the risks and benefits of fish consumption and more effectively communicate with their citizens:

• Acknowledge fish consumption as an important food source of energy, protein, and a range of essential nutrients and part of the cultural traditions of many peoples.
• Emphasize the benefits of fish consumption on reducing CHD mortality (and CHD mortality risks of not eating fish) for the general adult population.
• Emphasize the neurodevelopment benefits to offspring of fish consumption by women of childbearing age, particularly pregnant women and nursing mothers, and the neurodevelopment risks to offspring of such women not consuming fish.
• Develop, maintain, and improve existing databases on specific nutrients and contaminants, particularly MeHg and DLCs, in fish consumed in their region.
• Develop and evaluate risk management and communication strategies that both minimize risks and maximize benefits from eating fish.

FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on Risks vs Benefits of Fish Consumption Summary

These two external report assess long-term dietary exposure to chromium and selenium in young children living in 12 different European countries, using food consumption data for children aged 1 up to 14 years combined with those elements concentrations in food as supplied by EFSA. More info available on these links:

EFSA external report: Selenium
EFSA external report: Chromium

Compilation on the microbiological standards for foodstuffs Public Health Division of Bizkaia, Basque Government has issued an update dated 2010, March on the national microbiological criteria and physico-chemical parameters that the foodstuffs should fulfill.

According to the principles established on the 2073/2005 Regulation, modified by the 1441/2007 Regulation, the Royal Decree 135/2010, dated 2010, February has abolished several legislation standards related to the national microbiological criteria applied the 80s and part of the 90s. Due to that fact, the Basque Government has forseen the need to compile the legislation and recommendations in force in the field of Food Safety and Hygiene.

Foodstuffs microbiological standards

Long-term dietary exposure to lead in children aged 1 up to 14 years living in 12 different European countries was estimated using daily food consumption patterns and mean lead concentrations in various food commodities. The food groups vegetables, cereals, miscellaneous, fruit juices, soft drinks/edible ices and milk/dairy drinks were identified as largely contributing to the long-term dietary exposure to lead.

Using upper bound concentrations, 99th percentile consumers aged 1 to 10 years exceeded the daily equivalent of the PTWI in the majority of countries.

Due to the uncertainties related to the lead exposure assessment presented, the exposure results should be interpreted with caution and do not necessarily represent the intake of lead at the national level.

EFSA Report on exposure to lead in children

USA researchers have used DNA barcodes to identify tuna sushi samples analysed for mercury and demonstrate that the ability to identify cryptic samples in the market place allowing regulatory agencies to more accurately measure the risk faced by fish consumers and enacting policies that better safeguard their health.

The results indicated that mercury concentrations in tuna are positively correlated with body size and larger individuals are more likely to be sushi-grade and valued the highest. They found significantly lower mercury levels in supermarket sushi because samples were dominated (77%) by Yellowfin Tuna, which comprised a minority of restaurant samples (22%) and was found to be the species with the lowest mercury concentration. Whereas, Bluefin and Bieye tuna, mayority of restaurant samples, showed the highest mercury level.

The authors suggest that health agencies should consider adding Bigeye and Bluefin tuna to mercury advisories. For instance, the mercury levels in these species are within the bounds of fish the FDA and EPA advise pregnant or nursing women and children to avoid entirely, and thus these tunas should be included in the advisory. Consumers could make more informed health decisions if the FDA, and regulatory agencies in other nations, enforced market-specific names for species high in mercury.

Scientific article on mercury in tuna

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The Catalonian Food Safety Agency (ACSA) has issued a report on chemical contaminants in fish and shellfish consumed in Catalonia. This report emphasizes the higher concentrations of mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls found, whilst also noting, within the white fish group, the relatively high levels of contamination found in red mullet and the high mercury levels found in swordfish.