News Headlines: 09 - 16 April 2010


Home \| Text Size \| Tell a Friend \| Search \| MEMBER LOGIN

News

Feature Articles

Useful Links

Food Safety Matters

Fact-Sheet Index

Microbial Hazards

Parasites

Biological Toxins

Contaminants

Food allergens

Legislation & HACCP

About Membership

Member Login

About this Site

Who are we?

Help

home | News | News Headlines: 09 - 16 April 2010

News Headlines: 09 - 16 April 2010

Melamine does not accumulate at unacceptable levels in eggs; EFSA evaluates fish parasites; Toddler food recalled over choking risk; BPA report due in May; Guar gum import controls revised; EFSA lowers melamine TDI

Melamine does not accumulate at unacceptable levels in eggs

A newly published study by a team of Chinese researchers indicates that even if chickens are fed on feed contaminated with high concentrations of the industrial chemical melamine their eggs do not contain the contaminant at levels above legal limits.

Increasing amounts of melamine of up to 100ppm in feed given to laying hens did result in increasing amounts in eggs, but not in excess of the FDA maximum allowable level in foods of 2.5ppm. The highest level found was about 1.45ppm.

The study is published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry and can be found in full at the link below.

http://pubs.acs.org/stoken/presspac/presspac/full/10.1021/jf904205y

EFSA evaluates fish parasites

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Biological hazards Panel has issued a scientific opinion on food safety concerns resulting from possible allergic reactions to parasites in a range of fish products.

The Panel concluded that the only parasite in fish likely to cause allergic reactions in humans is the parasitic worm Anisakis, the larvae of which may be found in fish flesh. The mechanism and extent of the allergic response is unclear, but live larvae are thought to present a greater risk than dead ones. Reactions may include gastroenteritis and skin rashes.

The opinion also includes information on the effectiveness of freezing and heating treatments used to inactivate Anisakis larvae in fish.

http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/scdocs/scdoc/1543.htm

Toddler food recalled over choking risk

The UK Food Standards Agency has reported that Ella's Kitchen (Brands) Ltd is recalling some batches of Stage 3 'Totally Cool Caribbean Chicken with Mangoes' toddler food because they might contain hardened vegetable pieces that could cause choking.

The recalled product is sold in 190g packs and the following best before dates are affected: July 2010, October 2010, January 2011 and February 2011.

http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2010/apr/ella

BPA report due in May

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has announced that it will complete its current work on the industrial chemical bisphenol A (BPA) by the end of May and will then report its findings on BPA safety to the European Commission.

The EFSA scientific Panel on food contact materials, enzymes, flavourings and processing aids is currently evaluating a recently published toxicological study suggesting that low levels of BPA may have neurodevelopmental effects. This study has already been used by the Danish authorities as the scientific basis for a decision to ban BPA in food contact materials for infants. The Panel is also carrying out a wider review of the recent scientific literature.

More information on this work can be found at the link below.

http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/ceftopics/topic/bisphenol.htm

Guar gum import controls revised

The European Commission has revised import control measures for the food ingredient guar gum imported from India. The Commission decided that all consignments of guar gum imported into Europe from India should be subject to controls to ensure that pentachlorophenol (PCP) is not present.

The controls follow an incident in 2007 when dioxin contamination was found in a shipment of Indian guar gum, resulting in a number of recalls of products in which it had been used as a thickening agent. The high dioxin levels were linked to the illegal use of PCP as a fungicide.

Although the Indian authorities are attempting to improve the situation, a recent visit by Commission officials found that further contamination is still possible and that the revised controls are needed to prevent a further incident.

http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2010/apr/guargum2010

EFSA lowers melamine TDI

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has lowered the tolerable daily intake for the industrial chemical melamine after a new analysis of toxicological data showed that it might cause kidney damage at lower levels than previously thought.

The statistical analysis, carried out by the EFSA expert Panel on contaminants in the food chain, suggested a TDI of 0.2 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight. The previous TDI, set by SCF in 1985, was 0.5 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight. The revised TDI is in line with the figure set by the World Health Organisation in 2008. Exposure data indicates that most people are not exposed to melamine in food at levels above the new TDI.

Melamine can leach into foods from food contact materials, but has also been added illegally to foods to artificially boost the apparent protein content. This has been a particular problem in pet foods and milk products from China.

The full Scientific Opinion can be found via the link below.

http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/scdocs/scdoc/1573.htm