The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has updated its analysis of the occurrence of arsenic in food in Europe, setting lower estimates of dietary exposure to inorganic arsenic than the agency reported in 2009. The analysis includes nearly 3,000 data samples of inorganic arsenic, evidently more toxic than organic compounds, and EFSA reports that the estimates’ accuracy has improved due to new consumption and occurrence data and a more detailed classification of foods. Arsenic, which has been linked to health problems such as skin lesions, cardiovascular disease and some forms of cancer, is a widely found contaminant that occurs both naturally and as a result of human activity. It appears in various forms, which can be either organic—containing carbon—or inorganic. Food, particularly grain-based processed products, such as wheat bread, rice, milk, dairy products, and drinking water are the main sources of exposure for the general European population. Although the European…
Category Archives Europe
Following an application to claim that vitamin D is important to normal bone and teeth development in infants and children, the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA’s) Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies has issued an opinion affirming that vitamin D contributes to normal development of bones and teeth. The panel noted previous favorable assessments of vitamin D and the maintenance of normal bones and teeth in the general population, concluding that “the role of vitamin D in bone and tooth mineralisation and homeostasis applies to all ages, including infants and young children (from birth to three years).” Issue 515
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has announced an April 23, 2014, scientific meeting to discuss its draft opinion on the human health risks of bisphenol A (BPA) for consumers. Developed by the EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids (CEF), the draft opinion also includes a re-evaluation of the tolerable daily intake for BPA, which the agency temporarily recommended lowering from 50 μg/kg bw/day to 5 μg/kg bw/day over concerns that exposure to the substance is likely to pose health risks. Additional details about EFSA’s draft assessment of consumer exposure to BPA appear in Issue 511 of this Update. The meeting seeks to discuss comments received during the draft opinion’s consultation period, which ends March 13. Before adopting its final opinion the CEF Panel will take into account these comments and meeting discussions, as well as issue a separate report that outlines these proceedings. EFSA…
The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled that an advertisement for a range of lactose-free products made “sufficiently clear that the Lactofree products were not suitable for dairy allergy sufferers but were suitable for those intolerant to lactose.” Responding to a complaint alleging that the ad failed to adequately differentiate between lactose intolerance and dairy allergy, Arla Foods Ltd. reportedly noted that its TV commercial included an on-screen footnote stipulating that the products displayed were “Not suitable for milk allergy sufferers,” and that consumers in doubt should consult their physician. Warning that the ad’s voice-over—“Listen up hedgehogs, you’re not intolerant to dairy, you’re just intolerant to lactose, the sugars in dairy”—could be misunderstood as a stand-alone statement, ASA nevertheless agreed with Arla’s position, dismissing the complaint on the ground that the on-screen text not only provided a clear reference to milk allergy, but also instructed consumers to “Search Lactofree”…
The U.K. Food Standards Agency (FSA) has requested public comments on a novel foods application submitted by a Swiss company seeking permission to use algal oil in its food products. The company suggests in its application that the oil, extracted from a newly isolated strain of microalgae, is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acid and proposes to use it as a source of the fatty acid in infant formula. The omega-3 fatty acid currently used in infant formula is derived from tuna fish oil or the microalgae, Crypthecodinium cohnii. FSA has also requested public comments on a second application, submitted by Unilever, seeking permission to extend the use of phytosterol esters. Used in the food industry for their cholesterol-lowering properties, phytosterol esters are naturally present at low levels in vegetable oils. This is the third application made by the Unilever for this ingredient. An application for margarines with added…
The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA’s) Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) has issued an opinion reiterating a previous conclusion that products with less than 75 mg of caffeine may not bear an increased alertness claim, because most studies found “no effect of caffeine doses of less than 75 mg on various cognitive tasks (simple reaction time, choice reaction time and reaction time on other vigilance tasks).” EFSA has also issued an opinion regarding a request to broaden the approved cholesterol-lowering claim for plant sterol esters. In response to a request to extend conditions of plant sterol esters to an additional food matrix (powder supplements to be diluted in water), the panel reiterated its previous conclusion that, “while plant sterols added to foods such as margarine-type spreads, mayonnaise, salad dressings, and dairy products such as milk, yoghurts, including low-fat yoghurts, and cheese have been shown consistently to lower blood LDL-c…
The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA’s) Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) has issued an opinion on formaldehyde, currently used as a feed additive and a preservative for skimmed milk intended for pigs. Concluding that “although there is no health risk for consumers exposed to the substance through the food chain,” FEEDAP cautions that inhalation of formaldehyde may cause cancer and appropriate measures should be taken to “ensure that the respiratory tract, skin and eyes of any person handling the product are not exposed to any dust, mist or vapour generated by the use of formaldehyde.” The panel also notes that formaldehyde will not accumulate in the environment and its use in animal nutrition is not expected to pose a risk for the environment. Issue 514
The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld two complaints alleging that Heineken UK Ltd.’s print and TV advertisements gave the impression that its Kronenbourg 1664 beer was brewed in France and made primarily from French hops, despite text disclaimers stating that the product was “Brewed in the UK.” According to the February 12, 2014, ruling, the ads in question touted Kronenbourg 1664 as a “French beer… brewed with the aromatic Strisselspalt hop” sourced from Alsace, France. Although Heineken noted in its response that “Kronenbourg 1664 was an inherently French beer… first brewed in 1952 in Alsace by Brasseries Kronenbourg,” ASA ultimately agreed with complainants that the print ad’s “degree of emphasis… on the connection with France would lead consumers to believe that the entire brewing and manufacturing process took place in that country,” while the TV ad’s focus on the Strisselspalt hop “implied that all, or a significant majority…
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has launched a public consultation on its draft assessment of the human health risks posed by bisphenol A (BPA). According to a January 17, 2014, press release, the agency has recommended temporarily lowering the current tolerable daily intake (TDI) for BPA from its current level of 50 µg/kg bw/day to 5 µg/kg bw/day over concerns that exposure to the substance is likely to adversely affect the liver and kidney, in addition to affecting the mammary gland. EFSA’s Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavorings and Processing Aids (CEF Panel) apparently arrived at the new TDI after reviewing more than 450 studies related to the potential health hazards associated with BPA. The draft scientific opinion also considers “the possible effects of BPA on the reproductive, nervous, immune, metabolic and cardiovascular systems, as well as the development of cancer,” concluding that these effects—while not likely at…
The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA’s) Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) has launched a public consultation for its draft scientific opinion on dietary reference values for iodine. Using data from “a large epidemiological study in European school-aged children showing that goiter prevalence is lowest for a urinary iodine concentration ≥ 100 μg/L,” NDA has proposed setting adequate intake (AI) levels for iodine at 150 μg/day for adults and between 70 μg/day and 130 μg/day for infants aged 7-11 months and all children. The panel has also recommended an AI of 200 μg/day for pregnant and lactating women, which takes into account “the additional needs due to increased maternal thyroid hormone production and the iodine uptake by the fetus, placenta and amniotic fluid” as well as “the existence of large iodine stores in conditions of adequate iodine status before pregnancy.” EFSA will accept comments on the draft scientific…
