Brussels, 01/04/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 31 March, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published an analysis of the levels of dioxins and related substances (such as polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs) in food and animal feed. The report, which is based on over 7,000 samples collected by 21 European countries between 1999 and 2008, concludes that it is not possible to establish a clear trend regarding changes in background levels of dioxins and related substances in food and feed over time, “as there were increases in some categories but decreases in others”, EFSA explains in a press release. The European Commission had called on the EFSA to assess the levels of dioxin contamination compared to the maximum levels established for the various categories of foodstuffs and animal feed within the EU.
On the whole, 8% of samples exceeded the different maximum dioxin levels set out by EU legislation, the report shows. Nonetheless, some of these samples clearly originated from targeted sampling during specific contamination episodes. There were also large variations between different groups of food and feed in terms of the proportion of samples which exceed maximum levels.
The highest average levels of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in relation to fat content were observed for liver and liver products from animals. The highest average levels in relation to total product weight were for fish liver and products derived from fish liver. In animal feed, the highest average levels were found in fish oil.
The report recommends continuous random testing of a sufficient number of samples in each food and feed group to ensure accurate assessments of the presence of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs.
Dioxins and similar compounds, such as dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), include a range of toxic substances which are formed by burning - e.g. through waste incineration or forest fires - and some industrial processes. Their presence in the environment has declined since the 1970s, following concerted efforts at the EU level. Dioxins are found at low levels in many foods. They do not cause immediate health problems but long-term exposure to high levels of dioxins has been shown to cause a range of effects, including cancer. Their persistence and the fact that they accumulate in the food chain, notably in animal fat, therefore continues to cause some safety concerns. (L.C./transl.jl)