The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has prepared a draft scientific opinion on the risks to public health from nitrosamines in food, EFSA announced on Wednesday 12 October.
Nitrosamines (specifically N-nitrosamines) are chemical compounds, some of which are carcinogenic or genotoxic, that can be formed in food as a result of preparation and processing. These contaminants are found in deli meats, processed fish, cocoa, beer and other alcoholic beverages, and may be present in cooked meat, processed vegetables, cereals, milk and dairy products, fermented, pickled and spiced foods.
The draft scientific opinion presents an assessment of the toxicity of nitrosamines, the estimated dietary exposure of European citizens to carcinogenic nitrosamines in food, and on this basis assesses the health risks to the EU population.
It concludes that “it is very likely that, for all age groups, dietary exposure to nitrosamines is above the level that could indicate a health problem”, according to Bettina Grasl-Kraupp, Chair of the EFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain, which prepared the text. Link to the consultation: https://aeur.eu/f/3l6 (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)