Sulfites added to many foods as preservatives and antioxidants (wine, dried fruit and vegetables, beer, fruit juices, etc.) pose a safety concern for high consumers, according to an updated scientific opinion by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published on Thursday 24 November, without establishing an acceptable daily intake (ADI) because of insufficient toxicity data, EFSA says.
For this assessment, EFSA calculated margins of exposure - a ratio of the lowest estimated dose at which an adverse effect is observed to the level of exposure to a given substance - taking into account dietary intakes and the dose associated with neurotoxic effects in animal tests.
The conclusion is that “sulfites pose a safety concern for high consumers in all population groups except adolescents”, according to EFSA.
EFSA found evidence of adverse effects on the central nervous system, such as a delayed response of nerve cells to stimuli, an early sign of nervous system dysfunction.
It reiterates its earlier recommendation for further research into hypersensitivity or intolerance in certain sensitive consumers.
In 2016, EFSA set a temporary ADI of 0.7 milligrams per kilogram of body weight pending the availability of new data needed to decide on the safety of sulfites.
See the updated opinion: https://aeur.eu/f/491 (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)