A PAN Europe study published on Thursday, 4 December, has revealed [the presence of] high levels of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) – a ‘forever chemical’ that has been identified as toxic to reproduction and development – in common cereal products across Europe.
The most contaminated food is the typical breakfast cereal. The average concentrations are 107 times higher than those in tap water.
The analysis (66 cereal products purchased in 16 countries) showed that 81.8% of the samples contained TFA, with an average of 78.9 μg/kg and peaks reaching 360 μg/kg in Ireland. Wheat-based products are the most affected. Although there are no specific thresholds at the European level, 54 samples did exceed the default threshold applicable to reprotoxic substances (10 μg/kg).
PAN Europe is calling on the authorities to set a much stricter safety value for TFA and to ban PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) pesticides, a major source of contamination. The NGO is also calling for TFA in food to be systematically monitored—believing that the accumulation of this highly persistent compound in soil and water could threaten food safety, especially for children and pregnant women.
The study: https://aeur.eu/f/jtx (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)