In an article published on October 20, 2016 the non-profit organization Foodwatch informs that over 100,000 people from Germany, France, and the Netherlands have signed the organization’s petition calling for action against mineral oil residues in food. Foodwatch launched the petition in October 2015 upon publishing a laboratory study showing contamination of dry foods packaged in paper or board with mineral oils (FPF reported). The 100,000+ signatures were now handed to the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis, Foodwatch reports. The petition asks Andriukaitis to set and implement strict EU-wide limit values for mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) as well as an EU-wide zero-tolerance for mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) in food. Further, the petition demands a mandatory requirement of functional barriers in (recycled) paper and board food packaging to prevent mineral oil migration from the packaging into food.
In a second article published on October 20, 2016 Foodwatch reports that a German state authority has found Lindt chocolates to be contaminated with MOSH and MOAH. In an article published on October 28, 2016 Foodwatch further reports that the German consumer magazine Öko-Test has found MOSH and MOAH contamination in several brands of doughnuts. Furniture company IKEA has consequently announced to pull the affected products sold in its stores from the shelves. These incidences underpin the need for strict and safe limit values for mineral oils in food, Foodwatch concludes.
Mineral oil residues in food can originate from production and processing steps, as well as from packaging, Foodwatch writes. A common source is recycled paper and board packaging, which contains mineral-oil-containing printing inks and various other chemicals that can migrate into food, Foodwtach explains.
Read more
Foodwatch (October 20, 2016). “100.000 Unterschriften gegen Mineralöle in Lebensmitteln.” (in German)
Foodwatch (October 20, 2016). “Schon wieder Mineralöle in Lindt-Schokolade.” (in German)
Foodwatch (October 28, 2016). “Ikea stoppt Verkauf belasteter Donuts.” (in German)
ChemWatch (November 10, 2016). “NGO petition calls for EU action on mineral residues in food.“
