On August 15, 2017, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) published minutes of the 17th meeting of its commission on contaminants in the food chain that took place on December 1, 2016.
Among other topics, the commission discussed the analytical methods available for measuring per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and their precursors, and reviewed the progress of health assessments for several PFASs along with computer tool for modeling PFASs pharmacokinetics.
Analytical methods available for measuring mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOHs) were discussed as well. The commission further heard a presentation on the potential transfer of MOHs into foods of animal origin through the use of human food leftovers in the preparation of animal feed. In this scenario, animal feed may become contaminated with MOHs coming from the remains of food packaging potentially present in food scraps, as has been demonstrated, for example, in the case of MOH-contamination of pork meat. In general, however, the currently available data are still too limited for conducting a health assessment, the commission concluded.
Read more
BfR (August 15, 2017). “17. Sitzung der BfR-Kommission fuer Kontaminanten und andere gesundheitlich unerwuenschte Stoffe in der Lebensmittelkette. Protokoll vom 1. Dezember 2016.” (pdf; in German)
