16/04/2015

Traces of chemicals are sometimes detected in food and drinks: pesticides in fruit and vegetables, veterinary drugs in meat and other animal-derived products, or environmental contaminants in various foodstuffs. Regular controls help to ensure compliance with food safety rules and standards and protect consumers from potential risks. But how high are the levels of these substances in food and do they exceed existing official limits?

A new EFSA report aims to give non-specialists a balanced view of the findings of annual EU-wide monitoring of levels of chemicals in food. The report provides context that is sometimes lacking when examples of chemicals detected in food are reported by the media. For example, EFSA's analyses of data collected from across Europe show that exceeding official limits is the exception rather than the rule.

The European Commission's acting Director General for Health and Food Safety, Ladislav Miko said: "This new report aimed at the European public translates complex scientific data on food in a more accessible and understandable way. I very much welcome this new way of reporting on issues that matter to people who are concerned about what's in their food and hope we will see more of this type of food information from EFSA in the future."

These data provide the scientific basis for decision-making by national and European authorities responsible for food safety and/or public health. They also help to measure the impact of existing controls, understand if new safety assessments or control measures are needed and to set priorities for future research funding and data collection activities.

The Commission asked EFSA to include snapshots of the important work it does annually on pesticide residues in food and on veterinary drug residues in animals and animal-derived foods. In addition, the results of recent ad hoc reports covering chemical contaminants in food should be included; this first issue of the report, therefore, also summarises recent data collection work on arsenic in food and drinking water and ethyl carbamate in spirit drinks.

Scientific risk assessors like EFSA help to safeguard against potential adverse effects of chemicals in food, where possible, by establishing safe intake levels. This scientific advice informs decision-makers who regulate the use of chemicals in food or seek to limit their presence in the food chain. EFSA's work would not be possible without the on-going Europe-wide data collection efforts of local, national and European organisations.