Food Standards Agency
Thursday 20 November 2008
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What is RSS?Details of the Agency-funded Chemical Contaminants from Food Production research programme C01.
Inorganic chemical contaminants are potentially harmful chemicals present in food adventitiously as a result of human activity or from natural sources. These include heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury, and other chemical elements such as arsenic and iodine.
The aim of the research programme is to understand the pathways by which inorganic contaminants enter food, the levels at which they occur, and the mechanisms by which they accumulate through the food chain. This information will help improve our communication of risks to consumers and food producers, and to identify effective and proportionate means of minimising the levels of harmful contaminants in food available to consumers through animal husbandry measures, differential sourcing, refining and where necessary decontamination processes.
The programme supports the Agency's strategy on the chemical safety of food. It contributes to the aims of ensuring that chemicals, if present in food, do not compromise food safety and our aim of having appropriate and enforceable controls in place.
Inorganic chemical contaminants are potentially harmful chemicals present in food adventitiously as a result of human activity or from natural sources. These include heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury, and other chemical elements such as arsenic and iodine. They may be introduced at any point in the food chain from growth and harvesting through to storage and processing. Although some are essential, all are potentially harmful if exposures are excessive. Food is a major contributor to consumers’ overall exposure in most cases, although other routes may also be significant (inhalation, occupational exposure, drinking water). There is a relatively good body of data from past studies on occurrence, exposure and toxicity for elements such as lead, cadmium and mercury, although this focuses mainly on total concentrations or exposures to these contaminants. This Programme will build on these data by:
i) identifying emerging concerns and improving our understanding of them. Improving our understanding of the entry, pathways and transformations of particular chemicals and species of interest into and through the food chain, their uptake and effects on consumers;
ii) identifying ways to minimise contamination, exposure, or its effects;
iii) surveys; and
iv) developing and improving analytical methods;
The work Programme as a whole should enable the Agency to focus its survey work, to aid with the assessment, reduction and communication of risk to consumers from inorganic environmental contaminants present in food, and inform the UK in international negotiations on setting appropriate controls on these contaminants.
Information is needed about how inorganic chemical contaminants enter and are distributed throughout the food chain, their uptake and transformation by plants and animals and their effects on humans in order to protect the consumer and to focus advice, surveillance activities and legislation appropriately. The work will contribute to the Agency and Divisional objectives of ensuring that chemicals, if present in food, do not compromise food safety and to help develop policies to further reduce consumers' exposure to these chemicals, for example by enabling effective and enforceable controls are put in place. This information will inform discussions with the EU and other international bodies when negotiating such controls and related legislation.
The existing body of data focuses mainly on total concentrations or exposures to these contaminants. This Programme will build on these data by pursuing the following broad areas:
1. Identifying emerging concerns and improving our understanding of them.
This will build on previous data and appraisals, including the existing Programme C01, its MAFF predecessor FS21, the December 1999 Programme review for FS21, consultation with the WPCC; recommendations from the COT and other independent groups; emerging concerns in the EU and elsewhere – for example, contaminants identified on the work programmes of the EC Working Party on Contaminants, the SCF, SCOOP and JECFA.
It will also take account of the work of other bodies with overlapping interests, and take advantage, where appropriate, of opportunities for collaborative work with environment and health departments/agencies with an interest in the health impacts of environmental contaminants.
This work will offer improvements in our ability to model or otherwise estimate exposures from environmental contaminants.
2. Developing improved analytical methods.
This may include development and/or validation of new or improved methods (especially methods for chemical speciation eg arsenic, mercury), plus work to improve analytical performance, and reduce cost (including for existing methods). This will contribute to the availability of reliable accurate analytical data that may be used to develop more accurate risk assessments, more effectively targeted advice and controls, as well as promoting best practice to achieve more efficient and effective enforcement.
3. Identifying ways to minimise contamination, exposure or its effects.
This may include investigating ways of reducing contamination at all stages in food production: from farming practice to processing
Point 3 will help to focus and refine risk assessment on those groups which may be at greater risk, and to address emerging concerns with regard to new contaminants, exposure routes or exposed groups.
Name
: Ben Walters
Tel
: 020 7276 8708
Email
:
ben.walters@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
Details of Agency-funded projects under the Chemical Contaminants from Food Production research programme (C01).
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