Health assessment of contaminants in food
Our topics in the area of contaminants in food
The difference between contaminants and residues
Undesirable substances sometimes end up in food due to environmental influences and processing. The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment assesses these substances in terms of their health risks.
The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment refers to undesirable substances as contaminants. These are substances that are not intentionally added to food. They can be present in food during the production, manufacture, processing, preparation, treatment, presentation, packaging, transport or storage of food or as a result of environmental contamination.
In contrast to residues, contaminants are to be regarded as undesirable substances as such. Contaminants include undesirable substances such as heavy metals (lead, cadmium and mercury), dioxins and furans, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), biotoxins such as mycotoxins, marine biotoxins, plant toxins and production-related toxins such as acrylamide.
Significance for the health of the consumer
To protect the health of consumers, it is essential to limit the content of contaminants in food to toxicologically acceptable levels or to minimise them as far as technically possible. To this end, the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment assesses the health risk posed by contaminants in food.
BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment results as a basis for decisions on consumer protection
The results of the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment's work provide a basis for decisions by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMELshort forGerman Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) as well as the monitoring authorities of the federal states within the framework of the consumer health protection tasks assigned to them.
They reflect the current state of knowledge, particularly in the areas of toxicology, chemical analysis, animal nutrition and food and feed technology.
Frequently asked questions
Legal basis
The legal basis for contaminants in food is the provisions of:
- Commission Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 of 19 December 2006 setting maximum levels for certain contaminants in food (OJ EU L 364, 20.12.2006, p. 5-24).
In particular, this concerns the assessment of proposed maximum levels of contaminants and undesirable substances in the food chain that are relevant either to the consumer or to farm animals because of their toxicity or their possible presence in the food chain.
In addition, the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment itself conducts research to assess the health risks for humans and farm animals when undesirable substances and products are transferred (‘carried over’) from the feed into the food-producing animal or into the food produced.