Scientific Documents

Effects on public health of an increase of the levels for aflatoxin total from 4 µg/kg to 10 µg/kg for tree nuts other than almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios - Statement of the Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain

Summary (28 KB)

Statement (154 KB)

Summary

Aflatoxins can occur in food and feed as a result of fungal contamination by moulds, primarily by Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus under warm and humid conditions. They are most likely to contaminate tree nuts (e.g. almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, Brazil nuts, cashew nuts, walnuts, pecan nuts), ground nuts (e.g. peanuts), figs and other dried fruits, spices, crude vegetable oils, cocoa beans and maize. Aflatoxins are genotoxic and carcinogenic, and already in 1998 the European Union (EU) introduced maximum levels for certain food commodities based on the principle as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA).

The Scientific Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM Panel) of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) adopted an opinion related to the potential increase of consumer health risk by a possible increase of the existing maximum levels for aflatoxins in almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios and derived products in January 2007. This risk assessment was requested by the European Commission following discussions at the Codex Committee for Food Additives and Contaminants (CCFAC) where the setting of higher levels than the 4 µg/kg, the current EU maximum level for aflatoxins in almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios, had been proposed. The CONTAM Panel concluded in its assessment that changing the maximum levels for total aflatoxins from 4 to 8 or 10 µg/kg in almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios would have a minor impact on the estimates of dietary exposure, cancer risk and the calculated margin of exposures.

Recently, the European Commission asked EFSA to elaborate further on the potential adverse effects on public health of increasing the level for total aflatoxins from 4 µg/kg to 10 µg/kg for tree nuts other than almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios. This request was triggered by discussions with Members States on the alignment of European Community legislation for aflatoxin to the Codex decision (10 µg/kg total aflatoxins for almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios ready-to-eat). Risk managers noted that this would facilitate the enforcement of maximum levels, particularly for nut mixtures.

For the current statement the CONTAM Panel took into account the nearly 35,000 results on the occurrence of aflatoxins in various food commodities, including tree nuts other than almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios, which were submitted by 20 Member States for the risk assessment in 2006. The short deadline of the Commission request for the current statement did not allow EFSA to issue a complementary call for further information, thus EFSA relied on existing information on aflatoxin in food collected in 2006.

Robust consumption data for tree nuts other then almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios from Member States were not available to the CONTAM Panel and thus the information from the Global Environment Monitoring System - Food Contamination Monitoring and Assessment Program (GEMS/Food) Consumption Cluster Diets database of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) were used for estimating dietary exposure to aflatoxins in tree nuts (FAO/WHO, 2006).

The previous estimates indicated that increasing the maximum levels for total aflatoxins in almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios from 4 to 8 or 10 µg/kg would result in an increase in average total dietary exposure to aflatoxins in the region of 1 %. In reviewing a potential increase of total aflatoxin in other tree nuts from 4 to 10 µg/kg it was noted that only about 0.5 % of such nuts would have concentrations in this range except for Brazil nuts with 2.4 %. For the three GEMS/Food Consumption Cluster Diets, the impact of such an increase would be even less than for the three tree nuts in the initial opinion. Thus the proposed increase in the legislated maximum level is expected to increase total dietary exposure by less than 2 % for the majority of the respective population. Furthermore, if as is expected, tree nuts exceeding the maximum aflatoxin levels are occasionally consumed, the long term average dietary total aflatoxin exposure would be higher, but in turn the impact of raising the maximum level for all tree nuts from 4 to 10 µg/kg would be less.

Based on the information which was available in 2007 the CONTAM Panel concluded that public health would not be adversely affected by increasing the levels for total aflatoxins from 4 µg/kg to 10 µg/kg for all tree nuts. The CONTAM Panel, however, reiterated its previous conclusion that exposure to aflatoxins from all sources should be as low as reasonably achievable, because aflatoxins are genotoxic and carcinogenic, and that priority should be given to reducing the numbers of highly contaminated foods reaching the market, irrespective of the commodity involved.