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Contaminants in the Food Chain

The Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM) provides scientific advice on contaminants in the food chain and undesirable substances such as natural toxicants, mycotoxins and residues of unauthorised substances.

CONTAM Panel Members are scientists from across Europe with expertise in:

  • Chemistry – organic, inorganic, analytical chemistry, food and feed processing in the area of chemical contaminants
  • Exposure assessment – expertise is required especially in relation to dietary exposure assessment of chemical contaminants including knowledge on food consumption surveys
  • Human and veterinary toxicology (in risk assessment of chemicals) – absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion (ADME) of substances (toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics), sub-chronic and chronic toxicity (repeated dose studies), genotoxicity and mutagenicity, developmental and reproductive toxicity, carcinogenicity, allergenicity and immunotoxicity.
  • Toxicological tests in experimental animals – interpreting toxic effects of chemical contaminants in farm and pet animals
  • Epidemiology – biomarkers of the effects and exposure and interpretation of human data)
  • Statistics – assessment of dose-response effects, e.g. benchmark dose modelling and analysis of complex (epidemiological) data sets
  • Animal nutrition – animal exposure assessment.

Working groups

Arsenic in food

BFRs in food

Delta-8-THC

Dioxins update

Genotoxicity of beauvericin

Lectins

Perchlorate in food

SWG on feed detoxification

Closed working groups

3-MCPD update

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Acrylamide genotoxicity

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Acrylamide in Food

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Aflatoxins in food

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Alkaloids

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Ambrosia in Feed

Aspergillus toxins

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Brominated Flame Retardants

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Chlorate in Food

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Chlorinated Paraffins in food and feed

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Chromium and nickel

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Dioxins in food and feed

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Dioxins in food for children

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Ergot Alkaloids in feed

Erucic acid in food and feed

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Fumonisins in feed

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Furan in food

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Fusarium toxins

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Glycoalkaloids in food and feed

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Gossypol in whole cotton seed

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Grayanotoxins in certain honey

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Health-based guidance value (HBGV) for mycotoxins

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HMF in honey bees

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Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in apricot kernels

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Masked mycotoxins in food and feed

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Maximum level of aflatoxins in peanuts

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Maximum levels (MLs) of deoxynivalenol in certain cereal products

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MCPD and glycidyl esters

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Meat inspection - contaminants

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Mercury in food

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Mineral hydrocarbons in food

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Mineral Oil Hydrocarbons (MOH) in food

Mycotoxins in feed

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Nickel in feed

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Nickel in food

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Nitrites and nitrates in feed

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Nitrofurans and their metabolites in food

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Nitrosamines in food

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Non-allowed pharmacologically active substances in food and feed and their reference points for action (2015-2018)

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Ochratoxin A (OTA) in feed

Ochratoxin A in food

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Opium alkaloids

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Perchlorate in food (2014)

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Perchlorate in food correcting opinion

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PFAS in food

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Phorbol esters in Jatropha kernel meal

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Plastic microparticles and nanoparticles

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Polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) in feed and food

Previous cargoes

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Previous cargoes - re-evaluation

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Previous cargoes 2016

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Quinolizidine alkaloids in food and feed

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Reference Points for Action

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Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in milk and other products of animal origin

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TTX in bivalve molluscs and marine gastropods

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WG on scallops

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Zearalenone in feed

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