Abstract Report 2005
Abstract National Food Monitoring Report 2005
Food monitoring is a system of repeated representative measurements and evaluations of levels of undesirable substances, namely pesticides, heavy metals and other contaminants, in and on foods.
Food monitoring has been carried out as two complementary analytic programmes since 2003: first, analysis of foods from a market basket developed on the basis of people’s consumption behaviour, with the aim to watch the residues and contamination situation under representative conditions of sampling (market basket monitoring). Second, analyses with regard to particular topical problems in the framework of particular projects (project monitoring). The market basket and the project monitoring programmes included analysis of a total of 5,159 samples of foods of domestic and foreign origin.
The following foods were selected from the market basket:
Food of animal origin
Food of vegetal origin
Depending on what undesirable substances are expected, the foods were analysed for residues of plant protection products (insecticides, fungicides, herbicides) and contaminants (namely, persistent organo-chlorine compounds, musk compounds, elements, nitrate, mycotoxins, and toxic reaction products).
Project monitoring dealt with the 10 following subjects:
- Furan in bouillon and stock products, ready-to-eat meals, sauce powders, roasted coffee, and infant food
- Carbendazim in juice of grapes, apples, pears, oranges, and in mixed juices
- Glycoside alkaloids in potatoes
- Heavy metals in preparations of vitamins, mineral substances, plant extracts and algae
- Residues of plant protection products in tomatoes
- Persistent organo-chlorine compounds and residues of plant protection products in glasshouse cucumbers
- OTA, DON and ZEA in rye and wheat flour
- Cadmium in cuttlefish products
- Benzo(a)pyrene in smoked fish
- Herbicide residues in vegetables and fresh herbs
Interpretation of findings took account of comparison with previous years, where this was possible. Yet it must be stressed that any statement and evaluation about the contamination of foods made in this report, solely refer to the foods and substances or substance groups studied in 2005.
As a whole, the findings of the 2005 food monitoring back the recommendation that nutrition should be manifold and balanced, this being a means to minimise sometimes unavoidable dietary intake of unwanted substances.
In particular, findings from market basket and project monitoring can be summarised as follows:
Food of animal origin:
- Air-cured salami and spreadable raw sausage, such as Teewurst and Mettwurst (soft pork sausage), contained only low levels of unwanted substances. There were very rare findings of lindane and lead slightly exceeding legal maximum levels of these substances in salami.
- The known ubiquitous contaminants were found in nearly all rainbow trouts and carps analysed, but mostly at very low concentrations, and always below fixed maximum levels. Frequent findings of the feed additive E 324 (ethoxyquin) in trouts should be taken as an occasion to fix a maximum level.
- Benzo(a)pyrene was only found at low levels in smoked fish from small businesses. Only one sample exceeded the maximum level.
- 5% of cadmium contents exceeded the maximum level in cuttle fish products, mostly in Sepia species and less often in common squid. Higher concentrations were conspicuous in Asian sepia products. Octopus and cuttlefish in sauces or brew did not contain concentrations above the maximum level.
Cereals and cereal products
- Rice generally contained only low levels of undesirable substances. Maximum residue levels (MRLs) of plant protection products were not exceeded. Increased levels of arsenic and single findings of cadmium and mercury above maximum levels should be enough reason for further studies.
- Cereal flours dating from 2005 generally showed only low levels of the mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON), ochratoxin A (OTA) and zearalenone (ZEA), though the maximum level fixed for OTA was exceeded in some sparse cases in rye flours.
- Muesli bars and mini bars as well as puff pastry and bread dough contained only low levels of mycotoxins and heavy metals. Some concentration peaks found in muesli bars and mini bars, in particular with DON and OTA, should be further reduced or eliminated by careful selection and checks of raw materials. Levels of the reaction product 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) were in the range typical of dried fruit, which is contained in muesli bars.
Oil seed
- Linseed and poppy were slightly contaminated with OTA. Heavy metal concentrations were also low, apart from cadmium. To persistently reduce cadmium levels in oil seeds, efforts should be made to bring only such oil seeds which were grown on low-cadmium soils on the markets.
Potatoes, vegetables, mushrooms, and products therefrom
- Potatoes, artichokes, broccoli and carrots carried only low levels of residues of plant protection products, heavy metals and nitrate. 56 – 75% of all samples were free from measurable residues of plant protection products, and only one to two samples carried residues with one substance above the maximum residue level (MRL).
- Contents of the poisonous glycoside alkaloids solanine and chaconine in potatoes were harmless.
- Deep-frozen spinach carried low and fresh spinach and French beans, cucumbers and tomatoes (from conventional cropping) medium levels of plant protection product residues. 5 - 8% of residues exceeded MRLs. Residue findings in tomatoes from organic farming were not above MRLs, but nearly as frequent as findings in conventionally grown tomatoes.
- Findings of heavy metals were low, in total. Yet, cadmium levels in spinach were increased again, which is why it should be recommended to grow spinach only in low-cadmium soils. Minimisation of nitrate in fresh spinach should also be made a strategic goal, because concentrations continue to be high compared with deep-frozen spinach, sometimes exceeding the fixed maximum level.
- Special analyses of leaf and root vegetables for herbicide residues showed that every third substance found was a herbicide. This means herbicide findings were relatively frequent. Referred to maximum residue levels, vegetables carried medium-range levels of herbicide residues.
- No HMF and only little acrylamide was found in the ready-to-eat products potato fritters, croquettes, potato puree powder and potato dumpling powder. Most element (heavy metal) levels were low in potato puree and potato dumpling powders. Single findings of lead and cadmium near or above fixed maximum levels for potatoes should be taken as an occasion to search for potential sources of contamination (such as habitat or processing-related factors), with the aim to minimise contents.
- Related to average heavy metal levels in fresh mushrooms, findings in dried shiitake and tinned champignons were generally low. Yet, tinned champignons showed medium-range levels of tin and dried shiitake some increased cadmium findings. Concentrations of heavy metals in mushroom products and fresh mushrooms destined for processing should therefore be further surveyed. A point should be made of keeping the substrate for mushroom culture free from heavy metals as far as possible, on the one hand, and minimising contamination by processing and tin material, on the other.
Fruit, fruit juices, and other fruit products
- Fruit, fruit juices, and other fruit products contained only low levels of heavy metals.
- More than 85% of pears, peaches and nectarines, and nearly all unpeeled oranges and tangerines contained residues of plant protection products, but average levels were generally low. Regarding contents above maximum residue levels, pears and nectarines contained only low, tangerines medium-range, and oranges increased levels of plant protection product residues. Non-compliance with maximum residue levels was between 4.6 and 5%. In pears, the level of non-compliance has clearly decreased compared to 2002. About oranges and tangerines, it has to be noted that the pulp as the edible part contains only minor residue levels, as it was shown in earlier monitoring studies.
- Peaches had a high share of non-compliance with MRLs, with 15,3%. It should be made a point to improve the residue situation by suitable minimisation measures.
- As in the 1996 monitoring study, apple juice showed frequent findings of patulin, with slightly higher concentrations overall, and one case of MRL non-compliance. This means that apple juice producers have to take particular care that no spoilt fruit is entering the press.
- Special studies looking into the use of the fungicide carbendazim produced no, or only very sparse, findings of this substance in orange juice and pear juice, but more frequent findings, though with very low concentrations, in apple juice and grape juice.
- Findings of mycotoxins in partially fermented grape must (such as Federweißer and young wine) and in quality sparkling wine were generally low, compared with fixed maximum levels. Single findings of high OTA concentrations above the maximum level should still be an occasion to pay more attention to possible mould in wine grapes.
Other foods
- Marzipan/persipan raw matter held only low contents of aflatoxins and heavy metals. The same holds in principle for sweets from other raw materials. Yet, there were more frequent findings of increased lead levels and in some cases also increased cadmium levels. The causes of these findings should be identified and eliminated. HMF levels were comparatively low.
- Furan was frequently found in infant food and ready-to-eat meals, such as soups. Though the levels found do not pose any health risk, according to what is currently understood, these levels should be further reduced.
- Lead and cadmium were frequently found in food supplements, such as preparations of vitamins, mineral substances, plant extracts, and algae. Extremely increased cadmium levels in some algal preparations were conspicuous. It seems reasonable to reduce the contaminant load to what is technologically possible and unavoidable by legal control of the maximum level. The heavy metal content of algal preparations should be further monitored in the framework of routine control action.