Zero tolerances in food and animal feed -- are there any scientific alternatives? A European point of view on an international controversy.
A number of zero tolerance provisions are contained in both food and animal feed law, e.g. for chemical substances whose occurrence is not permitted or is directly prohibited in food or animal feed. In the European Union, bans of this kind were introduced to give consumers and animals the greatest possible protection from substances with a possible hazard potential within the intendment of the hazard prevention principles and current precautionary measures. This also applies to substances for which an acceptable daily intake cannot be derived and a maximum residue limit cannot, therefore, be established, e.g. due to missing or inadequate toxicological data. Zero tolerances are also under discussion as trade barriers because their use has triggered numerous legal disputes. This paper draws together the results of an evaluation of alternative risk assessment methods to be used for the risk assessment of substances to which currently only zero tolerances apply. It will demonstrate that, depending on the available toxicological data, a scientifically sound risk assessment may still be possible. In this context, the two concepts - margin of exposure and threshold of toxicological concern - are very promising approaches. Until the scientific and sociopolitical discussions have been completed, it is essential that the principle of zero tolerances be upheld, especially for those substances which may be genotoxic carcinogens. In microbiology, there is no legal room for manoeuvre with regard to food safety criteria established for reasons of consumer health protection on the basis of scientific assessments.
Heberer
Thomas
T
Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Section 55, - Residues of Medicinal Products, Diedersdorfer Weg 1, 12277 Berlin, Germany. bfr@bfr.bund.de
Lahrssen-Wiederholt
Monika
M
Schafft
Helmut
H
Abraham
Klaus
K
Pzyrembel
Hildegard
H
Henning
Klaus Juergen
KJ
Schauzu
Marianna
M
Braeunig
Juliane
J
Goetz
Mario
M
Niemann
Lars
L
Gundert-Remy
Ursula
U
Luch
Andreas
A
Appel
Bernd
B
Banasiak
Ursula
U
Böl
Gaby Fleur
GF
Lampen
Alfonso
A
Wittkowski
Reiner
R
Hensel
Andreas
A
D000821:Animal Feed; D005062:European Union; D005502:Food; D005503:Food Additives; D005506:Food Contamination; D005516:Food Microbiology; D030841:Food, Genetically Modified; D007881:Legislation, Food; D010573:Pesticide Residues; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D018570:Risk Assessment
D005503:Food Additives; D010573:Pesticide Residues