Katleen Baert

A literature‐based comparison of nutrient and contaminant contents between organic and conventional vegetables and potatoes

Purpose – The increasing demand for organic foods is explained mainly by consumers concerns about the quality and safety of foods and their perception that organically produced foods are healthier and safer than conventional foods. Based on internationally available concentration data of organic and conventional vegetables (carrots, tomatoes, lettuce and spinach) and potatoes, the paper aims to investigate the scientific validity of nutrition claims as “no vegetable/potato has higher amounts of nutrient X than organic vegetables/potatoes” and “no vegetable/potato has lower amounts of contaminant Y than organic vegetables/potatoes”.Design/methodology/approach – Detailed nutrient and contaminant databases were developed for organic and conventional vegetables separately. Non‐parametric (Mann‐Whitney test) methods were used to detect significant differences between both types of vegetables. A chi‐square test was used to compare the incidence of pesticide residues in organic and conventional vegetables.Findi...

Consuming organic versus conventional vegetables: The effect on nutrient and contaminant intakes

The health benefits of consuming organic compared to conventional foods are unclear. This study aimed at evaluating the nutrient and contaminant intake of adults through consumption of organic versus conventional vegetables, namely carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach and potatoes. A probabilistic simulation approach was used for the intake assessment in two adult populations: (1) a representative sample of Belgians (n=3245) and (2) a sample of Flemish organic and conventional consumers (n=522). Although significant differences in nutrient and contaminant contents were previously found between organic and conventional vegetables, they were inconsistent for a component and/or vegetable. These findings were translated here into inconsistent intake assessments. This means that the intake of specific nutrients and contaminants can be higher or lower for organic versus conventional vegetables. However, when considering the consumption pattern of organic consumers, an increase in intake of a selected set of nutrients and contaminants is observed, which are explained by the general higher vegetable consumption of this consumer group. In public health terms, there is insufficient evidence to recommend organic over conventional vegetables. The general higher vegetable consumption of organic compared to conventional consumers outweighs usually the role of differences in nutrient and contaminant concentrations between organic and conventional vegetables.

Assessment of the acrylamide intake of the Belgian population and the effect of mitigation strategies.

The acrylamide (AA) intake of the Belgian consumer was calculated based on AA monitoring data of the Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) and consumption data of the Belgian food consumption survey coordinated by the Scientific Institute for Public Health (3214 participants of 15 years or older). The average AA exposure, calculated probabilistically, was 0.4 µg kg−1 body weight (bw) day−1 (P97.5 = 1.6 µg kg−1 bw day−1), the main contributors to the average intake being chips (23%), coffee (19%), biscuits (13%), and bread (12%). Additionally, the impact of a number of AA mitigation scenarios was evaluated (German minimization concept, scenarios for mitigation from the literature, signal values), which is an important issue for public health as well as for policy-makers. Specific actions in cooperation with the food industry to reduce the AA content of foods seems to be a more efficient strategy than mere implementation of signal values. Considering that an important share of the AA intake is due to prepared meals, the catering industry as well as consumers need to be better informed on the various possibilities for keeping the AA content of meals as low as possible.

Evaluation of strategies for reducing patulin contamination of apple juice using a farm to fork risk assessment model

The numerous studies conducted so far on the issue of patulin contamination have focused mainly on aspects like growth of Penicillium expansum, patulin production under different conditions and the influence of processing on the patulin concentration in apple juice. The purpose of the present study was to collect the necessary information and to develop a quantitative risk assessment model (QRAM) in order to evaluate different strategies to reduce patulin contamination. For apple juice (AJ) production 3 types of apples are considered, namely fresh apples, apples stored under cold air (short term storage) and apples stored under controlled atmosphere (CA) (long term storage). The QRAM described the complete chain from the picking of apples until storage of produced AJ. In comparison to a traditional chemical analysis, the QRAM was found accurate in predicting the concentration of patulin in cloudy and clear AJs commercialised in Belgium. Simulation of the model demonstrated that the use of apples stored under CA contributes to a large extent to the patulin contamination of AJ. Since apples stored in CA are used from more or less January onwards, AJ with high patulin concentration can be produced from January onwards. It would be useful in this respect to take this into account when sampling plans are made by apple juice producers in the framework of their HACCP-system and by governments and control agencies when monitoring programmes are elaborated. The duration of deck storage between the delivery at the apple juice producer (AJP) and the processing of the apples had a large influence on the patulin concentration, and this effect was more pronounced for apples stored under controlled atmosphere compared to apples stored under cold air. The duration of the deck storage should therefore be considered as a Critical Control Point (CCP) within HACCP-systems. Also the application of a sorting step was evaluated to be efficient to reduce the high patulin concentration in AJ. Therefore, a combination of the 2 most effective measures (namely sorting out apples with an infection lesion larger than 10 cm(2) and a reduction of the volume of CA apples) was tested and resulted in a reduction to levels below 25 μg/kg in 99.7 to 99.9% of the clear and cloudy apple juices, respectively. It is therefore advisable to include a sorting step prior to processing, when apples stored in CA are used.

Exposure of infants to fumonisins in maize-based complementary foods in rural Tanzania.

Feeding children with maize may expose them to fumonisins (FBs). This study assessed FB exposure for infants consuming maize in Tanzania by modeling maize consumption data (kg/kg body weight (bw)/day) with previously collected total FB contamination (microg/kg) patterns for sorted and unsorted maize harvested in 2005 and 2006. Consumption was estimated by twice conducting a 24 h dietary recall for 254 infants. The exposure assessment was performed with the @RISK analysis software. Of the infants, 89% consumed maize from 2.37 to 158 g/person/day (mean; 43 g/person/day +/- 28). Based on the contamination for sorted maize; in 2005, the percentage of infants with FB exposures above the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake (PMTDI) of 2 microg/kg (bw) (26% (95% confidence interval (CI); 23-30)) was significantly higher than the level of 3% (90% CI; 2-12) in 2006. Pooling the datasets for sorted maize from the two seasons resulted in a seemingly more representative risk (10% (95% CI; 6-17)) of exceeding the PMTDI. However, infants who might have consumed unsorted maize would still be at a significantly higher risk (24% (95% CI; 15-34)) of exceeding the PMTDI. Sorting and other good maize management practices should be advocated to farmers in order to minimize FB exposure in rural areas.

Strategies to reduce exposure of fumonisins from complementary foods in rural Tanzania

Feeding infants with maize can expose them to fumonisin mycotoxins. We assessed fumonisin exposure from complementary foods in rural Tanzania and determined strategies to reduce the exposure. We conducted a cross-sectional study in four villages of Tarakea division, Northern Tanzania. We used a repeat 24-hour dietary recall to collect data of maize consumption as complementary food for 254 infants aged 6-8 months. Fumonisin concentrations in the maize were also estimated. Fumonisin exposure was assessed using @risk analysis software. With the software, several maximum fumonisin contamination and maize consumption patterns were combined in order to determine effective strategies for minimizing fumonisin exposure. Of the infants, 89% consumed maize at amounts up to 158g/person/day (mean; 43g/person/day±28). The maize was contaminated with fumonisins at levels up to 3201µgkg(-1) . Risk of fumonisin intake above the provisional maximum tolerable daily limit of 2µgkg(-1) body weight was 15% (95% confidence interval; 10-19). The risk was minimized when the maximum contamination was set at 150µgkg(-1) . The risk was also minimized when the maximum consumption was set at 20g/child/day while keeping the maximum contamination at the European Union (EU) maximum tolerated limit (MTL) of 1000µgkg(-1) . Considering the economical and technological limitations of adopting good agricultural practices in rural Tanzania, it is practically difficult to reduce contamination in maize to 150µgkg(-1) . We suggest adoption of the EU MTL of 1000µgkg(-1) for fumonisins in maize and reduction, by replacement with another cereal, of the maize component in complementary foods to a maximum intake of 20g/child/day.

Comparing the effect of various contamination levels for salmonella in chicken meat preparations on the probability of illness in belgium.

At the urging of competent national authorities, a limited risk assessment on Salmonella in chicken meat preparations in Belgium was undertaken following a retail-to-table approach. The input distribution of Salmonella was based on surveillance data in Belgium. To analyze the relative impact of reducing the risk of salmonellosis associated with a decrease in the Salmonella contamination level, different distributions based on the actual situation but limiting the number of portions containing Salmonella at 1 CFU per 1, 10, and 25 g of meat were used in the quantitative microbial risk assessment model. The quantitative microbial risk assessment model also was run several times with a theoretical fixed input of Salmonella assuming all portions possessed the same fixed contamination level set at 1,000, 100, 10, and 1 CFU/g of meat and 1 CFU per 10, 25, 100, and 1,000 g of meat. With regard to the initial contamination level, the results indicate, both by the narrowing of the current distribution and by the fixed input, that especially the higher levels of contamination (>1 CFU/g) contribute to the increased risk for salmonellosis.

Hazard analysis approaches for certain small retail establishments in view of the application of their food safety management systems

Abstract Under current European hygiene legislation, food businesses are obliged to develop and implement food safety management systems (FSMS) including prerequisite programme (PRP) activities and hazard analysis and critical control point principles. This requirement is especially challenging for small food retail establishments, where a lack of expertise and other resources may limit the development and implementation of effective FSMS. In this opinion, a simplified approach to food safety management is developed and presented based on a fundamental understanding of processing stages (flow diagram) and the activities contributing to increased occurrence of the hazards (biological, chemical (including allergens) or physical) that may occur. The need to understand and apply hazard or risk ranking within the hazard analysis is removed and control is achieved using PRP activities as recently described in the European Commission Notice 2016/C278, but with the addition of a PRP activity covering ‘product information and customer awareness’. Where required, critical limits, monitoring and record keeping are also included. Examples of the simplified approach are presented for five types of retail establishments: butcher, grocery, bakery, fish and ice cream shop.

Effect on public health of a possible increase of the maximum level for ‘aflatoxin total’ from 4 to 10 μg/kg in peanuts and processed products thereof, intended for direct human consumption or use as an ingredient in foodstuffs

Abstract EFSA was asked to deliver a scientific opinion regarding the effect on public health of a possible increase of the maximum level (ML) for ‘aflatoxin total’ (AFT; sum of aflatoxin B1, aflatoxin B2, aflatoxin G1 and aflatoxin G2) from 4 to 10 μg/kg in peanuts and processed products thereof. Aflatoxins are genotoxic and cause hepatocellular carcinomas in humans. The Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM Panel) evaluated 8,085 samples of peanuts and 472 samples of peanut butter, with > 60% left‐censored. The mean concentration of AFT in peanuts was 2.65/3.56 μg/kg (lower bound (LB)/upper bound (UB)) with a maximum of 1,429 μg/kg. The mean concentration in peanut butter was 1.47/1.92 μg/kg (LB/UB) with a maximum of 407 μg/kg. Peanut oil was not included since all data were left‐censored and the ML does not apply for oil. Exposure was calculated for a ‘Current ML’ and ‘Increased ML’ scenario, and mean chronic exposure estimates for consumers only, amounted to 0.04–2.74 ng/kg body weight (bw) per day and 0.07–4.28 ng/kg bw per day, respectively. The highest exposures were calculated for adolescents and other children. The CONTAM Panel used the cancer potencies estimated by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives for the risk characterisation. Under the scenario of the current ML, the cancer risk was estimated to range between 0.001 and 0.213 aflatoxin‐induced cancers per 100,000 person years. Under the scenario of the increased ML, it ranged between 0.001 and 0.333 aflatoxin‐induced cancers per 100,000 person years. Comparing these data calculated under the current ML scenario with the yearly excess cancer risk of 0.014 shows a higher risk for consumers of peanuts and peanut butter in some surveys. The calculated cancer risks indicate that an increase of the ML would further increase the risk by a factor of 1.6–1.8.

Update: methodological principles and scientific methods to be taken into account when establishing Reference Points for Action (RPAs) for non‐allowed pharmacologically active substances present in food of animal origin

Abstract EFSA was asked by the European Commission to update the Scientific Opinion on methodological principles and scientific methods to be taken into account when establishing Reference Points for Action (RPAs) for non‐allowed pharmacologically active substances in food of animal origin. This guidance document presents a simple and pragmatic approach which takes into account both analytical and toxicological considerations. The RPA shall be based on the reasonably achievable lowest residue concentration that can unequivocally be determined by official control laboratories, i.e. the reasonably achievable lowest decision limit (CCα). The aim is to check whether this concentration is low enough to adequately protect the consumers of food commodities that contain that substance. The proposed step‐wise approach applies toxicological screening values (TSVs), based on genotoxic potential, pharmacological activity, as well as other effects of the substance. The highest dietary exposure corresponding to the reasonably achievable lowest CCα for the substance has to be estimated and compared with the TSV. Where equal to or lower than the TSV, the reasonably achievable lowest CCα can be accepted as the RPA. If higher, the sensitivity of the analytical method needs to be improved. In the case where no further analytical improvements are feasible within a short to medium time frame, a substance‐specific risk assessment should be considered. This also applies when the potential adverse effects do not allow use of the decision tree, as for high potency carcinogens, inorganic substances or compounds with allergenic effects or causing blood dyscrasias. The CONTAM Panel concluded that RPAs should be food matrix independent. RPAs cannot be applied to non‐edible matrices, which are also monitored for non‐allowed pharmacologically active substances.