Zero tolerances in food and animal feed -- are there any scientific alternatives? A European point of view on an international controversy
| Autor: | Hildegard Pzyrembel, Juliane Braeunig, Andreas Luch, Klaus Abraham, L. Niemann, Thomas Heberer, Gaby Fleur Böl, Reiner Wittkowski, Monika Lahrssen-Wiederholt, Alfonso Lampen, Mario E. Goetz, Andreas Hensel, Klaus Juergen Henning, Ursula Gundert-Remy, Helmut Schafft, Bernd Appel, Ursula Banasiak, Marianna Schauzu |
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| Rok vydání: | 2007 |
| Předmět: |
Risk analysis
Zero tolerance Food Genetically Modified Legislation Context (language use) Food Contamination Toxicology Risk Assessment Environmental protection media_common.cataloged_instance European Union European union media_common business.industry Pesticide Residues General Medicine Legislation Food Food safety Plants Genetically Modified Hazard Animal Feed Risk analysis (engineering) Food Food Microbiology Food Additives business Risk assessment |
| Zdroj: | Toxicology letters. 175(1-3) |
| ISSN: | 0378-4274 |
| Popis: | 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. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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