In June, COLEAD, through AGRINFO, held two webinar sessions on the "New EU rules on maximum levels for mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH)", which brought together 1,134 participants from 87 countries. Veerle Vanheusden (European Commission) set out the content of the upcoming Regulation on MOAH, and food quality expert Claus-Michael Brieber (Food QSafety First) provided advice on strategies to mitigate the risk of MOAH contamination.
What is it about?
MOAH are contaminants derived from mineral oils that can find their way into food through multiple sources (lubricants, printing inks, packaging materials, harvesting and processing operations). In its 2023 scientific opinion, EFSA confirmed that food containing MOAH can damage DNA in cells and may cause cancer. The upcoming Regulation sets for the first time maximum levels (MLs) for MOAH in certain foods. Most MLs will apply from 1 January 2027, but for some MLs a later application date is foreseen.
Which products and what implications?
The new MLs concern a wide range of products: oilseeds and oil fruits, animal and vegetable fats and oils, tree nuts, pulses, cereals, milk, dairy products, cocoa beans, cocoa products, spices, dried herbs, dry tea and herbal infusions, food supplements, food additives, foods for infants and young children and for compound and processed food containing these ingredients. No maximum levels are set for fresh foods, such as fruits, vegetables meet and seafood. There is currently not sufficient data available to set maximum levels for processed foods, but EU competent authorities are recommended to investigate together with food operators foods that are found to exceed “indicative levels” that the Commission has recommended. All sectors are therefore advised to check for the presence of MOAH in their supply chains. Suppliers face two particular challenges. Firstly, MOAH contamination can come from multiple sources including the environment, agricultural machinery, food processing and packaging. Secondly, identifying sources of MOAH will require significant analysis of food, but there is currently limited laboratory capacity for testing MOAH outside the EU.
Further information
The webinar presentations, together with recordings in English, French and Spanish, are available on the AGRINFO Webinars page: https://agrinfo.eu/webinars/. French and Spanish translations of the presentations will be published shortly, along with a questions-and-answers document compiling the questions raised during the two sessions.
This activity is supported by the AGRINFO programme, implemented by COLEAD and funded by the European Union (EU). This publication receives financial support from the European Union. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of COLEAD and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.