Food Safety: Emerging Risks in Europe

The European Food Safety Authority EFSA has published a Report on its emerging risk activities in 2023 , which identifies several food safety issues on the horizon.

Emerging risks identified include chemical and biological hazards and new processes and technologies , including:

• Z15, an engineered nanomaterial consisting of iron oxide particles coated with folic acid, which is used in wastewater treatment plants in Ireland and the EU and could potentially enter the food chain. Further information is needed on the life cycle of Z15, its stability and exposure levels.
• Rare earth elements commonly found in electronic devices that enter the food chain . Little is known about the sources, environmental behavior, ecotoxicology, and human toxicology of these elements.
• Herbal alcohol replacement beverages that influence the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) system to produce relaxing effects. Information is needed for risk assessment of these beverages.
• Outbreaks of zoonotic Hendra and Nipah viruses associated with loss of bat habitat due to climate change. For example, in a recent Nipah virus outbreak in Bangladesh, 11 people became ill and eight people died after consuming contaminated raw date palm sap.
• Cattle infected with epizootic haemorrhagic disease virus 8 (EHDV-8) detected in Italy, Spain and France. There is a high risk of spread of the disease in southern Europe and other countries are recommended to implement a virus monitoring system.

The report also identified food safety risks that are relevant, but not ‘emerging’ , as they are being addressed by national and European authorities.

For example:

• the risk of contamination by Listeria monocytogenes in plant-based alternatives to animal products ,
• the novel inclusion of immobilized glucose oxidase on zinc oxide nanoparticles in bread to improve quality and shelf life,
• Contamination of organic eggs in Denmark by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
• the presence of cadmium in flaxseed products.

Furthermore, EFSA has outlined risks for which further information is needed , including, but not limited to:

• the use of tara flour as an ingredient in foods causing gastrointestinal upset and liver damage, leading to an outbreak that has caused 470 cases of illness in the United States,
• the importance of Bacillus cytotoxicus as a foodborne pathogen,
• the effects of perinatal exposure to inorganic food-borne nanoparticles ,
• the presence of Providencia in foods,
• salmonellosis caused by raw meat foods for pets ,
• bisphenol A (BPA) which enters the food chain through micro and nanoplastics in soil and irrigation water,
• risks associated with the consumption of the Amanita muscaria mushroom,
• allergenicity of edible insect products and other foods,
• alternative food packaging . (Source: https://www.food-safety.com/)