CHOICE call for Australian food regulator to set chemical limits

Tag : Screw Set


CHOICE tests on 25 everyday foods packaged in glass jars have found13 were contaminated with controversial plastic softening chemicalsat levels that exceed the safety limits set by the European Union(EU).

The tests revealed a pesto sauce which contained plasticisers atlevels more than twelve times that permitted in the EU, and onetandoori dip at 230 times over the standard. Australian foodregulators do not set limits for these chemicals.

One food manufacturer in Australia has now initiated aprecautionary withdrawal of two products pending furtherinvestigations. Others have reportedly queried their suppliers andrequested directions from the food regulator Food StandardsAustralia New Zealand (FSANZ).

The most frequently used plasticisers for screw-capped jars andbottles are epoxidised soybean oil (ESBO) and a number of differentphthalates. The EU guidelines for ESBO are 60 parts per million forfood and half that for baby food.

CHOICE found nine of the 25 foods contained ESBO at levels wellabove the EU limit. One, a pesto sauce with 26% fat, contained 840ppm.

The EU limit for the different phthalates varies between 1.5 ppmand 9 ppm. Twelve - almost half - of the foods contained thesechemicals at higher levels, with one Indian-made tandoori dipcontaining 230 times the amount permitted in Europe.

CHOICE wants the food regulators to follow the EU lead and provideconsumers with better protection. “We want to see the foodindustry find safe alternatives to these potentially unsafechemicals,” CHOICE spokesman Christopher Zinn said.“We’d also like FSANZ to set limits for plasticisers inthe Food Standards Code.”

Limited exposure to phthalates has not been found to be harmful tohealth but restrictions have been set due to concerns thatconsistent high level exposure could cause cancer.