27.04.2023
Update on MOSH/MOAH assessment
Last year, SC PAFF published an opinion on a harmonised EU-wide approach for dealing with MOAH levels in food.
It is recommended to withdraw or to recall products from the market, when the sum of the concentrations of MOAH in food are at/above the following maximum LOQs:
- dry, low-fat foods [≤ 4% fat/oil]: 0.5 mg/kg
- foods with higher fat content [> 4% fat/oil]: 1.0 mg/kg
- fats/oils: 2.0 mg/kg
This document was published without waiting for the risk assessment of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on this issue.
A draft risk assessment was published in March this year. It states that the MOSH is unlikely to cause adverse health effects in humans based on the available data. However, MOAH with three or more aromatic rings are suspected of acting as genotoxic carcinogens. Furthermore, the draft states that due to a lack of reliable toxicological data, MOAH compounds with one to two aromatic rings may give rise to concern.
The final scientific opinion is expected in the summer.
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