From 1 April new rules set maximum levels for benzopyrene in fish andmeat products will be 5 micrograms/kg, in oils and fats 2 micrograms and inchildren's foods 1 microgram/kg.
Increasingly pinpointed by consumer organisations as a food safety issue in the food chain, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH), of which benzopyrene figures prominently, are a group of over 100 different chemicals that are formed during the incomplete burning of coal and oil, or other organic substances like tobacco or charbroiled meat.
Consumers might be exposed to PAHs by eating grilled or charred meats, contaminated cereals, flour, bread, vegetables, fruits, meats as well as processed or pickled foods.
Research carried out by Finnish scientists at the Agrifood Research Finland on meat product samples in 2002 showed that for 30 per cent of the products, corrective action is required in production - the level of bezopyrene exceeded the new maximum limits.
"Particularly products smoked using the traditional smoking process as wellas products that come into direct contact with flames may show high levelsof PAH compounds," the scientist confirm.
In 2003, smoked ham products were analysed without the dark top layer. When the top layer was removed, not totally surprising, "levels of benzopyrene dropped". The new barrier levels against PAH contamination, in particular benzopyrene, firm up temporary measures set up while the Commission accumulated more data on this potential contamination problem highlighted by stakeholder groups.
"Contamination with PAHs has been on our agenda for some time. This follows the incidents of contamination in vegetable oils in particular in 2001," commented outgoing EU commissioner for health and consumer protection David Byrne, last October.
The European food industry has to take on board concerns linked to PAHs and food production; and a range of new initiatives have been launched to co-ordinate research findings. Scientists in Spain, for example, have compiled an extensive database of harmful compounds formed during food preservation and cooking.
Led by Paula Jakszyn at the University of Barcelona, the researchers set out to develop a food composition database of nitrates, nitrites, nitrosamines, heterocyclic amines (HA), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in foods.
"An accurate assessment of dietary intake of such compounds is difficult, mainly because they are not naturally present in foods, and they are not included in standard food composition tables," said the researchers, reporting their findings in the August 2004 issue of the US Journal of Nutrition, (134:2011-2014, 2004).