The three Community Reference Laboratories for heavy
metals, mycotoxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) will be opened
today by European Commissioner for Health, Markos Kyprianou at the Commission's
Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements in Geel, Belgium. Heavy
metals, mycotoxins and PAHs are all substances with potentially harmful health
effects that can be found in food. These laboratories will validate testing
methods, develop reference materials and measurements and provide training and
other tools to national laboratories so that food and animal feed can be kept
safe across the EU.
More efficient
EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said: "A strong pan-European network of Laboratories is essential to create a more efficient regulatory framework and to boost public confidence in the safety of our food and feed products. So I welcome the inauguration of these new Community Reference Laboratories, which will provide essential scientific data and contribute to informed and responsible policy decisions"
Three Community Reference Laboratories (CRLs) will be opened at the Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements:
· Heavy metals: these substances are present in all foodstuffs. Some are important for our nutrition, but others, such as lead, cadmium and mercury, have no nutritional value and can indeed in some cases contribute to serious illnesses such as cancer, or damage the central nervous system.
· Mycotoxins: these are substances produced by fungi growing on food and animal feed. Estimates show that up to 20% of food products may contain mycotoxins, which can cause anything from mild to serious illness.
· Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs): these are compounds which can enter food during production processes. Some of the compounds can cause cancer or DNA mutation.
More efficient
EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said: "A strong pan-European network of Laboratories is essential to create a more efficient regulatory framework and to boost public confidence in the safety of our food and feed products. So I welcome the inauguration of these new Community Reference Laboratories, which will provide essential scientific data and contribute to informed and responsible policy decisions"
Three Community Reference Laboratories (CRLs) will be opened at the Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements:
· Heavy metals: these substances are present in all foodstuffs. Some are important for our nutrition, but others, such as lead, cadmium and mercury, have no nutritional value and can indeed in some cases contribute to serious illnesses such as cancer, or damage the central nervous system.
· Mycotoxins: these are substances produced by fungi growing on food and animal feed. Estimates show that up to 20% of food products may contain mycotoxins, which can cause anything from mild to serious illness.
· Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs): these are compounds which can enter food during production processes. Some of the compounds can cause cancer or DNA mutation.
Related website:
European Commission
To receive the AllAboutFeed
newsletter click here.
Mail a friend
Print
