1,720,992 research outputs found
Report of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) on the safe use of three aqueous solutions of hydrogen peroxide, acetic acid and peracetic acid as processing aids for the bacterial disinfection of citrus fruit and pepper washing water at processing plants
No full text* This record is given in both English and Spanish.
The company Peroxychem Spain S.L.U. has requested a safety assessment of the use of three aqueous solutions of hydrogen peroxide, acetic acid and peracetic acid as processing aids. 1-Hydroxy ethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid (HEDP) was used as a stabiliser.
The proposed use is the antibacterial treatment of water used to wash citrus fruits and peppers in processing plants. When this water is disinfected, it can be reused for the consecutive washing of fruits and vegetables through a recirculating system, maintaining it in appropriate conditions and thus reducing water usage.
These are the same aqueous solutions previously assessed by the AESAN Scientific Committee in 2018, however an increased dosage has been requested here so that the concentration of peracetic acid in washing solutions is increased from the previously assessed 45 ppm to 200 ppm. The requested dosages, both for washing citrus fruits and peppers, are 356 ml/100 l of water in the case of VigorOx 5 F&V, and 116 ml/100 l of water for VigorOx 15 F&V and VigorOx 15/10 F&V.
Considering the most adverse scenario of the presence of residues in citrus fruits and peppers
and the consumption of these citrus fruits and peppers in Europe, an estimated daily intake (EDI) of these residues as well as a consumer risk assessment by calculating the margin of safety (MOS) have been made.
The Scientific Committee concludes that, based on the information provided by the applicant and taking into account the proposed composition and conditions of use, the usage of the aqueous solutions as processing aids does not involve a health risk for the consumer.ES; PDF; [email protected]
Report of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) on the classification of food establishments on a risk basis within the Spanish National Plan for Official Control of the Food Chain (PNCOCA 2021-2025) framework
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The National Plan for the Official Control of the Food Chain (PNCOCA) 2021-2025 lists the directives for
conducting risk-based inspections in accordance with current European legislation. In this regard,
AESAN (Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition) and the autonomous communities have
drawn up a “Guidance Document for the Risk-Based Classification of Food Establishments within
the Framework of PNCOCA 2021-2025” whose main objective is to establish a common system for
the risk-based assessment and classification of food establishments, setting certain basic criteria
of risks, as well as its objective assessment in accordance with standardised criteria.
Based on this Guidance Document, the AESAN Scientific Committee has drafted an assessment
report including various recommendations, especially regarding risk criteria, risk assessment and
the risk-based classification of establishments.
The Scientific Committee concludes that the Guidance Document for the risk-based classification
of food establishments within the framework of the PNCOCA 2021-2025 is currently suitable for the
intended purpose. Nevertheless, the guidance document must be periodically updated considering
the experience of its application, scientific progress, legislative changes and new directives, and tools
for the risk-based prioritisation of inspection frequency which may be developed at the national or
European Union level.
Overall, the criteria used to establish the risk-based classification of food establishments in the Guidance
Document are deemed to be accurate. Other criteria have been suggested for consideration such
as the adherence of each establishment to the self-monitoring system and good hygiene and handling
practices or correct training of the establishment’s employees.
Among other issues, a pilot study is recommended in order to detect potential difficulties that may
lead to the modification of the selected criteria.ES; PDF; [email protected]
Report of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) on the equivalence between the disinfection of tools in slaughterhouses and cutting rooms with hot water supplied at a temperature not less than 82 ºC, and various alternative systems of disinfection
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The different tools and utensils used in slaughterhouses and cutting rooms may lead to cross-contamination if unsuitable cleaning and disinfecting procedures are used. In this regard, Regulation (EC) No. 853/2004 laying down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin establishes that slaughterhouses and cutting rooms for ungulates as well as poultry and lagomorphs must have facilities for disinfecting tools with hot water supplied at not less than 82 ºC, or an alternative system having an equivalent effect.
The Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) has assessed several studies carried out in order to establish whether disinfection with four alternative systems may be considered equivalent to that conducted with water supplied at a temperature not less than 82 ºC.
After reviewing the studies, the AESAN Scientific Committee concludes that a notable effort has been made to demonstrate the equivalence of these systems. It is observed in these studies that the use of these compounds leads to reductions in the microorganisms studied which, under the testing conditions, appear to be similar to those obtained with the official method. However, these studies have methodological limitations (number of repetitions, sampling plan, the microorganisms studied and method of analysis) which prevent establishing this equivalence.
Accordingly, the Committee makes a series of recommendations for conducting these studies: using swabs instead of contact slides; including the analysis of foodborne pathogenic microorganisms of interest in slaughterhouses; including detailed information on the disinfecting products used as well as the method of analysis; harmonising sampling and analysis procedures; guaranteeing the representativeness of the samples taken (it is suggested to take 5 samples per slaughterhouse per day -taken from at least 4 different locations-, using 4 different slaughterhouses in the study, during 5 non-consecutive days, uniformly distributed over a period of 3 months; that is to say, a total of 100 samples); ensuring that all samples analysed are acceptable based on the established criteria for mesophilic aerobes (0-10 cfu/cm2), enterobacteria (0-1 cfu/cm2), as well as the absence/cm2 for the pathogens Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella.
Likewise, it is also recommended to draw up a sector-based Guide that, based on the recommendations made in this report, provides a detailed description of the protocol to be followed in order to demonstrate equivalence between the disinfection of tools in slaughterhouses and cutting rooms with hot water supplied at a temperature not less than 82 ºC and disinfection with alternative methods.ES; PDF; [email protected]
Report of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) on the assessment of olive oil by its nutritional characteristics in the Nutri-Score labelling system
No full text* This record is given in both English and Spanish.
The Nutri-Score front-of-pack nutritional labelling system uses a code of letters and colours to inform consumers about the nutritional quality of foods and drinks.
However, currently this system does not cover all the positive aspects of foods that possess a specific nutritional quality within the Mediterranean diet, as in the case of olive oil and extra-virgin olive oil.
The AESAN Scientific Committee has suggested different possibilities for a more accurate assessment of olive oil and especially virgin olive oil, in the Nutri-Score front-of-pack labelling system, taking into consideration those compounds that are beneficial to the consumer owing to their nutritional qualities.
These proposals include: differentiating virgin olive oil from other oils in the algorithm’s scoring system, establishing a specific category for virgin olive oil; the positive scoring of individual bioactive components present in virgin olive oil, and the consideration of authorised nutrition and health claims for all types of olive oils in the algorithm.
The Nutri-Score system is a tool for comparing foods within the same functional category, it is not an indiscriminate system for classifying the nutritional quality of all foods. A better understanding by consumers of the front-of-pack labelling system and its functions would help to improve their consideration of virgin olive oil because of its health and nutritional properties.
In this regard, the corresponding communication campaigns may be conducted in order to provide consumers with clear information on the purpose of this front-of-pack labelling system and the functional categories that may be compared. It may also be worth to consider the inclusion of the food category together with the scoring (A-E, colour) in the front-of-pack labelling in order to facilitate correct interpretation by the consumer, or the inclusion of a disclaimer stating that comparison is only possible between foods that belong to the same category or have the same function.
Finally, it is essential to understand the purpose of this nutritional labelling system and the food categories that may be compared. In order to prevent confusion it may be worth considering the algorithm as a negative characteristic the lack of nutrition value for a specific food.ES; PDF; [email protected]
Report of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) on the prospection of biological hazards of interest in food safety in Spain
No full textThe Scientific Committee has reviewed and identified some biological hazards, indicating which of those foods or conditions that, a priori, may involve a greater risk to consumers. The list of hazards addressed in this report is not intended to be comprehensive, given that it does not take into account new possible biological hazards. It is meant to serve as a starting point for possible prospective studies with which data will be obtained regarding the presence of these hazards in different foods.
The proposal includes viruses, bacteria and parasites:
• Foodborne viruses: Norovirus, Hepatitis A virus, and Hepatitis E virus in bivalve molluscs and fresh vegetables and Hepatitis E virus in pork meat products.
• Bacteria: Yersinia enterocolitica in pork meat, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus in bivalve molluscs and fish products, E. coli (non-STEC pathotypes) in fresh vegetables and Clostridium difficile in fresh meat.
• Protozoan Parasites: Toxoplasma and Cryptosporidium in fresh meat and vegetables.
The report details the methodologies available to detect them in food samples, and the gaps in our knowledge of these hazards, which may be a starting point to promote research activities aimed at improving our knowledge about them. The report also includes information about the possible ways to control the transmission of these microorganisms through the food chain.ES; PDF; [email protected]
Report of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) on the effectiveness of maturation for more than 60 days for goat's cheese and cheese from other species produced from raw milk from herds where tuberculosis is detected, in order to ensure their safe consumption
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Royal Decree 1086/2020 which regulates and makes flexible certain conditions for applying the European Union’s provisions on hygiene in the production and marketing of food products and regulates activities excluded from its area of application, permits the flexibility included in European Union regulations to be applied at the national level and to use milk from herds that do not fulfil the requirements with regard to brucellosis and tuberculosis, with the same requirements as in Regulation (EC) No. 853/2004.
In the case of ovine and caprine herds that do not fulfil the requirements for tuberculosis, the Regulation opens the doors to other possible processing methods that ensure food safety. Therefore, the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) has been requested to establish if maturation for a period greater than 60 days for cheeses produced with
raw goat’s milk or from other species sensitive to tuberculosis other than bovine, from females that do not have a positive reaction to tuberculosis tests or display symptoms of this disease but belong to a herd where it has been detected, may ensure the safety of these cheeses with regard to tuberculosis.
The Scientific Committee concludes that although the prevalence of tuberculosis in Europe is low, the global importance of this disease requires extreme precautions for monitoring the main sources of contagion, raw milk and dairy products being one of the main source of contamination in persons.
The special resistance of the causative agents of tuberculosis are one of the main reasons for its survival in dairy products, there being few differences between them with regard to the species that produces the milk.
Both classical references as well as more recent literature on the topic has established the survival of the causative agents of tuberculosis for periods greater than 60 days. For this reason, it cannot be guaranteed that maturation for a period greater than 60 days eliminates the members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex.ES; PDF; [email protected]
Report of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) in relation to the effects of climate change on the presence of mycotoxins in food
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Mycotoxins are toxic metabolites produced by multiple species of molds that can develop in crops and food under certain conditions of humidity and temperature. Therefore, it is believed that the appearance of mycotoxins will be greatly affected by future climate scenarios. Mycotoxin contamination is a problem, therefore, in foods of plant origin, mainly in cereals and nuts, but also in foods of animal origin, when the animal has been fed with contaminated feed. The review of the existing scientific evidence in relation to climate change points to a geographical redistribution of the incidence of the different mycotoxins, which at a global level may not necessarily represent an increase, since the possible reduction in cultivable areas as a consequence of extreme weather conditions must be taken into account. However, even locally, and focusing on Southern Europe, a clear increase in the incidence of aflatoxins in corn, traditionally linked to tropical climates, and also a worsening of the already existing problem of fumonisins in this same cereal, can be expected.
There are various mitigation strategies for the growing mycotoxin problem, including preventive agricultural practices in the field, during the harvest and storage of cereals, physical, chemical and biological decontamination processes, and self-monitoring based on sampling and analysis in the different steps of the food chain.
For all the above, it is necessary to insist on the convenience of joining efforts not only against climate change as a global phenomenon, but also in the promotion and adoption of specific projects and programs aimed at preventing and mitigating the incidence of the presence of mycotoxins in feed and food products, with the participation of the public and private sectors, naturally including the scientific community, those responsible for risk management, producers and even consumers through the appropriate communication strategies.ES; PDF; [email protected]
Report of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) on the nutritional status of women of childbearing age, during pregnancy and lactation with respect to adequate iodine intake
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Iodine is an essential element involved in the synthesis of thyroid hormones, being essential for pre- and postnatal brain development and for cellular metabolism throughout life. On the other hand, iodine deficiency is one of the most easily preventable public health problems affecting the largest number of people in the world. The spectrum of deficit disorders is very broad, results in clinical symptoms of varying severity, and can lead to impaired brain function and development in the fetus and/or child. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that it is the major cause of preventable mental impairment.
Therefore, adequate iodine nutrition is necessary, which is especially important in childhood, during pregnancy and lactation and in women of childbearing age who may want a pregnancy.
The most important sources of iodine are iodized salt, dairy products and fish. Iodine requirements increase during pregnancy and lactation, and the risk of deficiency increases, especially in women who do not consume iodized salt. The nutritional status of iodine in Spain is, in general, adequate; however, this situation may be due to the use of supplementation with drugs or food supplements that provide iodine, so it is necessary to evaluate the contribution through natural foods or iodized salt in our population.
In this context, the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) has carried out a review of the existing evidence on the nutritional status of iodine in our environment in women of childbearing age, pregnancy and lactation and the situations that may cause a higher risk of deficiency or toxicity.ES; PDF; [email protected]
Report of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) on the representative sample size for post-mortem inspection of poultry and farmed lagomorphs
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The Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/627 provides generally that all slaughtered birds must undergo post-mortem inspection by the authority, which applies by extension to lagomorphs. However, it also provides for the possibility for the competent authority to decide to submit a representative sample of birds or lagomorphs to inspection, provided that a number of additional requirements are met. A study has thus been carried out to provide a method for establishing what would be a representative sample for post-mortem inspection by sampling of these types of animals. The prevalence of seizure in birds and/or lagomorphs, as well as the sizes of the flocks or lots under inspection have been identified as some of the parameters of interest for proposing a sampling method. It has thus been shown from the literature that the prevalence or percentage of seizures in both birds and lagomorphs would never reach 2 %. It has also been shown that most of the flocks or lots inspected will normally consist of more than 8000 animals. However, there are a significant number of cases of flocks or batches of lagomorphs consisting of significantly fewer than 8000 animals, which could be considered as finite populations. On the one hand, it has been seen that from a statistical point of view the population
under study would fit into a binomial distribution. Approximating this distribution from a normal distribution, it has been possible to calculate for a percentage of seizures of 2 % that in the case of lots larger than 8480 animals the sample size to be submitted to post-mortem inspection would be 424 animals. For smaller lots or herds the calculation of the minimum sample size would be given by a hypergeometric distribution. It has been possible to calculate the range of sample sizes for small population sizes, as well as how to perform all calculations. It is recommended that the time of sampling at slaughter should be chosen randomly throughout the period of slaughter of the flock or lot.ES; PDF; [email protected]
Report of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) on the Guide of the National Association of Board Manufacturers (ANFTA) to verify the suitability of MDF boards intended for the manufacture of containers for fresh fruits and vegetables that are not peeled or cut
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The Scientific Committee of AESAN (Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition) had previously evaluated the suitability of the methodology proposed by the National Association of Board Manufacturers (ANFTA) to verify compliance of MDF boards intended for the manufacture of containers for fresh or refrigerated fruits and vegetables that are not peeled or cut with Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No. 1935/2004 on materials and articles intended to come into contact with food.
The Committee recommended the drawing-up of a sector-based Guide that would outline a detailed protocol to be followed in order to demonstrate that these requirements are fulfilled in the process of manufacturing articles obtained from MDF boards intended for the manufacture of containers for fresh or refrigerated fruits and vegetables that are not peeled or cut.
The final conclusion of the Scientific Committee is that the Guide submitted for its assessment is acceptable, at the present time, for the intended purpose.
It is recommended that the types of wood to be used be defined by their botanical names, reflecting their origin and the percentages of the different woods used in each case. Any other species would require a prior study with regard to its safety and compliance with Article 3 of Regulation (EU) No. 1935/2004, in particular aimed at ensuring the absence of migration of natural substances that may pose a risk to the consumer’s health.
Although the sustainable origin of wood is not a requirement of the Guide, it is considered a highly recommendable criterion.
The Guide should be regularly updated in the light of experience with its application, progress in scientific knowledge and changes in legislation and guidelines that may be established at a national or European Union level.ES; PDF; [email protected]
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