No toxic mineral oils in our food!

Why is this important?

Many food products on our supermarket shelves are contaminated by aromatic hydrocarbons of mineral oils (MOAH). According to the European Food Safety Authority, these mineral oil compounds may contribute to DNA change and cancer and some of them are identified as substances that can disrupt the functioning of our hormonal system.  

In 2021, for the third time, foodwatch proved, through laboratory tests, that products contaminated with MOAH are still on the shelves in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Belgium. The products which tested positively for MOAH included products from Unilever, Zentis, Ferrero and Lindt.  

Those hazardous substances have no place on our plates! The only way to protect all consumers from those invisible contaminants in food products is a mandatory EU regulation for zero tolerance to MOAH for all food categories. EU decision-makers are in charge of keeping our food safe. According to EU law, “food shall not be placed on the market if it is unsafe” (EU General Food Law, EC 178/2002).  

foodwatch has been raising the alarm on this issue since 2015. In 2019 we revealed that half of the infant milk formulas on sale in France, the Netherlands and Germany that we tested were contaminated with MOAH. As a result, in June 2020, the European Commission and the Member States decided for the first time to establish a maximum limit of MOAH presence in baby milk powders at 1 mg/kg.  

This decision was an encouraging first step, but is far from enough, as demonstrated once more by the results of a new series of tests carried out by foodwatch on a broad range of food products.  

The companies have to withdraw the contaminated products from the shelves, but it is the responsibility of European decision-makers to ensure the protection of “the health of citizens and the safety of the food they eat,” as declared as a priority by outgoing EU Health Commissioner Kyriakides.

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