EU safety agency reviews food gaskets

Further proof that risk assessment is underway at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) arrived this week with an expert meeting on semicarbazide.

The industry informed the agency that scientific analysis suggests semicarbazide (SEM) may have been found in some plastic sealing gaskets used in lids of glass jars and in some packaged foods.

But the expert group concluded that it was too early to give risk assessment advice because of uncertainties 'linked to both the analytical and toxicological aspects'.

The gaskets are used in a wide range of foods in jars including fruit juices, jams and conserves, honey, baby food, pickles and sterilised vegetables, mayonnaise, mustard, sauces, and ketchup.

Investigations to date, have indicated that the most likely explanation is that the presence of SEM - provided its formation is not a consequence of laboratory analysis - could be linked to azodicarbonamide, a common foaming agent that has been in use for many years.

As a result of the information from industry, EFSA's Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in Contact with Food convened a meeting on 24 July to look more closely at the situation.

According to the EFSA, the food and packaging industry is considering further studies to confirm, or otherwise, the presence of SEM and to determine the scope for minimising the potential risk.

The EFSA​ said that it will also launch some short term genotoxicity studies as there are 'currently insufficient data to draw a conclusion in the view of the Expert Group'.