French safety agency perplexed over 'metallic' pine nut
France's food safety agency Afssa has concluded that no scientific 'hypothesis' put forward could explain the phenomenon of the metallic taste signalled by consumers in France after eating pine nuts.
In recent months, anti-poison centres and the french government's general directorate for competition policy, consumer affairs and fraud control (DGCCRF) have recorded 'metallic taste' incidents linked to pine nut consumption. The incidences have even, says Afssa, been relayed on internet forums.
The DGCCRF called on Afssa to evaluate the risk linked to eating pine nuts that have this mysterious taste.
According to the agency authorities in other EU-27 countries have reported similar signs but to date, any analyses of the pinenuts have failed to detect contaminants or chemical residues.
"The hypothesis that a particular species of pine nut is involved is the object of a complementary investigation," said the food safety agency.
