Food safety recall round-up 28 July - 3 August 2017
Fipronil in eggs
Netherlands, Belgium and Germany: The Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit (NVWA) is investigating the illegal use of fipronil in the poultry sector.
It is used in veterinary products against fleas, mites and ticks. It cannot be used for animals intended for the food chain, such as chickens.
The agency said it had blocked seven firms after fipronil was found in eggs. In these companies, the same company did a lice treatment in July.
NVWA urged consumers not to eat white eggs with code 2-NL-4015502 from one producer because the content was so high that it presented an acute danger to public health.
The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies fipronil as being moderately toxic to humans. In large quantities, it can cause damage to the liver, thyroid or kidneys.
Member states were notified by Belgium about levels in certain foods of animal origin via the RASFF system.
Results of fipronil levels range from 0.0031 to 1.2 mg per kg in chicken eggs and from 0.0015 to 0.0156 mg per kg in chicken meat.
The Acute Reference Dose (ARfD) derived from developmental toxicity studies with rats is 0.009 mg per kg body weight (bw).
The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) said the level for children is exceeded by chicken eggs.
"This does not necessarily mean that the consumption of chicken eggs poses a concrete health risk, but it indicates that, in line with the current level of available knowledge, a health risk is possible for children with the required margin of safety after consuming these contaminated chicken eggs."
A fipronil concentration of 0.72 mg/kg can be regarded as the maximum concentration in chicken eggs at which no acute health risk exists, added the agency in a health assessment.
L’AFSCA in Belgium is investigating its use in the poultry sector with the Parquet.
The agency said trade in eggs suspected of being contaminated has been stopped and all companies affected by potential contamination are blocked while samples are being analyzed.
It added based on risk analysis so far and first results, no public health hazard has been identified.