BfR-Forum Consumer Protection on the Current State of the Discussion

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Jan 26, 2018 - Analytics

BfR-Forum Consumer Protection on the Current State of the Discussion

Highly purified mineral oils from refined and processed crude oils have been deliberately used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food products for many decades. Examples include petroleum jelly, microcrystalline waxes, and white oils.

However, food products can also be contaminated by lower quality mineral oils that, for example, migrate from packaging made of recycled cardboard into the food. These mineral oils originate from mineral oil-based printing inks used in newspaper printing. In everyday life, consumers frequently encounter products containing mineral oils. This is a topic of intense public discussion – nearly 70 percent of the population has already heard about mineral oils in food products according to the BfR consumer monitor from August 2017.

However, the health risk assessment of mineral oils in various products is still challenging due to many data gaps. For this reason, the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) hosted the 17th BfR Consumer Protection Forum on the topic of "Mineral Oil in the Focus of Health Consumer Protection" with over 200 participants on December 7 and 8, 2017.

The high number of participants demonstrates that this topic is of great relevance to all parties involved in the food industry. You can find more information in our news report from January 16, 2018, on mineral oil residues.

In our Tentamus laboratories, we routinely conduct chemical analyses. We provide you with fast and reliable results.

Our customer advisors are happy to assist you with any questions you may have.

Source: www.food-monitor.de