Foodwatch tested 152 food products purchased in France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Austria, and found that 19 products were "contaminated with mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH), or one in eight products. ".
Mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAHs) "are suspected of being carcinogenic and mutagenic," Foodwatch explains.
"Their influence on the functioning of the hormonal system - endocrine disruptors - has also been demonstrated".
The consumer association points out that "the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has established that any exposure to aromatic hydrocarbons through food presents a danger".
If the sources of contamination are considered difficult to identify, the association considers however that the risk is present "throughout the production chain for all food products".
Indeed, these oils are for example used "as anti-dust binders, lubricants in production machines, as mold release agents, as polishing agents or in adhesives", explains Foodwatch.
On the occasion of these new revelations, the consumers' association calls for "regulations which impose zero tolerance for MOAHs in all foods throughout Europe."
Since October 2015, Foodwatch has alerted several times to the presence of MOAHs in consumer food products.
In 2015, it revealed that 6 out of 10 products tested, including rice, couscous, lentils, corn flakes, or even pasta, presented "a carcinogenic risk linked to MOAH".
In 2019, Foodwatch showed that out of 16 baby milks purchased in France, Germany and the Netherlands, half contained "a worrying amount of MOAH".
In reaction, the European Commission decided, in June 2020, to establish an MOAH threshold for infant formula.
© 2021 AFP