A new controversy around food . This is the consumer association, Foodwatch who sounded the alarm. 1 out of 8 products out of 152 products. 12.5% industrial food products that we buy would be contaminated with aromatic hydrocarbons of mineral oils “dangerous for health but invisible to the naked eye" . It is in Germany, Belgium, Austria, the Netherlands and France that the finding has been made. 19 products happened to be "c contaminated by mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH)" . Foodwatch explains that “the European Authority (EFSA) has established that any exposure to hydrocarbons aromatics through food presents a danger
These Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons (MOAHs) "are suspected to be carcinogenic and mutagens . Their influence on the functioning of the hormonal system – endocrine disruptors – was also highlighted. » The association explains that the sources of contamination are difficult to identify while specifying that the risk would nevertheless be present at each stage of production . Indeed, these mineral oils are used “as anti-dust binders, lubricants in production machinery, as release agents , as polishing agents or in adhesives” .
This is not the first time that the association consumer is ringing the alarm bell about MOAHs. In 2015, it revealed that 6 out of 10 products tested (rice, couscous, lentils, cornflakes and pasta) presented a carcinogenic risk linked to MOAH. In 2019, “a concerning amount of MOAH" was in 16 baby milks purchased in France. The association therefore calls for “a regulation which imposes zero tolerance for MOAHs in all foods across Europe” .
