Assessment of the results of the Austrian residue control plan 2014

Monitoring of meat, milk, eggs and honey for residues of veterinary drugs and hormones is performed in Austria on the basis of a National Residue Control Plan (NRKP). The principal aims of the NRKP are to detect illegal use of prohibited or non-approved substances and to check that approved drugs are used lawfully. Furthermore, levels of various environmental contaminants are recorded (pesticides, heavy metals, mycotoxins etc.)

Assessment of the risk of human exposure to Brucella spp.

The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) was asked by the Federal Ministry of Health to assess the risk of human exposure to Brucella spp. through consumption of dairy products made from raw and pasteurised milk. According to Regulation (EC) No. 853/2004 raw milk from animals showing a positive reaction to the prophylactic tests vis-à-vis brucellosis must not be used for human consumption. However, milk from officially brucellosis free herds may be consumed or further processed before an infection with brucelllosis is suspected. Therefore, assuming the organism is present in raw milk, survival of Brucella spp. was assessed in dairy products made from pasteurised milk and products made from raw milk, in which no heat, physical or chemical treatment was applied. Pathogenic organism are usually not destroyed in milk heated to a maximum of 40°C during the production of raw milk cheeses. Hence, an infection with Brucella through consumption of unpasteurised milk and dairy products especially soft cheeses cannot be excluded. The production conditions and the ripening time of hard cheeses, however, were described to destroy Brucella. Therefore, a risk to consumers from hard cheeses made from raw milk appears to be unlikely. Absolute safety however cannot be guaranteed. Present milk pasteurisation standards provide sufficient protection to the consumer when the organism is present in raw milk. The risk of infection through the consumption of pasteurised milk and dairy products is negligible. It was concluded that the consumption of pasteurised milk and derived products does not pose a health risk to consumers. A possible risk associated with the consumption of raw milk and derived products is considered to be low, but cannot be excluded, especially for soft cheeses made from raw milk

Dietary Intake of Cadmium based on Austrian Data of the years 2007-2012

Cadmium is a heavy metal found as an environmental contaminant. It is ubiquitous due to natural erosion, volcanism und emissions from industrial sources. For the non-smoking population the main source of cadmi-um is food. It has a very long half-life ranging from 10 – 30 years and it accumulates especially in the kid-ney. Over time Cadmium may cause renal dysfunction and bone demineralisation. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified cadmium as a human carcinogen Group 1, which means car-cinogenic to humans. The EFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (European Food Safety Authority) established a tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of 2.5 µg/kg body weight. In 2007 – 2012 the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) analysed Cadmium in 4067 food samples from retail sources in Austria. Basic foods of plant origin such as grains, leaf vegetables and pota-toes had an average concentration between 18 – 30 µg/kg. Food supplements, water molluscs, fungi, choco-late (cocoa) products and chocolate were higher contaminated with a mean concentration above 65 µg/kg. Low levels of Cadmium were detected in fruiting vegetables, cow milk and water with mean concentrations below 5 µg/kg. 9 samples of seafood, 8 geese, 1 spinach and 1 horse-radish exceeded the maximum level corresponding Commission Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006. 43 samples, mainly from the food category oilseeds and food for infants and small children, exceeded the official maximum value of tolerable Cadmium concentrations in Austria (“nationalen Aktionswert”). Statistical analyses revealed that leaf vegetables, root vegetables and potatoes had a higher Cadmium con-tent than fruiting- and stem vegetables. Among grains, rye had a lower Cadmium content than other culti-vars and species. In chocolate, a correlation between cocoa amount and Cadmium concentration could be demonstrated. The dietary exposure assessment was performed by combining average concentration of Cadmium with average food consumption data of men, women and children. Grains, potatoes, chocolate and leaf vegeta-bles have been identified as important sources for Cadmium intake. Grains, potatoes and leaf vegetables contribute to Cadmium exposure mainly because of the high consumption, whereas chocolate contributes because of its high cadmium content. “Often it is not the food with the highest cadmium levels, but foods that are consumed in larger quantities that have the greatest impact on cadmium dietary exposure (EFSA, 2012).” EFSA describes bread and rolls, livestock meat, pasta and fruits as important Cadmium sources. In 2007 – 2012 not enough samples have been analysed of these food categories. In the next years analyses of these categories are planned. Cadmium intake from the food categories analysed in Austria 2007-2012 amounts in total to 24% of the TWI in men, 30% of the TWI in women and 33% of the TWI in children. Man and women who are high consum-ers of grains and potatoes exhaust the TWI to 57% and 71% based on the analysed food categories. Chil-dren who consume high amounts of potatoes and chocolate utilize 64% of the TWI. It should be noted, that bread and rolls, livestock meat, pasta and fruits were not included in this calculation and that the analysed food categories only represent a part of food which is consumed from the Austrian population. EFSA, which has covered more food categories, came to the result, that total dietary cadmium intake via food for the European population amounts to 68% of the TWI for adults, to 158% for children, to 124% for high consumer adults and 263% for high consumer children. As already described, some important food categories are not included in this cadmium dietary exposure for the Austrian population. Cadmium concentration data from bread and rolls, pasta, livestock meat and fruits will allow a more precise assessment of the dietary Cadmium exposure in Austria and so the TWI could be higher. A part of these food categories are analysed actually and the rest of it are planned to be analysed in the next years. We recommend a good supply of minerals including ferritin, zinc and calcium especially to women of childbearing age, pregnant and breastfeeding women to reduce cadmium resorption. This risk assessment exclusively analysed the oral intake of cadmium via nutrition, but it should be noted that cigarette smoke makes a very large contribution to cadmium exposure