Scientific Opinion on the evaluation of the substances currently on the list in the annex to Commission Directive 96/3/EC as acceptable previous cargoes for edible fats and oils – Part III of III

Shipping of edible fats and oils into Europe is permitted in bulk tanks, in which substances, included in a positive list, had been previously transported. The European Commission requested EFSA to evaluate the list of substances in the Annex to Commission Directive 96/3/EC as acceptable previous cargoes for edible fats and oils, taking into account its review of the Scientific Committee on Food criteria for acceptable previous cargoes and criteria proposed by the Codex Committee for Fats and Oils. This is the third and last scientific opinion of the EFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM Panel) on this topic, in which sixteen of these substances or groups of substances have been evaluated. The CONTAM Panel concluded that sodium silicate (water glass) solution, iso-octanol, iso-nonanol, iso-decanol, 1,3-propanediol, isobutyl acetate, sec-butyl acetate, tert-butyl acetate, n-butyl acetate, propylene tetramer, paraffin wax, candelilla wax, white mineral oils and glycerol would not be of health concern as previous cargoes. The CONTAM Panel concluded that carnauba wax was not acceptable as a previous cargo because of its insolubility in water and high melting point, which raise concerns regarding the efficiency of tank cleaning. There was insufficient information available on the composition of montan wax for the CONTAM Panel to conclude that it would be of no health concern when used as previous cargo and hence it does not meet the criteria for acceptability as previous cargo. The CONTAM Panel made several recommendations regarding the way in which the substances are described in the Annex to Commission Directive 96/3/EC, to correct inaccuracies and to better reflect current transport practices

Scientific Opinion on the use of high viscosity white mineral oils as a food additive on request from the European Commission:Question No EFSA-Q-2008-003

The Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS) provides a scientific opinion on the safety of high viscosity white mineral oils (HVMO) (CAS Registry Number 8042-47-5) when used as food additives. HVMO have previously been evaluated by the EC Scientific Committee for Food (SCF) (1995) and the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) (1995, 2002). The SCF allocated a Temporary Group ADI of 0-4 mg/kg bw/day for white paraffinic oils which included white mineral oils with a viscosity higher than 8.5 cSt at 100\ub0C. In 2002, JECFA recommended an ADI of 0 \u2013 20 mg/kg bw/day for HVMO. Dietary exposure to HVMO did not produce adverse effects in subchronic toxicity and chronic toxicity/carcinogenicity studies in rats. Infiltration of histiocytes (granulomas) in mesenteric lymph nodes and oil deposition in the liver were considered to be an indication of exposure to white mineral oils rather than an adverse effect. The NOAEL for HVMO was considered to be 1200 mg/kg bw/day, the highest dose tested. Using this NOAEL and applying an uncertainty factor of 100 the Panel established an ADI of 12 mg/kg bw/day for HVMO (kinematic viscosity ≥ 11 mm\ub2/s (cSt) at 100 \ub0C, a carbon number > 28 at 5 % distillation point and an average molecular weight > 500 g/mol). The Panel considered the dietary exposure to HVMO from current uses as well as proposed uses, and estimated that the potential dietary exposures for high level consumers (95th/97.5th) would reach up to approximately 13 mg/kg bw/day for adults and 19 mg/kg bw/day for children. The Panel considers these estimates to be very conservative since high levels of exposure from different sources, in consumers only, have been added up