Food contact materials and articles: Printing Inks:Check lists for compliance in industry and trade and control by food inspection

In-house control and the documentation of it is the basis for the assurance of compliance with legislation, in the food area and in the area of food contact materials (FCM). Safe use of FCM is a complicated area, in general, and specifically the use of printing inks and the critical points in the printing process. One of the goals for this check list is to contribute to the development of more uniform control and requirements for in-house control. Printing inks used in FCM are regulated by these general requirements and some uses are addressed more specifically , and as there is no specific legislation in the area in EU yet. In-house documentation is based on the assumption, that each link in the supply chain ensures compliance. The check lists set a frame with minimum requirements to all relevant links in the supply chain from producers to food industry and trade. The check lists are guidance to industry and trade in order to ensure compliance with the requirements in the FCM

A retrospective assessment of marine biodiversity : a critical analysis of integration and aggregation rules

Oceans around the world are threatened by human pressures. Ecological indicators are useful tools in understanding complex systems and their changes caused by human pressures, and the information they offer is also needed for ecosystem-based management. Integrated assessments combine information produced by several indicators at different spatial scales and thus offer a more holistic view of the status of the ecosystem. In this study, we evaluate the integration of biodiversity indicators at different spatial scales in two study areas in the Baltic Sea: Gulf of Finland and Bothnian Sea. By producing time series of the indicators and integrated assessments, we study the historical changes in the overall marine biodiversity status, and the impact of data availability, indicator selection, and choice of spatial assessment units on the status assessment. The integrated assessments are produced using the Biodiversity Assessment Tool (BEAT 3.0) and following the procedure of the HELCOM integrated assessment of biodiversity. The analysis shows that the results of the integrated assessment depend strongly on which indicators are available for the assessment, and on the chosen spatial assessment units. While the integrated assessments are a strong communication tool, their interpretation needs to be accompanied by information of indicators to avoid misleading conclusions about the marine ecosystem status

The chemical contaminants of foodstuffs and household water

Elintarvikkeiden ja talousveden kemialliset vaarat kuvataan nyt uusitussa muodossa. Raportissa käsitellään 40 vierasainetta tai –ryhmää, ja saadaan samalla kertaa kuva koko ongelmakentästä. Kaikki raporttiin valitut kemialliset yhdisteet ovat olleet viime vuosina mukana elintarvikkeiden ja/tai talousveden riskinhallintaa käsittelevissä valmisteluissa tai toimenpiteissä sekä kansallisella että EU-tasolla. Kemiallisista vaaroista oli suurimmasta osasta runsaasti tietoa saatavilla: esiintyminen elintarvikkeissa, tutkimukset ja saantilaskelmat, terveydelliset haittavaikutukset ja valvontaan liittyvät tarpeet ja lopuksi kattavat kirjallisuuskatsaukset. Yhteensä 21 suomalaista kutsuttua vierasaineasiantuntijaa on ollut mukana eri sektoritutkimuslaitoksista tämän raportin sisällön kirjoittamis- ja tarkistamistyössä. Lisäksi suuri joukko muita asiantuntijoita on kommentoinut raporttia. Asiantuntijat ovat eri hallinnonaloilta, ja osa aiheistakin ja niihin liittyvistä vierasaineista, kuten talousveden vierasaineet, kuuluvat hallinnollisesti muihin kuin maa- ja metsätalousministeriön alaisiin asiantuntijalaitoksiin. Tämä raportti on tehty mahdollisimman laajalle käyttäjäkunnalle ottaen huomioon viranomaiset sekä kuluttajat ja opetus- ja tutkimuslaitokset. Raportti on tehty helppokäyttöiseksi ja mahdollisimman selkeäksi ja lyhytsanaiseksi monine taulukkoineen ja kuvineen. Tarkoitus on, että siitä löytyy helposti eri vierasaineiden ominaisuuksia, joita voi tarvittaessa vertailla. Siitä voi etsiä uusimmat tutkimustulokset ja kansainväliset riskinarvioinnit sekä löytää vierasaineiden pitoisuustietoja etenkin kotimaisista elintarvikkeista. Arvioituja vierasainesaantimääriä voi verrata vierasaineille asetettuihin siedettäviin enimmäissaantimääriin tai vaikkapa verrata näitä turvallisuutta kuvaavia suureita eri vierasaineiden kesken. Valvontaviranomaiset voivat löytää lisäksi nopeasti tietoa lainsäädännöstä ja suositelluista valvontatoimenpiteistä. Valvontaan ja muuhun riskinhallintaan liittyvät ehdotukset ovat syntyneet yhteistyössä valvonnasta vastaavien Eviran asiantuntijoiden kanssa.De kemiska kontaminanterna förknippade med livsmedel och dricksvatten beskrivs nu i förnyad form. Rapporten behandlar 40 främmande ämnen eller grupper av främmande ämnen och ger samtidigt en bild av hela problemfältet. Alla kemiska föreningar som valts med i rapporten har på senare år tagits med i beredningar och åtgärder som gällt riskhantering i fråga om livsmedel och/eller dricksvatten såväl på nationell nivå som på EU-nivå. Om största delen av de kemiska farorna fanns tillgång till rikliga mängder information: förekomsten i livsmedel, analyser och intagsberäkningar, skadeverkningarna på hälsan och behov som hänför sig till tillsynen och slutligen också täckande litteraturöversikter. Inalles 21 inkallade finska experter på främmande ämnen från forskningsanstalter i olika sektorer har deltagit i arbetet med att skriva och granska innehållet i denna rapport. En stor mängd andra experter har också kommenterat rapporten. Experterna representerar olika förvaltningsområden och också en del av ämnena som behandlats och de främmande ämnena som hänför sig till dem, såsom främmande ämnen i dricksvattnet, hör förvaltningsmässigt till andra expertinstitut än de som är underställda jord- och skogsbruksministeriet. Denna rapport har utarbetats för en så bred skara läsare som möjligt beaktande såväl myndigheterna och konsumenterna som undervisnings- och forskningsanstalter. Rapporten har gjorts lätt att använda och så tydlig och kortfattad som möjligt med mångahanda tabeller och figurer. Meningen är att rapporten skall ge information om olika främmande ämnens egenskaper som vid behov kan jämföras. Rapporten redogör för de senaste forskningsresultaten och internationella riskvärderingar och den ger också information om halterna främmande ämnen särskilt i inhemska livsmedel. De beräknade intagen främmande ämnen kan jämföras med de tolerabla dagliga intagen som fastställts för främmande ämnen eller också kan dessa storheter som beskriver säkerheten jämföras olika främmande ämnen emellan. Tillsynsmyndigheter kan också snabbt finna information om lagstiftningen och rekommenderade tillsynsåtgärder. Förslagen som hänför sig till tillsynen och annan riskhantering har uppkommit i samarbete med de experter på Evira som svarar för tillsynen.The chemical contaminants of foodstuffs and household water are now described in a revised form. The report addresses 40 contaminants or groups of contaminants and, at the same time, provides an overview of the whole problematic. All the chemical compounds selected for the report have in the recent years been included at both national and EU level in deliberations and measures pertaining to the risk management of foodstuffs and/of household water. An abundance of information is available on the majority of chemical hazards; occurrence in foodstuffs, research and intake calculations, health effects and needs related to control and finally a comprehensive literary review. A total of 21 Finnish experts in contaminants from various sector research institutes were invited to take part in the preparation and review of the content of this report. A large number of other experts have also provided comments on the report. The experts represent different administrative sectors and some of the topics and of the associated contaminants, such as the contaminants of household water, are also administratively managed by other expert institutes, which are not organised under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. This report is designed to an as wide audience as possible, taking into account authorities and consumers as well as educational and research institutes. The report has been drawn up in an easy-to-use form to be as clear and concise in words as possible with a multitude of tables and figures. It is designed to provide easy reference to the properties of various contaminants for comparison purposes, if required. It contains the most recent research results and international risk assessments and lists contaminant level data on particularly domestic foodstuffs. The estimated contaminant intakes can be compared with the tolerable intake levels set for contaminants or different contaminants can be compared with each other in terms of these magnitudes that express the safety of the foodstuff. Control authorities can quickly find information about regulations and recommended control action. The suggestions related to control and other risk management efforts have been drawn up in cooperation with Evira’s experts in charge of control

Critical Effects of Smoking Parameters on the Levels of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Traditionally Smoked Fish and Meat Products in Finland

Eighty fish products and 62 meat products were sampled and analysed in Finland, in the year of 2012 for four marker polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH4) with an accredited gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method. In general, the determined PAH4 levels were relatively low and below the maximum levels. The mean concentrations of smoked fish samples were 0.7 μg·kg−1 for benzo[a]pyrene and 3.9 μg·kg−1 for the PAH4 sum, whereas in smoked meat samples, mean benzo[a]pyrene and PAH4 sum levels were 2.2 μg·kg−1 and 11 μg·kg−1, respectively. However, PAH4 sum concentrations ranged from not detected to 200 µg·kg−1 particularly among meat products, underlining the importance of controlling the smoking process. In this study, the effect of selected smoking parameters, i.e., smoking technique (direct/indirect), smoking time (less than five hours/more than five hours), smoke generation temperature (optimised/nonoptimised), and the distance (less than five metres/more than five metres) between the food and the smoke source, confirmed the linkage between the smoking factors and the PAH4 levels formed in fish and meat products. As guidance for a safe smoking process, it was demonstrated that an indirect smoking technique, a shorter smoking time, an optimised smoke generation temperature, and a longer distance from the smoke source generated lower PAH concentrations in food products. However, while a shorter smoking time generated lower PAH levels in meat products, the levels in fish products were unexpectedly higher than in those smoked for a longer time. Other factors, such as the smoking type (cold smoking/warm or hot smoking) and the fish size, may have affected this result

Nordic checklist food contact materials : Declaration of compliance and supporting documentation

Documentation of compliance with the legislation is a corner stone in the control of food contact materials (FCM). In-house control is an important pre-requisite to limit contamination from FCM and shall be based on the declaration of compliance and supporting documentation at the responsible business operators in the supply chain. The goal of this project was to develop a Nordic checklist on documentation of compliance for FCM. The Nordic checklist contains several templates. The different templates provide check points on the minimum requirements for a declaration of compliance for all types of materials. The templates are meant to be used by industry and trade as guidance for drafting a declaration of compliance. Furthermore, the check lists are also meant to be tools for the public food and FCM inspection

Nordic checklist food contact materials: Declaration of compliance and supporting documentation

Documentation of compliance with the legislation is a corner stone in the control of food contact materials (FCM). In-house control is an important pre-requisite to limit contamination from FCM and shall be based on the declaration of compliance and supporting documentation at the responsible business operators in the supply chain. The goal of this project was to develop a Nordic checklist on documentation of compliance for FCM. The Nordic checklist contains several templates. The different templates provide check points on the minimum requirements for a declaration of compliance for all types of materials. The templates are meant to be used by industry and trade as guidance for drafting a declaration of compliance. Furthermore, the check lists are also meant to be tools for the public food and FCM inspection