FDA unveils database about contamination levels in food

A new tool about chemical contaminants in human and animal foods is available from the FDA.

The Chemical Contaminants Transparency Tool is the latest effort by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to “Make America Healthy Again.” The tool is designed for industry, but can also be used by consumers. 

“HHS is committed to radical transparency to give Americans authentic, informed consent about what they are eating,” Kennedy said in announcing the tool. “This new Chemical Contaminants Transparency Tool is a critical step for industry to Make America Healthy Again.”

The online, searchable database provides a list of contaminant levels and regulations — including tolerances, action levels and guidance levels — that are used to evaluate potential health risks of contaminants in human and animal foods. Chemical contaminants include a range of chemical substances that may be present in food and that have the potential to cause harm.

To protect public health and help industry market products that are safe for U.S. consumers, the Food and Drug Administration establishes and uses tolerances, action levels and guidance levels for some contaminants in food. These are levels above which the agency may find that a food may be unsafe but do not represent permissible levels of contamination. The FDA uses these levels to help minimize or prevent chemical hazards in food.  

“Ideally there would be no contaminants in our food supply, but chemical contaminants may occur in food when they are present in the growing, storage or processing environments,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Sara Brenner. 

“Because many of the most nutritious foods can also contain contaminants, consumers should eat a variety of nutrient-dense foods across and within the main food groups of vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy and protein to help protect from possible exposure effects.”

The new online database, which provides contaminant levels in one location for ease of searching, is one of the outcomes of the FDA’s initiative to modernize food chemical safety in some foods. The consolidated list includes the contaminant name, commodity, contaminant level type including action level, guidance level, level value and references such as the Code of Federal Regulations and FDA Guidance for Industry. 

The FDA will continue to monitor the food supply by testing foods through several different programs.

The new tool includes information for Aldrin, Dieldrin, Aflatoxins and 3-Monochloropropane-1,2-Diol (3-MCPD), in varying combinations, in: 

• Bottled water
• Some “Asian-style” sauces
• Certain nuts
• Various fruits and vegetables
• Eggs
• “Foods”
• And some animal feeds and hay

(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here)