In a review presented at the first FAO/WHO/UNEP Conference on Mycotoxins in 1977, the occurrence of aflatoxins, zearalenone, ochratoxin A, citrinin, trichothecenes, patulin, penicillic acid, and the ergot alkaloids was indicated to be significant in naturally contaminated foods and feeds. The information presented on aflatoxin contamination greatly exceeded that for all other mycotoxins combined. This study reviews the worldwide levels and occurrence of mycotoxins in various commodities since 1976. Comparatively few countries have lowered the acceptable levels for aflatoxins in susceptible commodities. However, intensified efforts are needed to establish control of aflatoxin levels in the global food supply, particularly in peanuts, tree nuts, corn, and animal feeds. Extensive deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination of grains, especially wheat, was demonstrated. Co-contamination of grains by Fusarium toxins, especially DON and nivalenol, with zearalenone to a lesser extent, was reported. However, more information on co-occurrence of Fusarium toxins in cereals should be developed. When contamination of feeds by ochratoxin A was significant, this toxin occurred in swine kidney and smoked meats in high levels. On the basis of occurrence and/or toxicity, patulin and penicillic acid contamination of foods does not appear to be of real concern. More recent developments suggest, however, that expanded monitoring studies of Alternaria toxins, moniliformin, citrinin, cyclopiazonic acid, penitrem A, and ergot alkaloids are indicated.
The Food and Drug Administration has a continuing program of monitoring foods for their content of lead, cadmium, mercury, zinc, arsenic, and selenium to determine trends of increasing or decreasing levels. The monitoring protocol is that of the Total Diet Study, in which "market baskets" of typical foods and beverages consumed by 15- to 20-year-old American males are collected in various geographical locations at regular intervals during the year, divided into food classes, composited, and analyzed. Cadmium has the most widespread distribution of the six heavy metals and mercury the most limited. The analytical values for lead may be underestimated because of limitations of the methodology; these do not apply to the other five elements. A tabulation by year shows that the levels of these elements in foods do not vary significantly from one year to the next. Average intakes of lead, cadmium, and mercury are below the WHO/FAO tolerable intakes for adults; such tolerable intakes have not been established for arsenic and selenium. Increases in concentrations of these elements in foods would be considered undesirable, however.
Passage of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act in 1972 has caused a huge increase in the amount of sewage sludge for disposal. The Food and Drug Administration has worked with the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies to recommend proper management of the application of sludges to food and feed crops to ensure the safety and wholesomeness of the food supply. FDA's concerns about contamination of food by pathogenic microorganisms, heavy metals, persistent pesticides and industrial chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are described. The reasons for special concern about direct application of sludge onto growing food and feed crops are discussed. The estimated daily intake of lead and cadmium, as compared to the proposed tolerable daily intakes, is presented, together with FDA's program to develop sufficient data on the natural background levels of these metals in raw agricultural products. Limitations recommended to prevent hazardous cadmium, lead, PCB and pathogen contaminations of food and feeds by sludge are presented.
As a result of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) concern about lead in the food supply, considerable data have been developed in recent years by FDA, other agencies, and industry on the levels of lead in foods. Data obtained on the lead content of milk, eggs, meat, fish, and shellfish indicate that the mean levels in these unprocessed foods varied from 0.02 to about 0.4 ppm, with the lowest level in milk. The major food processing source of lead in food is the lead-soldered can. FDA had assigned top priority to the reduction of lead in foods for infants because of their greater susceptibility to the toxic effects of this metal. The lead levels in foods for infants are now only 1/5 to 1/10 of what they were when FDA expressed its concern about lead to the manufacturers of canned infant formula, evaporated milk, canned infant juices, and glass-packed infant foods. FDA priority interest has now shifted to reduction of lead in adult canned foods, especially those eaten by young children. The mean levels in such foods have decreased from 0.35-0.40 ppm in 1974 to 0.20-0.25 ppm in 1980.
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