THE IRISH FOOD safety regulator is considering whether to test food for the toxic ‘forever chemical’ trifluoroacetic acid (TFA).

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) is reviewing recent research by the NGO Pesticide Action Network which revealed high levels of TFA in cereal-based foods, including bread, purchased across Europe.

The research identified particularly high levels of TFA in some wheat-based breakfast cereals bought in Irish supermarkets.

TFA is one of a man-made class of substances called Pfas, also known as ‘forever chemicals’ because they are so persistent in the environment. That means they take a really long time to break down, accumulating in the food chain and water.

Testing

Jennifer Murnane O’Connor, the junior health minister, said the FSAI is assessing whether “targeted national testing for TFA is practical and scientifically warranted at this time”.

The decision on whether to test Irish food will be partly based on laboratory capacity, Murnane O’Connor said in response to a query from Fianna Fáil TD Albert Dolan.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is currently establishing a safe limit for TFA in food, which regulators will use to assess risks to consumers. Murnane O’Connor said that based on EFSA’s latest published information on TFA, the levels reported in “some cereal-based foods” would not pose a health risk to children.

However, EFSA’s draft safety limit has been strongly criticised for by Pesticide Action Network as too high. EFSA will finalise its decision on TFA next year.

Related Reads

Toxic 'forever chemical' TFA found in food - with Irish breakfast cereals among worst offenders

Murnane O’Connor said Ireland will be guided by the scientific opinions and findings of EU regulators and “protection of human health is always the foremost concern”.

Toxicity

A European Chemicals Agency dossier from earlier this year on the health and environmental impacts of TFA stated that the scientific literature on TFA presents “clear evidence of developmental toxicity” based on studies on mammal foetuses.

These studies identified eye and skeletal malformations in rabbits, and impaired liver and kidney function in early development in rats, among other effects.

Pfas get into the food chain via pesticides, and through refrigerant gases breaking down. Scientific studies suggest wheat is particularly efficient at absorbing and accumulating forever chemicals, especially TFA.