Prioritization of chemical food safety hazards in the European feed supply chain

Extensive monitoring programs of chemical hazards in the animal feed chain are in place, both organized by public and private organizations. The objective of this review was to prioritize chemical hazards for monitoring in the European animal feed supply chain. A step-wise approach was designed for the prioritization, based on: historical occurrence of the chemicals in animal feed ingredients and animal feeds (in relation to European guidance values or maximum limits in feed); information on transfer of the chemical to edible animal products, and; the extent of human dietary intake of the products and possible adverse human health effects of the chemical. Possible prioritization outcomes were: high (H), medium (M), or low (L) priority for monitoring, or classification not possible (NC) because of limited available data on the transfer of the chemical to edible animal tissues. The selection of chemicals included (with results in parentheses): dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (H); brominated flame retardants (H); per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (H); the heavy metals arsenic (H) and cadmium (H) as well as lead (M) and mercury (M); aflatoxins (H), ochratoxin A (NC), and other mycotoxins (L); pyrrolizidine alkaloids (H) and other plant toxins (NC); organochlorine pesticides (H) and other pesticides (L); pharmaceutically active substances (M); hormones (NC); polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (L), heat-induced processing contaminants (NC), and mineral oils (NC). Results of this study can be used to support risk-based monitoring by food safety authorities and feed-producing companies in Europe.