EFSA: new evaluation on the safety of sulfites published
Sulfites are a group of chemicals derived from sulfur with antioxidant, antibiotic and antiseptic properties. The main sulfites are sulfur dioxide (E220), sodium sulfite (E 221), sodium bisulfite (E222), sodium metabisulfite (E223), potassium metabisulfite (E224), calcium sulfite (E226), bisulfite calcium (E227) and potassium bisulfite (E 228).
They are chemicals naturally present in foods such as apples, rice, onions, cabbage and wine, but are widely used as food additives in different types of foods such as dried fruits and vegetables, potato products, beer, malt beverages, sausages, preserves, fish and seafood, wine, fruit juices etc. acting as food preservatives, antioxidants, antimicrobials, antifungals, bleaches and stabilizers.
These chemicals are often added in high doses, without authorization and without declaration to foods, giving rise to several recalls, withdrawals and border rejections as evidenced by the Safety Hud tool which in 2022 has recorded over 100 notifications for non-compliance related to sulfites. https://foodcompliance.mxns.com/
According to the European Food Safety Authority, the intake of sulfites through the diet could constitute a safety problem for consumers (e.g.: alterations of the nervous system and liver, headache, asthmatic reactions, eczema, hives, nausea, vomit, irritation of the gastric mucosa, allergies…), but the lack of data on their toxicity did not allow to confirm the entity of the potential harmful effects on health.
In 2016, EFSA set a temporary ADI of 0.7 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day pending the availability of new data required for concluding on their safety but the information provided by industry and available in the scientific literature are insufficient to establish a definitive ADI.
For this reason, EFSA has calculated margin of exposure (MOE) which indicate if current intakes are likely to be harmful. The MOE is a ratio between the lowest estimated dose at which an adverse effect is observed and the level of exposure to the substance. In the case of sulfites, a < 80 ratio has been identified which may indicate a safety concern. EFSA’s scientists also restated their previous recommendation to further investigate hypersensitivity or intolerance among some sensitive consumers due to knowledge gaps.
Merieux NutriSciences support
As a provider of 360º solutions for the agri-food and distribution industries, Merieux NutriSciences provides up-to-date data on food alerts, frauds and current regulations https:///foodcompliance.mxns.com/ for food matrices of interest.
Our laboratories are also able to provide a complete analytical service for the determination of sulfites in food matrices. We offer you the ISO17025 accredited analysis for the quantification of Sulfites in your products. Find out our accreditations.
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