No smoke without fire
A green tea extract was removed from the market by Dutch authorities after it was found to contain benzo(a)pyrene, a known carcinogen to humans.
Benzo(a)pyrene is a type of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), the chemical contaminants produced by burning, smoking and inappropriate drying processes.
From 1 April this year there will be new regulation covering PAH levels in the EU in supplements and other foodstuff.
The EU Regulation 2015/1933 lays out maximum levels of 10 microgram (µg) per kg of benzo(a)pyrene and a collective 50 µg/kg for the PAHs benzo(a)pyrene, benz(a)anthracene, benzo(b)fluoranthene and chryseneamends.
However last month a European Commission study highlighted the difficulty in preventing and policing high PAH content in botanical supplements.
Of 94 samples tested, 68 exceeded the limits for the four EU marker PAHs while benzo[a]pyrene limits were exceeded in 49.
The green tea extract product caught by the Dutch authorities was from the US and bound for the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark. It contained 22.1 µg per kg - parts per billion (ppb) of benzo(a)pyrene.
