Annual call for continuous collection of chemical contaminants occurrence data in food and feed

Published: 01/03/2024
Deadline for submission: 30/06/2024
Deadline for validation and acceptance of data: 31/08/2024

Background

In the framework of Articles 23 and 33 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 EFSA has received from the European Commission a mandate (M-2010-0374) to collect all available data on the occurrence of chemical contaminants in food and feed. These data are used in EFSA’s scientific opinions and reports on contaminants in food and feed.

Submission of data

National food authorities, research institutions, academia, food business operators and other stakeholders are invited to submit data on occurrence of contaminants with a focus on the substances and related substances listed below. This list is not exhaustive: the full list of contaminants that can be reported and their corresponding codes are published with this call in the file ‘PARAM_chemAnalysis hierarchy.xlsx’. The preparation of this excel was based on version 15.3 PARAM of Catalogue browser.

Priority list of chemical contaminants to support scientific opinions in progress

*Corresponds to the date where EFSA’s exposure assessors will extract the data to start the risk assessment. Data received after the indicated dates is unlikely to be considered in the ongoing scientific opinions but will be retained in the database for possible future scientific assessments.

Non-exhaustive list of chemical contaminants

Process Contaminants

• Furan, 2-methylfuran, 3-methylfuran, 2,5-dimethylfuran, 2-ethylfuran and 2-pentyfuran
• Acrylamide
• PAHs
• 3-MCPD, 3-MCPD esters, 2-MCPD esters and glycidyl esters
• Ethyl Carbamate

Organic contaminants

• Chlorinated Paraffins
• Dioxins and PCBs
• Non dioxin-like PCBs
• Brominated Flame Retardants
• PFAS
• Polychlorinated naphthalenes
• Melamine and analogues
• Benzene
• Perchlorate
• N-nitrosamines

Inorganic

• Bromine and bromide ion
• Cadmium
• Lead
• Arsenic (inorganic and total)
• Mercury (methyl mercury and total mercury)
• Fluoride
• Fluorine in feed
• Nitrates and Nitrites
• Inorganic tin
• Aluminium
• Nickel

Mycotoxins

• Aflatoxins (B1 in feed, B1, B2, G1 and G2 and Total in food, M1 in dairy)
• Ochratoxin A
• Deoxynivalenol (and acetylated derivatives and DON-3-glucoside)
• Zearalenone and modified forms
• Fumonisins and modified forms
• Alternaria toxins (alternariol, alternariol monomethyl ether, tenuazonic acid, tentoxin)
• Patulin
• T-2 and HT-2 and modified forms
• Nivalenol and modified forms
• Ergot sclerotia
• Ergot alkaloids
• Enniatins
• Sterigmatocystin
• Beauvericin
• Citrinin
• Moniliformin
• Diacetoxyscirpenol
• Phomopsins

Plant toxins

• Opium alkaloids
• Quinolizidine alkaloids
• Pyrrolizidine alkaloids
• Glucosinolates
• Glyco-alkaloids
• Grayanotoxins (GTX)
• Tropane alkaloids
• Hydrocyanic acid
• Erucic acid
• Tetrahydrocannabinol
• Specific for feed
  • Free Gossypol
  • Theobromine
  • Ricin
  • Abrin
  • Crotin I

Organochlorine compounds specific for feed

• Aldrin
• Dieldrin
• Camphechlor
• Chlordane
• DDT
• Endosulfan
• Endrin
• Heptachlor
• Hexachlorobenzene (HCB)
• Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH-alpha, beta and gamma isomers)

How to submit data

Data must be submitted in electronic format (XML) to the EFSA Data Collection Framework (DCF). User credentials are required to access the DCF web interface. For new accounts, to obtain the credentials please contact data.collection [at] efsa.europa.eu (data[dot]collection[at]efsa[dot]europa[dot]eu).

EFSA will only accept data in SSD2 (Standard Sample Description version 2) format. In case data are compiled manually using the EFSA tools available at Zenodo the XML file must be generated for direct submission to the DCF. 
A short video describing how to send data to EFSA is available here. 
The guidance ‘Chemical monitoring reporting Guidance: 2024 data collection’ should also be consulted for reporting requirements and is available here.

The annual major release of the catalogues (31/01/2024) and SSD2 structural metadata can be downloaded here.

Guidance on the installation and use of the EFSA Catalogue browser can be found here.

The DCF will open for the reporting of chemical contaminants occurrence data under the chemical monitoring data collection on 1 April 2024. The deadline for the complete transmission of all data through DCF is 30 June 2024. The last two months, period of 1 July – 31 August is set for the data validation and data acceptance in EFSA Scientific Data Warehouse (sDWH).

The communication below is not applicable to Member State competent authorities.

Please note that all confidentiality requests within the frame of this call for data, with the exception of ‘Bromine and bromide ion (FEED and FOOD)’, must be submitted separately via email to EFSA to confidentialityrequestassessment [at] efsa.europa.eu (confidentialityrequestassessment[at]efsa[dot]europa[dot]eu). The ground or legal basis for the confidentiality request and the justification must be provided as well as the name of the field/(s) for which a confidentiality request is made. Failure to submit the requested information will prevent EFSA from assessing the confidentiality request. As a consequence, all information submitted to EFSA will be made available to the public by EFSA in accordance with the provisions of Article 38(1).

Please note that for ‘Bromine and bromide ion (FEED and FOOD)’, confidentiality requests must be submitted exclusively via the Portalino. Information on how to submit confidentiality requests and how to use this tool is available online here, and here. Whenever a confidentiality request is submitted, a non-confidential version and a confidential version of information claimed confidential must be submitted together with each confidentiality request. You are also required to box or earmark information claimed confidential in the confidential version of the information you share with EFSA. Finally, please note that confidentiality requests must be submitted otherwise EFSA is required to proactively publish all information, documents and data already submitted without delay, pursuant to Article 38(1)(c) / 38(1)(d) of the GFL and Article 6(1) of EFSA’s Practical Arrangements of transparency and confidentiality.

In case EFSA receives a new mandate for which data collected via this call will be used as a basis for EFSA’s outputs, EFSA will apply these same rules: data providers will be notified about the requirement to submit their confidentiality requests via the Portalino at least 3 months before the planned publication data of the output.

Contact details

Please address any technical enquiries regarding the reporting of data to data.collection [at] efsa.europa.eu (data[dot]collection[at]efsa[dot]europa[dot]eu)