High levels of ‘forever chemical’ found in cereal products across Europe – study

Pesticide Action Network Europe study finds average concentrations 100 times higher than in tap water

High levels of a toxic “forever chemical” have been found in cereal products across Europe because of its presence in pesticides.

The most contaminated food is breakfast cereal, according to a study by Pesticide Action Network Europe (PAN), with average concentrations 100 times higher than in tap water.

The study found trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a chemical produced when pesticides containing Pfas chemicals break down into the soil, in breakfast cereals, popular sweets, pasta, croissants, wholemeal and refined bread, and flour.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (Pfas) are a group of chemicals that have been used in manufacturing and added to consumer products since the 1950s.

They are known as “forever chemicals” as they can take hundreds or even thousands of years to degrade after the products they have been used in are thrown away. This means that if they leak into the soil or water, which they often do, they could remain there for centuries. Their impact on human health and the environment is only just becoming clear, with new studies frequently emerging about some of the chemicals’ links to diseases such as cancer.

TFA is reprotoxic, which means it has the potential to harm human reproductive function, fertility, and foetal development. It has also been linked to adverse effects on thyroid, liver and immune functions. Campaigners are calling on governments to set a far more protective TFA safety limit and to ban all Pfas pesticides and other sources of TFA. Currently, governments do not monitor TFA in food.

The study analysed 65 conventional cereal products bought across 16 European countries – the first study of its kind at the EU level. Previous reports have found high levels of TFA in wine, and some contamination of tap water. It is soluble in water, meaning it can be taken up by plants from the soil.

TFA was detected in 81.5% of samples (53 out of 65 samples) across 16 European countries, with high contamination levels. Wheat products are significantly more contaminated than other cereal-based products.

The highest levels were found in Irish breakfast cereal, followed by Belgian wholemeal bread, then German wholemeal bread, then French baguette. It was found across a huge range of products, from spaghetti, to cheese scones and ginger bread.

“All people are exposed to TFA through multiple pathways, including food and drinking water. Our findings underscore the urgent need for an immediate ban of Pfas pesticides to stop further contamination of the food chain,” said Salomé Roynel, policy officer at PAN Europe.

Angeliki Lysimachou, head of science and policy at PAN Europe, said: “All samples were above the default maximum residue limit. We cannot expose children to reprotoxic chemicals. This demands immediate action.”

Though Britain was not included in the study, the results have implications there, too. Pfas are among some of the most widely used pesticide active substances in the UK, with 27 known Pfas active ingredients in use in UK pesticides, six of which have been identified as highly hazardous. They are used as their properties can enhance a pesticide’s ability to be specific, act faster, and have a longer residual effect on the target organisms.

Cover photo:  The highest levels of TFA were found in Irish breakfast cereal, followed by Belgian wholemeal bread, then German wholemeal bread. Photograph: wsf AL/Alamy