African swine fever: transmission via feed unlikely

International research results on ASF viruses published

31-May-2024 - African swine fever (ASF) continues to spread in Europe and other parts of the world. Food also plays a role in this. If unheated food or leftovers from infected animals are fed to uninfected animals, the virus can spread to previously ASF-free regions and thus also to domestic pig herds. As the ...

Pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid fish with high levels of methylmercury

Why saithe is the most harmful despite its low pollutant content

31-May-2024 - Fish and seafood contain numerous important vitamins, trace elements and nutrients, such as vitamin D, iodine and omega-3 fatty acids. These foods are therefore a valuable part of a healthy and varied diet. However, the mercury compound methylmercury (MeHg) accumulates in fish and also in ...

New method against truffle fraud

13-May-2024 - The high-priced Piedmont truffle can hardly be distinguished from the cheaper spring truffle - fraudsters have an easy game. However, a new analysis method could put a stop to them. Some truffle species are particularly expensive and are therefore often the target of food fraud. For example, ...

Food supplements: what to look out for

BVL advocates careful handling of food supplements and gives tips on how to buy them safely - especially online

20-Mar-2024 - On the occasion of World Consumer Day, the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) advises responsible use of food supplements. They can be a useful supplement for population groups with nutrient deficiencies. Anyone buying food supplements should bear a few important points ...

Salmonella is a frequent cause of food recalls

Federal Office publishes annual statistics for 2023 on the lebensmittelwarnung.de portal

06-Feb-2024 - The federal states and the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) published 308 recalls on the joint portal "www.lebensmittelwarnung.de" in 2023. Microbiological contamination was the reason for almost a third of the warnings. Of these, salmonella was once again the most ...

Bayreuth researchers on new arsenic compounds of concern in rice and rice cakes

28-Nov-2023 - This week, the EU Food Safety Authority is once again discussing arsenic in rice and rice cakes: CONTAM, the body that advises the authority on contamination and undesirable residues in food, is discussing organic arsenic compounds, which include arsenic compounds that are not yet regulated but ...

From the trough to the plate - digitally calculated

Computer program "ConTrans" estimates how much of an undesirable substance is transferred from animal feed to food

08-Nov-2023 - How long does it take for an undesirable substance in animal feed to appear in animal food? And how high is its content then? When can we expect meat and eggs to be "clean" again, i.e. harmless to health, after switching to uncontaminated feed? These are key food safety issues for risk ...

Porridge-making in the Neolithic period

20-Sep-2022 - Cereal, milk and meat were the staple diet of people in Britain as long as 5500 years ago. By carrying out a chemical analysis of lipid residues in well-preserved ceramics, a research team led by the University of Bristol and including researchers from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität ...

MS imaging makes ingredients, additives and contaminants of food visible

An analytical method without dyes

22-Jul-2022 - Mass spectrometry imaging (MS imaging) provides highly precise information on the spatial distribution of substances in many areas. Researchers at the University of Bayreuth now present exemplary new applications in food analysis in the journal "Food Chemistry". For the first time, they have ...

Now also online: The BfR World Food Safety Almanac

On the occasion of the World Food Safety Day, the BfR puts the new edition of the handbook on the web

08-Jun-2022 - "Safer food, better health" - this is the motto of the fourth World Food Safety Day on 7 June 2022. Fittingly, the World Food Safety Almanac of the Germany Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) goes online. The online BfR World Almanac provides an overview of the administrative structures ...