New publication: Food safety in the context of limited food availability
Lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS) and ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) are fortified foods designed to prevent and treat malnutrition in children. LNS and RUTF are delivered by humanitarian organizations such as the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Médecins Sans Frontières, as part of nutritional programmes to treat malnutrition or severe wasting in children over a specified period of time. They are often produced locally in regions experiencing food insecurity. Before consumption, all edible oils used in products such as LNS/RUTF must be refined to remove undesirable substances and create a palatable, shelf-stable product, a process that typically involves the use of heat.
However, the refining process of edible oils can lead to the formation of heat-induced contaminants such as 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) fatty acid esters and glycidyl fatty acid esters (GEs), with high levels typically observed in refined palm oil, used extensively in the manufacture of LNS/RUTF products. Studies on experimental animals have shown that these substances or their metabolites can be toxic, raising concerns about their presence in food.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the WFP, UNICEF and Médecins Sans Frontières, released a report titled Food safety in the context of limited food availability – Risk assessment of 3-MCPD and fatty acid esters in nutrient supplements and therapeutic food. The report provides an overview of risk assessments for 3-MCPD and GEs previously performed by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and other authorities, based on chronic exposure. As the use of LNS/RUTF is intended to be of finite duration and confined to a specific life stage, this report also provides a risk assessment of less-than-lifetime exposure to 3-MCPD (including 3-MCPD fatty acid esters) and GEs via nutrient supplements and therapeutic food.
“Food safety, in the context of diminished food availability, presents challenges for the standard risk assessment paradigm. Considerations have to be given to the duration of therapeutic food consumption, the types of hazards involved, and any potential risks must be weighed against the crucial benefits these products offer”, said the report co-authors Mark Feeley and Gordon Barrett from Health Canada.
The report identifies thresholds for concentrations of 3-MCPD and glycidol equivalents in LNS/RUTF products that are considered to represent a level of exposure of low concern for human health. Moreover, any theoretical risks from these contaminants must be weighed against the benefits of these products in managing malnutrition in children and infants experiencing food insecurity.
References
FAO. 2024. Food safety in the context of limited food availability – Risk assessment of 3-MCPD and fatty acid esters in nutrient supplements and therapeutic food. Food Safety and Quality Series, No. 25. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd0761en
Photo credit: © FAO/Giulio Napolitano