No grounds to change risk assessment of beef hormones, says EFSA
There are no grounds to amend the risk assessment currently in place in Europe on hormone residues in beef, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has concluded, following a review of new scientific data. Growth-promoting hormones (GPH) are used to increase the weight gain of cattle. However, these substances are banned in Europe because of concerns about possible health risks from residues in the meat and other edible parts of these animals. Previous epidemiological data have linked the amount of red meat consumed and certain forms of hormone-dependent cancers. Following the emergence of new scientific data related to the risk characterisation of natural and synthetic GPHs, the European Commission asked EFSA to review its last risk assessment of the matter, which dates back to 2002. It says that although new, more sensitive techniques have been developed to identify and quantity the presence of the hormones, these techniques are not yet widely used. 'Hence there is a lack of data on the type and amount of GPH residues in meat on which to make a quantitative exposure assessment,' states the EFSA opinion. Furthermore, while new scientific data helps to shine a light on these GPHs, the findings do not 'provide any quantitative information that would change the understanding of the possible risks to human health associated with residues of GPH substances in meat and meat products.' The new data did however make a link between the large-scale beef cattle production using hormones, and undesirable effects in wild fish species living in rivers that are exposed to waste water originating from these farms, notes EFSA. Given the knowledge gap on the risks to human health, EFSA says it will not amend the current EU risk assessment on GPHs in beef. Nevertheless, it says it will continue to collect new data on the matter. The new opinion will now inform any future thinking by the Commission and Member States in relation to restrictions on the use of these hormones in cattle.