News
Transfer models for harmful substances in animal feed online now
RIVM and Wageningen Food Safety Research have made available five feed-food transfer models to calculate how many harmful substances in animal feed end up in animal-based foods. The models are now available on the website.
Animal feed can be contaminated with chemical substances that enter the feed via the environment or during the manufacturing process. These substances can end up in animal food products such as milk, eggs and meat. When humans are exposed to too much of these chemicals via the food, this can be hazardous to health.
Assess health risks
To assess the health risks, it is important to know how much of these substances end up from animal feed into animal food products. This can be estimated using transfer models. The Dutch National Institute for Public Health (RIVM) and Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR) have made five transfer models available on the new website www.feedfoodtransfer.nl. Governments and the animal feed industry can use these models.
Looking for international partners
For now, models are available to calculate the transfer of cadmium in pigs, aflatoxin in cows, and dioxins in pigs, cows and laying hens. RIVM and WFSR have developed these models on behalf of the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. More models will be made available on the website soon. In addition, RIVM and WFSR are looking for international partners to collaborate to extend this website further.
With the feed-food transfer models website, RIVM and WFSR want to contribute to a more internationally standardised approach to the assessment of the risks of substances in animal feed and animal food products.