PFAS compounds harmful to health have ended up in organic eggs along with fishmeal fed to chickens. Organic fish meal is used because amino acids, which are used to feed conventionally raised chickens, cannot be used as an additive in the feed.
In part increased concentrations of PFAS compounds, i.e. perfluorinated alkyl compounds, for which the European Commission has recently set limits, have been found in Finnish organic chicken eggs.
In a few egg samples, the concentrations have also exceeded the maximum amounts now set for foodstuffs.
Read more: Alarmingly large amounts of harmful compounds were found in Finnish organic chicken eggs
PFAS compounds are harmful to health. Excessive exposure has been found to affect, among other things, a person’s immune defenses and the effectiveness of vaccinations.
However, according to the Food Agency, eating organic eggs is safe as long as you ensure that the intake of compounds is otherwise at a reasonable level.
“If the diet does not include other foods in which the concentration of PFAS compounds may be elevated, for example fish caught near a sewage treatment plant or the internal organs of game, organic eggs can be eaten in moderation as part of a versatile and varied diet,” says the research professor Johanna Finland From the Food Agency.
One measure of reasonableness is the recommended diet for families with children, which includes 2–3 eggs per week.
Samples were taken and organic chicken eggs were analyzed during the years 2021 and 2022.
The Food Agency According to In Finland, PFAS compounds have also been found in fish.
Following the results, egg producers have been instructed to reduce the use of fishmeal in organic production, the Food Agency reports.
Fish meal plays a central role in the nutrition of organic chickens, because in order to achieve a balanced amino acid composition, fish meal made from natural fish is added to the feed of laying hens in organic production.
In the feed of organic chickens, it is not possible to use amino acids approved as feed additives, which in turn are used in the feeding of conventionally raised chickens.
When water is removed from the fish mass during the production of fishmeal, this results in an increase in the concentration of PFAS compounds in the final dried fishmeal.
The amount of PFAS compounds contained in fishmeal is directly related to the PFAS concentrations of the fish being caught, which in turn vary by fish species and fishing areas.
Maximum concentrations of PFAS compounds have not yet been set for fishmeal or other feeds in the EU.
Samples have been taken from egg farms, and the Food Agency has no information under which brand the eggs are sold.
According to research, after switching to feed that does not contain PFAS compounds, half of the eggs’ concentrations disappear in a good four days.
Research samples have also been taken from the eggs of outdoor chickens, and no elevated concentrations have been observed in them. During 2023, the Food Agency plans to analyze eggs from cage and floor hens as well
PFAS compounds are permanent organic compounds that repel water, dirt and grease. Due to their usability, they have been very common in consumer products.
They have been used, for example, in frying pans, water-repellent technical clothing, fabrics and carpets, extinguishing foam, ski creams and packaging materials.
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