A new PAN Europe study reveals high levels of the “forever chemical” trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), recently found to cause harm to reproduction and development, in everyday cereal products across Europe. The most contaminated food is a typical breakfast cereal. Average concentrations are 107 times higher than those in tap water. The report shows our diet is a significant pathway of human exposure. PAN Europe and its network of organisations call on regulators to immediately set a far more protective TFA safety limit and to ban all PFAS pesticides and other sources of TFA.

The study analysed 66 conventional cereal products purchased across 16 European countries, including breakfast cereals, popular sweets, pasta, croissants, wholemeal and refined bread, and flour. As food authorities do not monitor TFA in foods, this is the first study of its kind at the EU level. It builds on previous reports of high TFA levels in European wines and widespread contamination of tap water.

Key findings include:

• Widespread contamination of cereal-based products across Europe: TFA was detected in 81.8% of samples (54 out of 66 samples) across 16 European countries.
• High contamination levels: the average TFA concentration was 78.9 μg/kg, with peak values of up to 360 μg/kg. Wheat products are significantly more contaminated than other cereal-based products. 
• Food, beyond drinking water, is the most significant route of exposure:  the TFA levels found are 107 times higher than the average TFA concentration in tap water [1].
• No specific EU MRLs exist for TFA, and recent studies show it’s harmful to reproduction, development and thyroid; therefore, the default MRL of 0.01 mg/kg (10 μg/kg) should apply, which also applies for pesticide substances that cause this toxicity. Yet, 54 samples exceeded the default MRL.