Previous evaluations and Toxicity

This is a paper for discussion. This does not represent the views of the Committee and should not be cited.

15.               The safety of mercury in food has previously been evaluated by the EFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM Panel) (EFSA., 2004; 2012), the Joint Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO)/ World Health Organisation (WHO) Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) (FAO/WHO., 2004; 2011) and the COT (COT., 2018). The US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has also recently reviewed the toxicological profile for mercury (ATSDR., 2024). These evaluations are considered in detail in the discussion paper for mercury in the maternal diet (TOX/2025/03; COT., 2025).