Aside from adding unsafe ingredients to our database, we also remove ingredients from the database when we come across new information. In Nov, 2017, there was a published study written by the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources. The title of the study, “Re-evaluation of mono- and di- glycerides of fatty acids (E471) as food additives.”
Here are the important takeaways of that study:
- The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has evaluated the safety of mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids (E 471), a food additive used in a wide range of foods.
- EFSA considered two scenarios to assess exposure: regulatory maximum level and reported use levels. The non-brand-loyal scenario covering the general population was deemed the most appropriate and realistic scenario for risk characterization.
- The exposure estimates to E 471 ranged from 10 to 26 mg/kg bw per day, at the mean, and from 21 to 58 mg/kg bw per day for the 95th percentile in the adult population group. The contribution of E 471 to the daily fatty acid intake ranged from 0.8% to 7.8%.
- EFSA concluded that there was no need for a numerical acceptable daily intake (ADI) for E 471, and that the food additive was of no safety concern at the reported uses and use levels.
- EFSA recommended that the European Commission consider revising the EU specifications for E 471 to include maximum limits for toxic elements, impurities, residual solvents, trans fatty acids, glycidyl esters, and erucic acid, and generate more data to decrease uncertainty regarding the occurrence of compounds of toxicological concern.
- The current re-evaluation of E 471 as a food additive is not applicable for infants under the age of 12 weeks.
Its important to note that this study was 45 pages long. You can access this study, via a PDF here.
Because this study was 45 pages long, we used Chatgpt to provide the bulleted summary above. Because there was no need for an ADI for E471, we removed this ingredient from our unsafe database.
Fevi became an advocate for food is medicine when her dog, Junior, was diagnosed with cancer. In that journey, she discovered how food played such an important role, first in animal health and then eventually, her own health. When she became a Mom, it reinforced the importance of healthy, natural and fresh food. She is a researcher, by profession, and her skills have helped in intimately understanding how the food industry has prioritized profits over health. As the Founder of Source Partners, she hopes to support the next evolution (perhaps, revolution) of the food industry.