Report of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN)on the prospection of chemical hazards of interest in food safety in Spain-2

*This record is given in both English and Spanish
Throughout the food chain, various chemical hazards may be present, incorporated or produced, which may pose a risk to the consumer.
In 2018, the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) reviewed the most relevant chemical hazards for food safety in Spain, which had no specific regulation, identifying them and pointing out those foods or conditions which, a priori, could imply a greater risk for the consumer, to perform prospective studies, eventually. This new report addresses the following chemical hazards and matrixes: aluminium, antimony, chromium (VI), anthraquinones, aflatoxins in hazelnuts, melamine, bisphenol A (BPA) analogues and Aspergillus mycotoxins (sterigmatocystin).
As in the previous report, the identification and characterisation, exposure assessment, recommendations and future considerations have been described for each of them.
On the other hand, it is essential to identify new hazards for which significant exposure may occur or to assess the risk arising from new or significantly increased exposure or susceptibility to a known hazard, not only for the eventual control of these emerging hazards but also to promote research and to improve consumer and scientific understanding.