Blowing agent for PVC seals in food jars raises concern

Blowing agent for PVC seals in food jars raises concern

Baby food jars sealed using blown PVC gaskets may present a risk of cancer, the UK Food Standards Agency warned today.

The foods concerned are those packaged in glass jars and bottles closed with metal lids and sealed with PVC gaskets foamed using the blowing agent azodicarbonamide.

The chemical semicarbazide, a weak carcinogen, may leach out from the gasket into the food. The European Food Safety Authority reports that taking account the information to date, the risks to consumers are likely to be very small.

However, the highest concentration of semicarbazide is found in baby foods, probably because of the higher ratio of gasket area to food mass for these small pack sizes.

The authority said: “Given the uncertainties in the science, the presence of semicarbazide in baby foods is undesirable.”

FSA chairman Sir John Krebs added: “There is considerable uncertainty about the possible risks from semicarbazide. Because of this we have made clear to the food industry that alternative methods of sealing food jars should be developed as a precautionary measure.”