Brazil's Illegal Use of Potassium Bromate Doubles, Serious Contamination of Food with Aflatoxin A

On October 16, 2024, the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency published a detailed report on the monitoring of additives and contaminants in food for the period from 2021 to 2023. The report reveals in detail the use of food additives and contaminants in the Brazilian market during this period, as well as some of the problems identified by the relevant authorities during the regulatory process. Here are the highlights of the report:

(1) In the analysis of food additives, potassium bromate, as an additive that is explicitly prohibited in Brazil, has attracted high attention from the regulatory authorities. During 2021, regulators detected the presence of potassium bromate in four nonconforming food samples. In the following period, from 2022 to 2023, the number rose to six failed samples. The finding suggests that although potassium bromate has been banned, some producers are still using the additive in violation of regulations.

(2) Regarding violations of artificial colors, the main problem appears in the identification of additives on product labels. In some food samples, regulators were able to detect specific artificial colors that were not properly described on product labels. This inconsistency can mislead consumers about exactly what additives are in the foods they buy.

(3) Sulfite testing was carried out during the two-year period from 2022 to 2023. During that time, regulators analyzed a total of 698 samples, including 415 beef samples and 283 pork samples. Worryingly, of these samples, 13 were found to contain sulfites. The use of sulfites may have adverse effects on some consumers, especially those who are allergic to sulfites.

(4) The monitoring of cadmium metal was carried out in two time periods of 2021 and 2022-2023 respectively. In 2021, 100 samples were monitored and the results showed no abnormalities. However, a more detailed analysis of 174 samples was carried out between 2022 and 2023, with chocolate accounting for 100 of them. Worryingly, 12 of these chocolate samples were found to contain excessive levels of the metal cadmium. Further analysis showed that the higher the amount of cocoa in the chocolate, the higher the concentration of the metal cadmium, which may be related to the cocoa beans absorbing more cadmium as they grow.

(5) Surveillance for ochratoxin A began in 2021, when 44 samples were analyzed and one case was found to exceed the standard. By 2022-2023, the monitoring was expanded to 187 samples, and six coffee samples and four raisins were found to have excessive levels of ochratoxin A. Ochratoxin A is a toxin produced by certain molds that can have adverse effects on human health, so its presence in food has attracted high attention from regulatory agencies.