Assessment of dioxin findings in poultry meat

The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has received data on dioxin findings in poul-try meat. The samples originate from poultry farms that received and fed contaminated corn feed. A total of 7 out of 11 samples were found to exceed the maximum legal level of dioxins in poultry. In the most highly contaminated samples, it was three times as high. Based on these data, BfR completed a risk assessment with regard to the consumption of this con-taminated poultry meat. Dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are environmental contaminants that humans mainly take in through foods of animal origin. Because dioxins and PCBs accumulate in the fatty tissue of humans, the daily intake should be kept to a minimum The occasional consumption of poultry meat analysed here is not expected to have any ad-verse health effects. BfR considers a limited exceedance of the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) in the special case of dioxin and PCB as tolerable for human health, provided that the aver-age intake over a longer period of time (e.g. one year) does not exceed the TWI. According to food legislation, poultry meat that exceeds the maximum legal levels is not mar-ketable and must not enter the market. In light of the precautionary principle of consumer protection, any additional dioxin and PCB burden should be minimised as much as possible.DE; de; efsa-focal-point@bfr.bund.d