When this kind of news comes to light, I have the feeling that consumers are completely unprotected, but if it's all about baby food, I start to distrust everything.
The OCU (Organization of Consumers and Users) has analyzed 15 cereal porridge and in several of them it has found substances "not advisable". Specifically, aflatoxins, a mycotoxin type, substances produced by molds, dangerous and capable of causing diseases.
13 powdered porridge and 2 in brik of cereals with honey, cereals with fruits, and mixture of cereals, honey and fruits were analyzed. The idea was to check some aspects such as labeling, whether the mandatory and the nutritional were well detailed, as well as analyzing their composition.
They found that all comply with the labeling regulations, although more detail on the nutritional information per serving would be lacking. On the other hand, although the nutritional values are adequate, the products of several brands approximate the legal sugar content limit.
But, the worrying thing is that in the samples they found these substances produced by molds on which there is no legislation that prohibits them. There is no legal norm that establishes a maximum allowed aflatoxin content in this type of food, except in one of them.
Therefore the check out is total and it is the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) that should take the necessary measures urgently.
The OCU requires three things:
May the quality controls during the cultivation and processing of all the ingredients of the cereal porridge.
That new studies that assess the risk of incorporating cocoa to cereal porridge, as it can be a great source of aflatoxins (the type of mycotoxins found).
To be established legal limits for the four subtypes of aflatoxins in cereal-based foods for infants and young children. Currently there are only limits for one of them, subtype B1.
After making the marks their own analysis indicated that it is a specific problem, but that does not leave us very calm. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) they are toxic and carcinogenic substances, which should limit them in children's diets.
I have contacted the OCU to ask for the full report where the brands of the porridge come out and thus be able to inform you better (by the way, quite badly predisposed being a pro-consumer association). I hope to have it shortly. Anyway, it appears in the OCU Salud magazine of the month of June in case someone has it at home and can bring it to us.
I have received the report (a particular, not the OCU) and textual copy: "In our analyzes we found aflatoxins (composed of 4 subtypes) in 4 samples analyzed: Nestlé 8 cereals with fruits, Blevit 8 cereals with fruits and 2 of Hero Baby (cereals and fruits and 8 cereals and honey) Later analyzes of two more lots of each brand showed that the problem was punctual". eye! They warn that the subject is punctual, that is to say that these toxins were not found in two batches of each brand. But if there can be yes and some in some lots, how do we ensure consumers? They have to put more controls. Here you have the link to the full OCU report
