Hazards & pathogens

Business guidance

Importing fruit and vegetables

Guidance on what a higher risk product is, labelling, packaging, chemical safety and controls on plant health.

Persistent organic pollutants

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are a type of contaminant that can enter the food chain from the environment. We outline common properties of POPs, presence of POPs in food and industry guidance.

Acrylamide legislation

Information on the measures concerning acrylamide levels in food, guidance for food business operators and benchmark levels for monitoring acrylamide levels in different food categories.

Importing high-risk food and feed of non-animal origin into GB

Defining what a high-risk product is, guidance on aflatoxin levels in imported food, current GB restrictions and guidance for importing certain products from defined countries.

Pesticides in food

Pesticides are chemical or biological substances that are used to kill or control pests during the cultivation and storage of crops. We have oversight of pesticides and food safety in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Miracle Mineral Solution and Sodium chlorite solutions

Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS) and Sodium chlorite solutions, their danger to health and what the National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) are doing to prevent them being sold and or consumed.

Mycotoxins

Explains the dangers surrounding mycotoxins and the food safety regulations in place in the UK concerning them.

Testing for trichinella in pigs

The way pigs must be tested for trichinella before entering the food chain.

Other

Qualitative assessment of the risk of SARS-CoV-2 to human health through food exposures to deer in the UK: Acknowledgements

Year 1 of a UK-wide survey of campylobacter contamination on fresh chickens at retail (February 2014 to February 2015)

The 12-month survey, running from February 2014 to February 2015, looked at the prevalence and levels of campylobacter contamination on fresh whole chilled chickens and their packaging.

Consumer guidance

BPA in plastic

What bisphenol A (BPA) is and the research and evidence that supports our understanding of BPA.

Statement of Purpose - Microcystins in Fish

The aim of the risk assessment is to establish whether there is a risk to health from the consumption of fish caught from Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland, which has been affected by a cyanobacteria bloom.

Risk Characterisation - Microcystins in Fish

This risk assessment is presented in a qualitative form with the scales for the frequency of occurrence, severity of foodborne risks, and the level of associated uncertainty described in a multidimensional risk assessment framework.

Executive Summary - Microcystins in Fish

Executive Summary: What is the risk from microcystins in the edible flesh of fish caught from Lough Neagh?

Exposure Assessment - Microcystins in Fish

Exposure assessments for eel, roach, pollan, perch, and bream

Hazard Characterisation - Microcystins in Fish

The World Health Organisation established a provisional tolerable daily intake for microcystin-LR

Hazard Identification - Microcystins in Fish

Microcystins are the most commonly reported cyanobacterial toxins worldwide and the most studied.

Background - Microcystins in Fish

Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland was affected by a cyanobacterial bloom in Summer-Autumn 2023. The cyanobacteria present included Microcystis spp. and Anabaena spp. (DAERA, 2023).