Deoxynivalenol in Infant Cereals – April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019

Targeted surveys are used by the CFIA to focus its surveillance activities on areas of highest health risk. The information gained from these surveys provides support for the allocation and prioritization of the agency's activities to areas of greater concern. Originally started as a project under the Food Safety Action Plan (FSAP), targeted surveys have been embedded in our regular surveillance activities since 2013. Targeted surveys are a valuable tool for generating information on certain hazards in foods, identifying and characterizing new and emerging hazards, informing trend analysis, prompting and refining health risk assessments, highlighting potential contamination issues, as well as assessing and promoting compliance with Canadian regulations.

Food safety is a shared responsibility. We work with federal, provincial, territorial and municipal governments and provide regulatory oversight of the food industry to promote safe handling of foods throughout the food production chain. The food industry and retail sectors in Canada are responsible for the food they produce and sell, while individual consumers are responsible for the safe handling of the food they have in their possession.

This report provides the results of a chemistry survey that was carried out to look at the levels of a toxin, deoxynivalenol (also known as vomitoxin) produced by moulds. Various strains of Fusarium mould can cause Fusarium head blight (FHB) disease in crops in the field. Wet, warm weather conditions in the field will favour the development of FHB^{Footnote 1}. DON only forms before harvest and is most commonly found in cereal grains (notably wheat, barley and corn) and in grain-based products such as flour, bran, cereals, and beer^{Footnote 2}. DON is not easily destroyed by heating so it survives under normal cooking or processing conditions. This survey provided a snapshot of the levels of DON found in infant cereals that are available in Canada.

DON does not cause cancer, but it has been shown to have acute and chronic effects. Outbreaks in Asia of acute human disease, involving nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, headache and dizziness, have been attributed to the consumption of grains with very high levels of DON^{Footnote 2}. In animal studies, long-term exposures to low levels of DON are associated with decreased food intake, weight loss, developmental effects and effects on the immune system^{Footnote 1}, ^{Footnote 3}.

Infant cereals are often the first foods, other than breast milk or formula, fed to babies. The levels of DON in infant cereals were investigated because infants have been cited as 1 of the most vulnerable age categories due to the large proportion of infant cereals in their diet.

In addition, since 2013 to 2014 (the last time a survey in Canada looked at DON levels in infant cereals), there have been changes in the marketplace (switch to more organic products, appearance or disappearance of brands and new combinations of ingredients.

A variety of single-grain and multiple grain infant cereals were sampled between April 1, 2018 and March 31, 2019.

Samples of products were collected from local/regional retail locations located in 6 major cities across Canada. These cities encompassed 4 Canadian geographical areas:

• Atlantic (Halifax),
• Quebec (Montreal),
• Ontario (Toronto, Ottawa)
• West (Vancouver, and Calgary).

The number of samples collected from these cities was in proportion to the relative population of the respective areas. The shelf life, storage conditions, and the cost of the food on the open market were not considered in this survey.

Samples were analyzed by the International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) 17025 accredited food testing laboratories. The samples obtained from each city were tested as sold, that is the product was tested as is and not prepared according to package instructions. The analytical method used for DON was a single-analyte technique using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) based on the method used by the CFIA. 1 laboratory method had a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.2 ppb and the other had an LOD of 20 ppb. To ensure that the 2 datasets could be combined, a reporting limit for DON of 20 ppb (parts per billion) for all matrices was imposed.

Health Canada (HC) has not set limits for DON There are currently no limits for DON in infant cereals in Canada and positive results associated with infant cereals are reviewed by Health Canada's Bureau of Chemical Safety to determine if the DON levels are harmful to consumers. The results from testing on each food product were assessed on a case-by-case basis. When elevated levels of DON were found, the follow-up actions taken were based on the seriousness of the contamination and the resulting health concern. As no health risk was identified, no immediate action was taken but it was decided to examine infant cereals for DON in the next 3 to 5 years.

A total of 288 samples of domestic and imported single-grain and multiple-grain infant cereals were tested for DON in this survey. DON was not detected in 275 (95.5%) samples. In the remaining 13 samples, DON levels ranged from 44.1 ppb to 250 ppb. A summary of the DON results by each product type can be seen in Table 2.

DON was not detected in any of the buckwheat or rice infant cereals and most of the barley cereals. The average DON level was lowest in oat and highest in barley.

Buckwheat infant cereal is a new product so no comparisons could be made.

In comparison to previous survey years^{Footnote 4}, ^{Footnote 5}, ^{Footnote 6}, the detection rates for DON in various types of infant cereals were consistent, with the exception of barley (Table 3). In this 2018 to 2019 survey, 100% of barley infant cereal samples contained a quantifiable amount of DON vs. 50% in the 3 previous surveys. This is not related to differences in limits of detection (LOD) between sample years.

The average level of DON of this survey was either lower or within the range previously observed, except for barley. The highest observed level of DON (Maximum DON level) in the 2018 to 2019 surveys per grain type was lower or within the range previously observed.

DON forms in the crop in the field and is thus climate dependent; however, infant cereal producers may source their barley from a variety of countries, regions within the country and different harvest years. As the samples are picked up at retail, it is not possible to determine the source of the DON.

Comparison to other jurisdictions. Please consult Appendix A^{Footnote 7}, ^{Footnote 8}, ^{Footnote 9}, ^{Footnote 10} for a listing of the Canadian and international standards for DON. With the exception of Australia, the detection rate and levels of DON are lower than or comparable to those observed in a previous Canadian study, the US, the European Union or the United Kingdom (see Table 4 for more details)^{Footnote 11}, ^{Footnote 12}, ^{Footnote 13}, ^{Footnote 14}, ^{Footnote 15}. This means that Canadian consumers' exposure to DON from infant cereals is lower than or similar to the exposure of consumers in other jurisdictions.