BRUSSELS — Belgian Wholemeal Bread was found to contain “forever chemicals” at levels that have qualified it as one of the most contaminated cereal foods on the continent, according to the study by Pesticide Action Network Europe published in December 2024.
Alarming Contamination Levels Across Europe
It was discovered that in Belgium wholemeal bread had a content of 310 micrograms per kilogram of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a known by-product of PFAS pesticides. This makes wholemeal bread the second most polluted food tested so far, only second to Irish Breakfast Cereals.
The presence of TFA was found in 81.8% of samples tested in 16 European countries, and it was found that the percentage of TFA was significantly higher in wheat products in comparison to other types of cereal products. A total of 66 samples of cereal products were tested in this study. These samples included breakfast cereal products, bread, pasta products, and croissants.
What Are Forever Chemicals?
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also referred to as “forever chemicals,” refer to man-made substances that resist degradation for hundreds or thousands of years. TFA results from degraded pesticides that contain PFAS, an ingredient that ends up in crops taken up by soil that has had contact with these substances.
Thanks to the water solubility properties of TFA, the substance accumulates in water and soil, where it is absorbed by plants with wheat being very efficient in the process. This accounts for the high levels associated with bread, pasta, and wheat.
Health Risks and Industry Reaction
In the field of toxicology, adverse impacts on reproduction, fetal development, hormones, the liver, the immune system, and sperm quality have been associated with TFA.
The TFA level in the average product tested was 107fold higher compared with the level observed in tap water. Wholemeal bread and Speculoos cookies were the most contaminated Belgian products recorded in this study.
In contradiction to these results, the trade organization CropLife Europe argues that there is no toxicological risk associated with environmental TFA exposure based on existing risk assessments.
Legal Vacuum and Demand for Action
At the moment, the government lacks the vigilance in relation to the TFA in food, and this is a serious deficiency in regulating food safety. The absence of a specific residue limit on TFAs in Europe calls for stricter safety standards to be applied.
“All persons are exposed to TFA through several routes, such as consumer products and drinking water,” commented Salomé Roynel, policy officer at PAN Europe. “The results of our investigation emphasize that an urgent ban of PFAS pesticides is necessary and must occur immediately in order to prevent contamination of the food chain.”
Belgium’s Reaction to Contamination
However, the government in Belgium has also taken measures concerning PFAS contamination. In Flanders, over 800 contaminated locations have been mapped and precautionary measures taken, and in Wallonia, PFAS levels in tap water and biomonitoring campaigns are followed. In Brussels, a Code of Good Practice concerning pollution management and a work group on regulations related to PFAS exist.
The federal government is actively involved in the EU legal framework process. The federal government implements product policies, pesticide policies, and contaminant policies.
European-Wide Implications
Organizations like PAN Europe and others call on the European authorities to demand tougher safety levels for TFA and to ban all PFAS pesticides. Another action that the organization supports is acting on the impending ban on the whole PFAS family.
This report is the first thorough investigation of TFA contamination in consumer cereals within the EU, and it points to a serious and pervasive problem across the entire continent. As Belgian products have some of the heaviest levels of contamination, it is clear that an urgent regulation is required for the sake of public health.
