Furan, 2-methylfuran and 3-methylfuran in Selected Foods - April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021

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.

The main objectives of this targeted survey were to generate further baseline surveillance data on the level of furan, 2-methylfuran and 3-methylfuran in domestic and imported products on the Canadian retail market, and to compare the prevalence of furans in foods targeted in this survey with that of similar products in international surveys and to the scientific literature.

Furan may pose a health risk to consumers since the IARC has classified it as 'possibly carcinogenic to humans'^Footnote 4. Furan can sometimes form in foods that undergo heat treatments, particularly in foods that contain ascorbic acid, polyunsaturated fatty acids, amino acids and sugars^{Footnote 1Footnote 2Footnote 3}. In some foods, 2-methylfuran and 3-methylfuran can also form, which have a similar toxicity to furan^Footnote 5. Because thermal treatments are widely used for manufacturing shelf-stable food, it is important to establish data on the prevalence of furan, 2-methylfuran and 3-methylfuran in food available on the Canadian retail market.

MLs for furans have not yet been established, as the toxicity of furans in humans is not well known. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have studied furan levels in a variety of commodities^{Footnote 6Footnote 7}, but limited data is available concerning 2- and 3-methylfuran levels. This survey was initiated in consultation with Health Canada to establish further baseline surveillance data to compliment and expand upon the data collected by other agencies^Footnote 1.

A variety of domestic and imported chocolate, coffee/coffee beverages and infant food samples were sampled between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021. Samples of products were collected from local/regional retail locations in 6 major cities across Canada. These cities encompassed 4 Canadian geographical areas:

• Atlantic (Halifax)
• Quebec (Montreal)
• Ontario (Toronto and 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 an ISO 17025 accredited CFIA food testing laboratory. The results presented represent finished food products as sold and not as they would be consumed, whether the product sampled is considered an ingredient or requires preparation prior to consumption.

In the absence of established tolerances or standards for furans in foods, elevated levels of in specific foods may be assessed by Health Canada on a case-by-case basis using the most current scientific data available.

Of the 399 samples tested, 385 (97%) had detected levels of furans. Table 2 shows that the detection rate of furans varied greatly between product types. Among all product types included in this survey, the average concentration was highest in coffee and lowest in chocolate.

Most of the samples (78%) included in this survey contained all 3 furan analogues. In 17% of products furan and 2-methylfuran were both detected, 2 samples contained furan and 3-methylfuran, and 6 samples contained only 1 analogue. Average concentrations of the 3 furan analogues were comparable, with furan having the highest average concentration in chocolate and infant food and 2-methylfuran in coffee.

Although all chocolate samples tested were positive for furans, the average levels found were the lowest of all product types included in this survey. Infant foods also contained relatively low levels of furans. Within the infant food samples, fruit-based purees contained the lowest average levels of furans whereas infant products containing meat or fish had the highest. As previously observed, coffee had high levels of furans. The highest level of furans in this survey (38,670 ppb) was reported in a sample of dark roast coffee beans. Samples identified as dark roast products had on average 46% higher levels of furans than other whole bean and ground coffee products. Instant coffee (488 ppb) and coffee beverages (94.2 ppb) had relatively low levels of furans compared to other coffee products.

For all product types, furan levels found in this survey were comparable to the levels reported in the scientific literature and previous targeted surveys^{Footnote 6Footnote 7Footnote 8Footnote 9Footnote 10Footnote 11Footnote 12Footnote 13Footnote 14}. Table 3 only compares levels for furan for product on the Canadian market, as limited data is available concerning 2- and 3-methylfuran levels in foods.

The literature shows that 2-methylfuran and 3-methylfuran can form alongside furan from precursors found in foods, although limited data is available concerning specific precursors or reaction pathways^{Footnote 15Footnote 16}. The variety of 2- and 3-methylfuran levels in foods sampled in this survey is possibly due to differences in ingredients and processing, which may favour the formation of different furan analogues.

The differences in furan levels between this survey and the other studies in Table 3 as well as the variety of reported levels within this survey might be caused by the differences in ingredients and degree of thermal processing. Some differences observed may also be due to the specific type of product tested or sample size.

There was limited data available for comparison of the survey results on furan in chocolate. The levels of furan observed in this survey were within the range reported in a previous survey for chocolate beverages^Footnote 13. This survey confirms that the occurrence of furan in chocolate products available on the Canadian market is low.

The range of the furan levels observed in coffee was comparable to previous survey years and closely matched the average level of furan in coffee reported in the literature^{Footnote 11Footnote 14}. Furan levels in different coffee types were examined. As previously reported, no significant differences were observed between regular and decaffeinated coffee, whereas instant coffee contained much lower average level of furan. Heat processing is the main parameter that impacts furan formation, therefore higher amounts of furan were also found in coffees with a higher degree of roast.

The furan levels found in infant foods were within the range reported in the scientific literature and a previous targeted survey^{Footnote 12Footnote 14}. The classification of infant foods into savory products containing meat or fish and fruit and/or vegetable-based purees allowed to confirm the trend reported in the literature; which shows lower amounts of furan in fruit and/or vegetable only recipes^Footnote 10.

Health Canada's Bureau of Chemical Safety determined the levels of furan, 2-methylfuran and 3-methylfuran in food observed in this survey are not expected to pose a concern to human health; therefore no follow-up actions were required.