The results of the 27th Australian Total Diet Study are out

The Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) recently released the 27th Australian Total Diet Study (ATDS) results. The study is the country’s most comprehensive look at the levels of chemicals Australians are exposed to through the foods and drinks they consume. 

The ATDS began in 1970 (formerly known as the Australian Market Basket Survey) and is a trusted source of information used by food authorities in Australia and by international bodies like the World Health Organisation. It includes substances that might typically be found in the food chain, such as agricultural chemicals, natural toxicants, food additives, nutrients, and contaminants.

The ATDS examines levels of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) found in a range of 112 commonly eaten foods throughout the country. It tests for 30 types of PFAS in 1,336 samples of foodstuffs across the Autumn and Summer to account for seasonal variations.

The 27th ATDS found that PFAS levels were low in the range of foods tested, and this was true across all Australian states and territories. Only one type of PFAS was detected, perfluoro octane sulfonic acid (PFOS), which was at very low levels in less than 2 percent of all the foods sampled. 

The levels of PFAS were below Australian guidance levels and those set by FSANZ. The study concluded that the amounts of unhealthy chemicals in the country’s food chain were as low as could be achieved. The levels were consistently lower than similar studies regularly conducted in places such as Europe, the United States, the United Kingdom, and China.

The study concluded that Australian foods and beverages were safe and that there was no need for any emergency measures as established in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. 

Interim Chief Executive Officer Dr Sandra Cuthbert said, “Overall, dietary exposure to PFOS for the general Australian population was well under the Tolerable Daily Intake.”

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