Billa warns: Health hazard by recall of pumpkin seed oil!

Billa warns: Health hazard by recall of pumpkin seed oil!

Österreich - The food dealer Billa in Austria has started a call back for the popular product "Clever Pumpkin Pumpkin Oil 500ml". The reason for this step has been determined exceeding the highest level of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAK), which are potentially harmful to health. According to the information of 5min.at, the health of consumers could be at risk from the consumption of the affected oil, which is why the recall for consumer protection reasons was prompted by the supplier "by the pumpkin trading GmbH".

The best -before -preservation data affected include several batches: January 2026 (Los A50 and A51) and February 2026 (Los A52 and A53). The inventory of this product has already been removed from the sales shelves. Customers have the option of returning the product without a receipt to avoid health -related risks.

What are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons?

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are chemical compounds that arise from incomplete combustion or heat -related decomposition of organic materials. Some of these connections, as also discussed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), are considered genotoxic and can cause cancer. The main exposure takes place via the consumption of contaminated foods.

According to the EFSA, around 250 different PAK connections are known. The monitoring of PAK in food has become more important in recent years. The CONTAM committee of the EFSA has recently published recommendations for reviewing suitable indicators for the occurrence and the toxicity of these connections in food. It was found that Benzo [A] Pyren, the only regulated PAK in food, is not considered suitable for the indication of the PAK deposit.

The authority instead suggests using a sum of 4 or 8 PAK as suitable indicators. These indicators could be more effective to evaluate the toxicity of the PAK in food. High PAK concentrations are particularly created when preparing food, especially when grilling with charcoal. Billa's recall comes at a time when the awareness of the risks of Pak in food increasingly increases.

For more information about these recommendations of the EFSA, please visit the page of the .

More details on the recall can be found in the article by 5min.at .