Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbon (MOAH) Migration into Dry Pet Food (Recycled Paperboard, Printing Inks, EFSA 2023 Reaffirmed Guidance) — pet safety profile
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Mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) and saturated mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOSH) migrate into dry pet food from recycled-paperboard packaging, mineral-oil-based printing inks, and food-contact lubricants in manufacturing line equipment.
What is this product?
Mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) and saturated mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOSH) migrate into dry pet food from recycled-paperboard packaging, mineral-oil-based printing inks, and food-contact lubricants in manufacturing line equipment. MOAH fractions contain polycyclic aromatic compounds, including suspected genotoxic carcinogens; MOSH fractions accumulate in mesenteric lymph nodes and spleen with no clear toxicity threshold — EFSA 2023 reaffirmed its 2012 health-based guidance value and identified MOAH as a contaminant of toxicological concern. This entry is differentiated from existing PET product 000057 (which covers BPA can linings, phthalate flexible packaging, and PFAS grease-resistant treat bag coatings) by focusing specifically on the MOSH/MOAH migration pathway from recycled fibre and printing inks into dry kibble — a packaging-mode that 057 did not address. Germany has a draft Mineral Oil Ordinance (Mineralöl-Verordnung) setting a 0.5 mg/kg MOAH limit; the EU framework references EFSA opinions but has not promulgated a specific limit; the United States has NO regulatory standard for MOSH/MOAH in pet food packaging. Pet exposure is uniform and chronic — daily consumption of the same packaged kibble for the lifetime of the animal. Dry kibble in particular exhibits high MOAH uptake because the kibble's lipid content and high surface area extract hydrocarbons from packaging more efficiently than moist/canned alternatives. Studies (Stiftung Warentest 2015, Foodwatch/Lebensmittelchemie 2019) have detected MOAH levels of 0.5-15 mg/kg in European dry pet food samples; comparable US data is sparse.
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Petroleum Distillate
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