Testing services / Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food (EU compliance)

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food (EU compliance)

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has concluded that certain perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), such as PFOS, PFOA, PFNA, and PFHxS can cause adverse effects on serum cholesterol, the liver, the immune system, and birth weight.

To minimize human exposure to PFAS through the diet, the European Union has set limits on PFAS concentrations in several types of food. In Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 on food contaminants, maximum levels for perfluoroalkyl substances have been set for:

Eggs
Fishery products
Meat and edible offal

The displayed starting price includes the determination of the following PFAS compounds, for which maximum levels are set in EU legislation:

Compound	Abbreviation	CAS number
Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid	PFOS	2795-39-3
Perfluorooctanoic acid	PFOA	335-67-1
Perfluorononanoic acid	PFNA	375-95-1
Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid	PFHxS	3871-99-6

Upon request, the package can be expanded with the following compounds:

Compound	Abbreviation	CAS number
Perfluoropentanoic acid	PFPeA	2706-90-3
Perfluorohexanoic acid	PFHxA	307-24-4
Perfluoroheptanoic acid	PFHpA	375-85-9
Perfluorodecanoic acid	PFDA	335-76-2
Perfluoroundecanoic acid	PFUnDA	2058-94-8
Perfluorododecanoic acid	PFDoDA	307-55-1
Perfluorotridecanoic acid	PFTrDA	72629-94-8
Perfluorotetradecanoic acid	PFTeDA	376-06-7
Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid	PFBS	375-73-5
Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid	PFHpS	375-92-8
Perfluorodecanesulfonic acid	PFDeS	335-77-3
Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid	PFPeS	2706-91-4
Perfluorononanesulfonic acid	PFNS	68259-12-1
Perfluorododecanesulfonic acid	PFDoS	79780-39-5

Contact our experts through the form below to get an offer for the PFAS screening of your samples. Let us know which approach you prefer (just the EU compliance package, or the extended analysis), describe the food product, and tell us how often and for how many samples you need similar analysis services. The information will help us prepare a formal offer more quickly.

More information about the method:

LC-MS analysis (LC-MS)

Suitable sample matrices: Meat and meat products, fishery products, eggs and egg products
Required sample quantity: 200 g or 400 ml
Typical turnaround time: 3 weeks after receiving the samples
Detection limit: LOQ 0.1 µg/kg per substance; LOQ 0.1 µg/kg for the sum of PFAS (the reporting limit might vary depending on the sample matrix)
Available quality systems: Accredited test method
Device types: LC-MS
Method expert: Meeri Rantanen