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There is uncertainty about the exposure to mineral oils, how/what to measure and characterise, and ultimately what this exposure meant in terms of consumer safety. There is consensus between multi-sector stakeholders for a need to address knowledge/data gaps on mineral oils. This activity aimed to bring together tripartite stakeholders across sectors – food and drink, packaging, cosmetics and petroleum − to examine the current approaches used to establish the safety of mineral oil hydrocarbons. This included identification of the data gaps on sources of exposure (both dietary and non-dietary) current analytical methodologies, approaches to risk assessment and potential mitigation risk management measures.

Adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) are designed to provide a clear-cut mechanistic representation of critical toxicological effects that propagate over different layers of biological organization from the initial interaction of a chemical with a molecular target to an adverse outcome at the individual or population level. Adverse outcome pathways are currently gaining momentum, especially in view of their many potential applications as pragmatic tools in the fields of toxicology, and risk and safety assessment. However, to date there has been little focus on food additives and how AOPs can be used as part of their risk and safety assessments.