Views on semicarbazide
Saturday 1 November 2003
This research was commissioned to discover the views of mothers of young babies about the issue of semicarbazide (SEM).
SEM is a chemical by-product of the plastic seals used on the inside of metal twist-off lids of glass jars. Following an initial alert in July 2003 about the possibility of SEM getting into food, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) initiated a risk assessment.
These sorts of seals are also used in glass jars of baby food and much of the publicity at the time focused on this.
The Food Standards Agency commissioned two pieces of research on the subject, the first consisting of two focus groups before the EFSA report was made public, and the second of 49 short qualitative interviews immediately after the announcements.
