Overview
- EFSA documented hexane residues in many foods in a September 2024 assessment, and the European Commission asked EFSA in June 2025 to gather data for a re-evaluation.
- Guillaume Coudray’s investigation, published on September 18 with media interviews the day before, renews public attention to solvent-based oil extraction.
- Residual hexane is generally below current legal thresholds, and its classification as an auxiliary technological agent means manufacturers are not required to list it on ingredient labels.
- Research cited in the coverage describes hexane as neurotoxic and reprotoxic and notes its metabolism into 2,5-hexanedione, with the investigation reporting traces also entering animal products such as milk, including infant formula.
- Political responses in France include MP Richard Ramos’s earlier proposals to tax producers like Total and Shell and to require consumer information on hexane use.