Variation and trends

Objectives

• Improve the understanding of differences in food consumption in sub-populations of interest and how it influences the establishment of the TDS food list
• Overcome the lacking information on variability in food chemical concentration data derived from TDS by learning on variability from secondary data
• Harmonize trend analysis based on TDS
• Develop an exposure assessment approach combining benefits from TDS and food monitoring data
• Understand remaining uncertainties of exposure assessments based on TDS

Exposure assessments will be currently performed at national levels as well as European level by EFSA for total populations as well as for some subpopulations. Hence, it will be important to design a TDS as a tool that will be able to provide exposure estimates for subpopulations with distinct vulnerabilities and are normally in focus of risk assessments, like certain age groups (e.g. young children, elderly) and pregnant women. Differences in exposure of the subpopulations are mainly determined by different consumption patterns. Hence, the variability introduced and measured by food surveys explains the differences in exposure of different subpopulations. Regarding a TDS approach the crucial points will be the definition of the food list in a way that different dietary patterns of all subpopulations are considered. A prerequisite is that the food list will be sufficiently detailed to differentiate between the different dietary patterns. The project will compare age, sex and high consumers regarding the percentages of total diet that is covered by the defined TDS food list and the ranking of contribution of different food groups to the overall consumption. Because pregnant women are only in a very limited number included in representative national food surveys the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study will be used to describe dietary patterns of pregnant women.

Workpackage leader: Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung, Germany