Ebook GEMS/Food Total Diet Studies
National authorities have the responsibility and obligation to ensure that toxic chemicals, such as pesticides, heavy metals, environmental contaminants and naturally occurring toxins, are not present in food at levels that may adversely affect the health of consumers. While monitoring for compliance with regulatory standards is essential for consumer protection and facilitation of trade, governments need to assess public health risks arising from the presence of toxic chemicals in food by estimating the actual dietary intake of contaminants for comparison with their corresponding toxicological reference intakes, such as the acceptable daily intake (ADI) or provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI).
Thus, estimation of the actual dietary intake of contaminants is essential for risk assessment and can also be used in determining whether there may be a relationship between observed adverse effects in humans and exposure to a particular contaminant. Contaminant exposure assessments are equally critical for making sound decisions in the regulation of chemicals and food safety. The Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures of the World Trade Organization requires that health and safety requirements related to food must be based on sound scientific risk assessment. Consequently, dietary intake estimates should be given greater emphasis by countries not
only in the development of national legislation, but also in the context of the Codex Alimentarius Commission and its standards, guidelines and other recommendations. Finally, such estimates provide assurance that regulatory systems that have been established are effective in protecting the public health.
While there are three basic approaches for dietary intake, the total diet study provides, in general, the most accurate estimates of intakes of contaminants for a country as a whole than either of the other methods. In addition, total diet studies explicitly take into account the kitchen preparation of foods to assess the levels of contaminants in foods as consumed. One of the advantages of total diet studies is that they produce information that is readily understandable for use by regulatory agencies, decision-makers and the public. Consequently, there is a growing interest by countries in conducting total diet studies. Such studies, however, are complex, expensive and technically demanding.
CONTENTS
1.Introduction
2.The Workshop
3.Summary Of Selected Presentations
3.1 Welcome And Introduction
3.2 Overview Of Gems/Food
3.3 Gems/Food Database And Operating Programme For Analytical Laboratories (Opal)
3.4 Dietary Intake Studies In Canada
3.5 Total Diet Studies In China
3.6 Total Diet Studies In The Czech Republic
3.7 Dietary Daily Intake Of Dioxins By The Total Diet Studies In Japan
3.8 New Zealand Total Diet Survey: Past, Present And Future
3.9 Total Diet Study In The Basque Country (Spain)
3.10 Experiences From The Uk Total Diet Study
3.11 Methodology For The U.S. Food And Drug Administration’s Measurement Of Radionuclides In Foods
3.12 Total Diet Studies- Risk Assessment And Pesticide Residues
3.13 Estimation Of Daily Intake Of Food Additives In Japan
3.14 Instrumentation For Cadmium, Lead And Nickel Analysis
3.15 Construction Of Food Lists
3.16 Experiences On Pesticide Residues In Tanzania
3.17 Food Consumption Databases And Use In Dietary Assessments Of Contaminants: Approaches And Procedures
3.18 Uncertainty And Variability In Exposure Assessment
3.19 How Clean And Green Are Infant Foods In New Zealand?
4.Workshop Evaluations
4.1 Week One
4.2 Week Two
Conclusions And Recommendations
Annex I List Of Participants
Annex Ii Workshop Agenda
Annex Iii List Of Participating Institutions
Annex Iv Un List Of Priority Foods And Contaminants
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