Dietary exposure assessment to food additives: a critical review of food consumption surveys

Dietary exposure is an essential step of the risk assessment. To define safe use conditions of food additives, the estimated daily intake should be calculated by using occurrence levels in foodstuffs as well as the consumption amounts of those products for a given population. All types of food consumption surveys can play a valid role in dietary exposure assessment. This paper provides a critical overview of food consumption surveys, a key component in dietary exposure assessment.

Various methods, such as the per capita approach, total diet studies, individual- and household-based diet surveys, and emerging development of computer technology and programming, such as vision-based dietary assessment, can be used to estimate exposure to food additives. To evaluate long-term exposure to food additives, a more appropriate approach would be to combine the data obtained from at least two to three days of food consumption records with the food frequency questionnaire data integrated with digital technology.

Modern approaches such as total diet studies can be used to improve estimates of dietary exposure at the international level. Food frequency questionnaires, 24-h recalls, and food records are examples of traditional individual dietary assessment methods; digital and mobile applications that take advantage of technology are also available for these conventional methods. The method selection can be based on many variables, including the study’s design, time frame for exposure, and population characteristics.