12/02/2010

EFSA AND THE NATIONAL FOOD SAFETY AGENCIES BACK THE PAN-EUROPEAN FOOD CONSUMPTION SURVEY (EU MENU)

At the meeting which took place in Seville on 11 and 12 February, members of EFSA’s Advisory Forum, which brings together food safety agencies from the 27 Member States, gave its unconditional backing to the establishment of a pan-European food consumption survey.

This survey will allow the collection of detailed and harmonised data on the consumption of individual foods across the EU and will address the many questions facing risk assessors at EFSA and in Member States on a daily basis:

• is food additive consumption safe in all population groups?
• is the consumption of fats decreasing in the EU?
• are consumers, through their diet, being exposed to high levels of heavy metals such as cadmium?
• who is most at risk of deficiencies in nutrients such as iron and folic acid?
• which foods contribute most to Salmonella infections?

The results of the survey will be of great use when a new hazard is found in the food chain and scientists, in order to provide a rapid and reliable risk assessment, need to know who is exposed, through which foods and at what levels.

In the area of nutrition, the analysis of dietary intake data is essential to help set science-based public health targets, to assess how dietary intakes compare with recommended intake levels and to monitor progress over time.

Today, scientists at EFSA and in Member States rely on food consumption data collected at national level. Progress has been made in recent years, spearheaded by EFSA and the Advisory Forum, to bring together such data in order to allow more efficient and accurate exposure assessment at EU level. Nevertheless, important differences in food consumption data collection remain and hamper the effective use of such data for risk assessment.

EFSA Press Release ( Pdf, 19.8 Kb )

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