The FACET Software: Databases and Models to Assess Dietary Exposure to Food Additives in Europe

Introduction: Estimating the dietary dose to food additives in a population requires a number of inputs. The concentration of additive in food must be known, together with the level of consumption of the food. In order to assess total aggregate dose to an additive, this must be known for all foods in the diet, together with the variability in the dietary intake of the foods in the population of interest.

Purpose: To develop databases, models and software to estimate consumer exposure to food additives.

Methods: 15 dietary surveys from 8 member states were recoded into a harmonised food categorisation system for food additives. Market wide data on the distribution of food additive use in the EU was recoded into the same harmonised system, in collaboration with the membership of FoodDrinkEurope. Statistical distributions were constructed from ranges of food additive use, to represent the distribution of use and to overcome confidentiality issues with the data being linked to a specific food manufacturer. This is turn was linked to a probabilistic dietary exposure model based on food consumption across Europe.

Results: The developed databases and models were integrated into a desktop software system. Options in an exposure assessment include assessing specific food types, using industry data or regulatory limits (Maximum Permitted Levels), and specific consumer demographics. A distribution of exposure per unit body weight is generated. Exposure in the population can be broken down by food category to examine what food categories are driving the exposure.

Significance: The software tool presents a rational and realistic methodology for assessing dietary exposure to food additives in Europe. This enables both industry and regulators to assess whether current additive use levels are protective for human health, and to prospectively assess the impact of changing additive concentrations and Maximum Permitted Levels.