Measuring Success in the Reduction of Exposure to Food Contaminants
01 Dec 2014 --- An expert group convened by International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) Europe has proposed a new framework to analyse whether measures are efficiently reducing food contaminants.
Consumers are exposed to many chemical compounds through the environment and food on a daily basis. Risk managers implement measures to reduce human exposure to contaminants that are considered a potential human health risk, particularly in the area of food contaminants. However, determining whether these measures are effective is complex and often an overlooked step. An expert group convened by ILSI Europe proposes a new framework to quantitatively assess the impact of mitigation measures, using examples of food contaminants that are naturally occurring (e.g. mycotoxins), result from environmental contamination (e.g. heavy metals), or are formed during food processing (e.g. acrylamide and furan). The aim is to support risk managers in analysing whether risk management measures are having the desired effect, taking into account various uncertainties and variability in the data and to act accordingly.
“Assessing the impact of risk management measures, if done correctly, can lead to more effective risk reduction,” explained Dr Ine van der Fels-Klerx (RIKILT Wageningen UR) and co-authors.
The effectiveness of a risk management measure is typically estimated by changes in the intake of a particular contaminant by consumers which can involve changes in dietary consumption or a reduction in the concentration of a particular contaminant in the foodstuff itself. Current recommendations are directed both to food processors to investigate and apply mitigation measures and to consumers in relation to consumption and cooking habits. ILSI Europe’s expert group has developed a science-based approach to evaluate the effectiveness of mitigation measures. The proposed framework was tested on three different case studies: methyl mercury in fish, deoxynivalenol in cereal grains and furan in heat-processed food products.
