Liisa Valsta & Caroline MertenData Collection and Exposure Unit

“What’s on the Menu in Europe” (EU Menu)Pan-European food consumption survey

Synergisms with health related EU activities?

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Data Collection and Exposure

We work from farm to fork ………

…… harmful to beneficial…..

…… combined into exposure

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Current support

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Food consumption - EUMENU

HazardIdentification

HazardCharacterisation

ExposureAssessment

RiskCharacterisation

Chemical or microbiological

Occurrence

Food Consumption

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Data at individual level needed

Consumption dataRepresentative for EUCapturing regional differencesAcute (at one meal) and chronic exposure

Vulnerable groupsSpecial dietsPregnant womenChildren

High consumersEthnic dietsBig eaters“Unusual habits”

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Food description

In general:• Foods consumed must be described, as much as

possible, in detail. • Composite foods and recipes must be disaggregated

into their main components.• Additional information e.g. cooking method,

processing etc.

Different types of information may be needed based on the different agents and chemical substances under evaluation.

White bread from wheat

Ham, pork

Tomatoes

Cheese, Cheddar

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What’s on the Menu in Europe? (EU Menu)

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Standardised, detailed consumption data at the individual level would benefit many: Food safety risk assessors improving

predictive accuracy

Food safety risk managers in making better targeted decisions, better legislation

In nutrition monitoring and public health policy development curbing life style diseases

Industry in reducing compliance costs with possibly less conservative estimates Consumers in providing appropriate protection

High quality risk communication for better consumer awareness

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Scientific Committee

In 2005 the Scientific Committee suggested the establishment of a harmonised food consumption database in the EU

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It also recommended that EFSA should contribute to the development of a European framework for the harmonisation of food consumption data in the EU and make these data publicly accessible

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Food consumption surveys in Europe

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• Concise European Food Consumption db (2008)– data from 19 European countries– data in 15 only main food categories (29 sub-categories)– screening tool for preliminary exposure assessment

• Comprehensive database adults (2008-2010)– most recent data from 20 Member States– data for food described at the most disaggregate level

available – representative consumption at national level for adults – detailed individual level by 24 h recall or dietary record

• Comprehensive database children– most recent data from 13 Member States– data for food described at the most disaggregate level

available– representative consumption at national level for children– at detailed individual level by 24 h recall or dietary record

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Some international initiatives

• USA has a rolling program on dietary habits called the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) that started in the 1960s

• In recognition of a critical need for information about the nutrition of Canadians, a survey was undertaken during 2004

• The China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), an ongoing international collaboration, examines the effects of policies and programs on health and nutritional status

• The annual National Nutrition Survey in Japan has played an important role by monitoring nutrition and health status of the Japanese since 1940sJanuary 2010 10

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Discussed and endorsed by the Expert group on food consumption data in mid October 2009

EFSA Guidance published on 18.12.2009 (www.efsa.europa.eu/ EFSA Journal)

EFSA Guidance published 2009

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• Standardised methodology

• Sample selection• Survey tool• Recipe calculations• Food frequency• Data validation• Data interpolation

Collaborating organisations

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Country OrganisationAustria University of Vienna, Department of Nutritional SciencesBelgium Institute of Public HealthBulgaria National Centre of Public Health ProtectionCyprus State General LaboratoryCzech Republic National Institute of Public HealthDenmark National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark

(DTU)Estonia National Institute for Health DevelopmentFinland National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL)France Afssa - French Food Safety AuthorityGermany Max Rubner InstituteGreece Hellenic Food Authority Hungary Hungarian Food Safety OfficeIreland Food Safety Authority of IrelandItaly National Research Institute for Food and NutritionLatvia Food Centre of Food and Veterinary ServiceLithuania National Nutritional CentreLuxembourg OSQA – Food Security and Quality OfficeMalta Malta Standards AuthorityPoland National Food and Nutrition InstitutePortugal National Health InstituteRomania National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety AuthoritySlovak Republic Ministry of Agriculture of Slovak RepublicSlovenia National Institute of Public Health of SloveniaSpain University Computense de MadridSweden Swedish National Food Administration - Nutrition DivisionThe Netherlands National Institute of Public Health and the Environment

(RIVM)United Kingdom Food Standards Agency (FSA)

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Countries selected in:• different geographical areas to immediately have a good

coverage of consumption patterns across Europe (macro areas to be identified)

• children and adults

Activity completed by 2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Project preparation

Dietary survey in 5-7 countries x

Dietary survey in 5-7 countries x

Dietary survey in 5-7 countries x

Dietary survey in 5-7 countries x

Dietary survey in 5-7 countries x

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The pan-European survey plan

(x= local preparatory/piloting phase in the Member States)

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In short …

• Survey of 80,000 people in total• All food and beverage consumption on 2 non-

consecutive days + FPQ allowing modelling of intake distributions

• Anthropometric measurements (e.g. measured w&h)

• In 27 Member States • Using the EPIC soft software that has been

developed and tested through the EU funded projects EFCOSUM and EFCOVAL and a FPQ approach tested in the IDAMES project

• Timeframe ~8-10 years including project planning and completion

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Thank you

Harmonised approach

Cooperation with Member States (national dietary surveys)

and health related EU actions

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