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. 2018 Jan 17;16(1):e05088. doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2018.5088

Table 7.

Qualitative evaluation of influence of uncertainties on the dietary exposure estimate

Sources of uncertainties Directiona
Consumption data: different methodologies/representativeness/underreporting/misreporting/no portion size standard +/–
Use of data from food consumption surveys covering only a few days to estimate high percentiles (95th percentile) long‐term (chronic) exposure +
Correspondence of reported use levels to the food items in the EFSA Comprehensive Database: uncertainties to which types of food the levels refer +/–
Uncertainty in possible national differences in use levels within food categories +/–

Concentration data:

  • use levels considered applicable to all foods within the entire food category, whereas on average 1% of the foods, belonging to food categories with foods labelled with additive, was labelled with the additive
 +
Food categories selected for the exposure assessment: exclusion of food categories due to missing FoodEx linkage (n=4/22 food categories authorised according to Annex II) –
Food categories selected for the exposure assessment: inclusion of food categories without considering the restriction/exception (n = 5/22 food categories authorised according to Annex II) +

Food categories included in the exposure assessment:

  • Only foods belonging to FC 0 for which data were available were included in the exposure estimates
 –

Regulatory maximum level exposure assessment scenario:

  • exposure calculations based on MPLs according to Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 and maximum reported use levels (reported use from industries)
  • foods which may contain the food additive only according to Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 partly taken into account

+

–

Refined exposure assessment scenarios:

  • exposure calculations based on the maximum or mean levels (reported use from industry)
  • foods which may contain the food additive only according to Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 only partly taken into account

+

–
a

+, uncertainty with potential to cause overestimation of exposure; –, uncertainty with potential to cause underestimation of exposure.