Table 5.

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 survey of a few days to estimate long‐term (chronic) exposure for high percentiles (95th percentile)	+
Correspondence of reported use levels and analytical data to the food items in the EFSA Comprehensive Food Consumption Database: uncertainties to which types of food the levels refer to	+/–
Uncertainty in possible national differences in use levels of food categories	+/–
Food categories selected for the exposure assessment: exclusion of food categories due to missing FoodEx linkage (n = 9/67 food categories)	–
Food categories selected for the exposure assessment: inclusion of food categories without considering the restriction/exception (n = 2/67 food categories)	+
The 3 food categories which were taken into account in the refined exposure assessment scenarios out of all authorised food categories (n = 67), corresponded to only 0.5 and 17% of the amount (g of foods by body weight) of food consumption documented in the EFSA Consumption Database	–
Food categories included in the exposure assessment: data not available for certain food categories which were excluded from the exposure estimates (only 3 food categories with available data)	–
Regulatory maximum level exposure assessment scenario: exposure calculations based on the MPL according to Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 foods which may contain the food additive according to Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 not taken into account food categories of food supplements not considered in the exposure assessment	+ – –
Refined exposure assessment scenarios: exposure calculations based on the maximum or mean levels (reported use from industries or analytical data) foods which may contain the food additive according to Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 not taken into account food categories of food supplements not considered in the exposure assessment	+/– – –

^a+, uncertainty with potential to cause over‐estimation of exposure; –, uncertainty with potential to cause underestimation of exposure.