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 survey of a few days to estimate long‐term (chronic) exposure for high percentiles (95th percentile)	+
Correspondence of reported use levels 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	+/−
Concentration data: levels considered applicable for all items within the entire food category, not fully representative of foods on the EU market data on niche products included in the assessments	+ +/− +
Consumption data considered in the refined exposure assessment: 34–95% of the amount of food consumed (grams per kg body weight) corresponded to 31 food categories (out of 84 authorised food categories) taken into account	−
Food categories selected for the exposure assessment: exclusion of food categories due to missing FoodEx linkage (n = 14/84)	−
Food categories selected for the exposure assessment: inclusion of food categories without considering the restriction/exception (n = 5 MPL scenario/n= 4 refined scenarios out of 84 food categories)	+
Food categories included in the exposure assessment: data not available for certain food categories which were excluded from the exposure estimates (n = 46/84)	−
Foods which may contain E 471 according to Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 not taken into account	−
Regulatory maximum level exposure assessment scenario: exposure calculations based on the MPL or maximum reported use levels data from food additive producer included in the assessment the food additive is assumed to not being used in the food categories in which it is authorised at QS and for which no use levels were submitted	+ +/− −
Refined exposure assessment scenarios: exposure calculations based on the maximum or mean use levels (reported use from industries) the food additive is assumed to not being used in the food categories for which no use levels were submitted	+/− −

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