Food additives risk communication

Risk communication. Where there are potential risks associated with food additives other interested parties, in any sub-groups particularly affected, must be informed. 

An important part of the risk management process involves informing consumers, industry and other stakeholders of the decisions made by regulatory authorities. However, this is a narrow view of risk communication that does not take into account the potential for dialogue between interested parties that can result in better decision-making. Understanding how consumers view the potential risks associated with food additives can help to avoid either under- or over-regulation. 

The amount of the material that can be ingested without unreasonable risk of adverse health effects may be considered an acceptable daily intake. This refers primarily to food chemicals. To arrive at an acceptable daily intake, appropriate toxicological tests and safety factors are involved. ADIs have been established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the World Health Organization, the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives, and the European Economic Community. 

Guideline EHC 240 was developed by the Joint EAOAVHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and the Joint FAOAVHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR). These independent expert bodies are made up of members and experts drawn from the international scientiflc community under the direction of the JECFA and JMPR Secretariats. JECFA meets on an ad hoc basis to evaluate toxicology data for food additives, contaminants, and naturally occurring toxicants in food and for residues of veterinary drugs in food and recommends concentrations of these chemicals in foods that should pose no risk to the consumer. JMPR carries out similar evaluations for pesticides. Maximum residue limits (MRLs) for residues in food... 

Herbicides are applied over millions of acres of farmland worldwide and are widespread water pollutants as a result of this intensive use. A 1994 report by the private Environmental Working Group indicated the presence of herbicides in 121 Midwestern U.S. drinking water supplies. The herbicides named were atrazine, simazine, cyanazine, metolachlor, and alachlor, of which the first three are the most widely used. These substances are applied to control weeds on com and soybeans, and the communities most affected were in the Com Belt states of Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri. The group doing the study applied the EPA s strictest standard for pesticides in food to water to come up with an estimate of approximately 3.5 million people at additional risk of cancer from these pesticides in drinking water. 

Over a period of about twenty years the results of surveillance for veterinary drug residues in meat and animal products in the UK have provided reassurance that residues of veterinary drugs occur at very low concentrations and generally at low frequencies. Over this period repeated surveillance and improved communication and awareness of the producer and feed industry has resulted in a downward trend in the level and incidence of residues detected. However, contamination hot spots remain (e.g. animal medicated feed) and will continue to be monitored in the future. In addition, as new products are introduced into the market they will be evaluated during the licensing process to establish any risk from their residues present in human food. The UK also imports a significant amount of animal-derived food and the presence and risk to the UK consumer of residues in these products must also be considered and appropriate measures taken to protect the UK consumer. 

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