Total diet surveys New Zealand

Table 10.1 Organophosphorus pesticide intakes calculated as % ADI in the New Zealand diet. Data from the 1997/98 New Zealand Total Diet Survey (Cressey et al., 2000)...

CRESSEY, p, VANNOORT, R, silvers, K and THOMSON, B (2000), 1997/98 New Zealand Total Diet Survey, Part 1 - Pesticides. Ministry of Health, Wellington, New Zealand. 

It is interesting that a comparison of concentrations analyzed 80 years later for the 2003—2004 New Zealand Total Diet Survey (NZTDS) (Vannoort and Thomson, 2005) indicates that the iodine content of cereals, fruits, vegetables and meat is similar to the previous values (Table 129.1). 

New Zealand Total Diet Survey 2003-2004 values are mean of 8 samples. 

Notes-. NZTDS, New Zealand Total Diet Survey. Iodine Intakes (rrg/day) In New Zealand from the 1920s to 2000s estimated from typical diets and concentrations In foods, or from dally urinary excretion assuming that approximately 90% of Intake Is excreted In urine. 

Twomey, A. (1968). Aust. J. Dairy Technol. 23, 162-163-Vannoort, R.W. and Thomson, B.M. (2005). 2003/04 New Zealand Total Diet Survey. New Zealand Food Safety Authority, Wellington. 

ADI exceedences are very rare indeed. In fact annual surveillance reports or total diet surveys from the USA, EU, New Zealand and Norway over the past two years have not reported a single ADI exceedance. The UK, however, had problems with lindane in milk (MAFF, 1996a) and chlormequat in pears (MAFF, 1999) in both cases the ADI was very closely approached and ministers took both cases very seriously indeed. In fact, the UK officials coined an interesting euphemism to describe this situation erosion of safety margins . 

The number of samples analysed varies greatly from country to country. For example, in Europe (Table 10.4) the greatest number of samples analysed on a per capita population basis is in Sweden (1001 x 10 6 per capita in 1996 - total number of samples analysed = 8908) and the smallest is in the UK (15 x 10-6 per capita - total number of samples analysed = 878) (Shaw, 1999). Whether this reflects the individual country s concern for consumer well-being is uncertain Countries that rely on fruit and vegetable exports often appear towards the top of the samples analysed per capitum league table. For example, Holland analysed 706 x 10 6 samples per capita in 1996 (total number of samples analysed = 11015 (Shaw, 1999) and was second in the European league. Some countries do not carry out pesticide monitoring schemes (e.g. New Zealand), but instead opt for the total diet survey approach. 

The Australian Market Basket Survey (AMBS) was set up to monitor pesticides and contaminants in food and estimate their intakes in diets of Australians (ANZFA, 1998). The first total diet survey was conducted by the NHMRC in 1970 and surveys have occurred regularly since then. Currently, it is a biennial survey organised and published by the Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA, 1998). 

There is little information on the nature of arsenic species in the human diet, apart from seafood, although limited market basket surveys and duplicate diet surveys have provided useful information on total arsenic concentration (48-50). Comprehensive analyses of food collected in Canadian cities in the years 1985-1988 showed that the food groups containing the highest mean arsenic concentrations were fish (1662 ng/g), meat and poultry (24.3 ng/g), bakery goods and cereals (24.5 ng/g), and fats and oils (19.0 ng/g) (48). The average daily dietary intake of total arsenic by Canadians was estimated to be 38 J,g and varied from 15 J,g for children 1-4 yr old to 59 p,g for males 20-39 yr old (49). Estimates of daily dietary intake of total arsenic from other countries include 62 J.g/day from the United States (50), 89 p-g/day from the United Kingdom (51), 55 pg/ day from New Zealand (52), and 160-280 pg/day from Japan (53). 

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