Background/purposeThe number of dietary exposure assessment studies focussing on children is very limited. Children are however a vulnerable group due to their higher food consumption level per kg body weight. Therefore, the EXPOCHI project aims [1] to create a relational network of individual food consumption databases in children, covering different geographical areas within Europe, and [2] to use these data to assess the usual intake of lead, chromium, selenium and food colours.MethodsEXPOCHI includes 14 food consumption databases focussed on children (1-14 y old). The data are considered representative at national/regional level: 14 regions covering 13 countries. Since the aim of the study is to perform long-term exposure assessments, only data derived from 24 hr dietary recalls and dietary records recorded on at least two non-consecutive days per individual were included in the dietary exposure assessments. To link consumption data and concentration data of lead, chromium and selenium in a standardised way, categorisation of the food consumption data was based on the food categorisation system described within the SCOOP Task report 3.2.11. For food colours, the food categorisation system specified in the Council Directive 94/36/EC was used.ConclusionThe EXPOCHI project includes a pan-European long-term exposure assessment of lead, chromium, selenium and food colours among children living in 13 different EU countries. However, the different study methods and designs used to collect the data in the different countries necessitate an in-depth description of these different methods and a discussion about the resulting limitations.

The levels of 22 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were determined in 63 samples of grilled meat and meat products by capillary gas chromatography. The results reveal that the PAH levels are strongly dependent on the method of cooking and type of heat source used. The grilling of frankfurters in the flames of a log fire resulted in extremely high PAH levels, up to 212 pg/kg benzo[o]pyrene (BaP). When the grilling was carried out over the embers, the average level of BaP was only 7.7 Mg/kg. Relatively high PAH levels, an average of 17.6 Mg of BaP/kg, were found in frankfurters grilled over smoldering spruce or pine cones. The BaP levels in charcoal-grilled frankfurters did not exceed 1 pg/kg, whereas charcoal-grilled whole meat samples contained 2.3-6.1 Mg/kg. Frying or electric broiling of frankfurters did not lead to any appreciable increase of the original trace levels. Extracts from flame-grilled frankfurters were mutagenic to Salmonella typhimurium 100 after metabolic activation.

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The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the World Health Organization (WHO), with the support of the International Life Sciences Institute, European Branch (ILSI Europe), organized an international conference on 16-18 November 2005 to discuss how regulatory and advisory bodies evaluate the potential risks of the presence in food of substances that are both genotoxic and carcinogenic. The objectives of the conference were to discuss the possible approaches for risk assessment of such substances, how the approaches may be interpreted and whether they meet the needs of risk managers. ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) provides advice based solely on hazard identification and does not take into account either potency or human exposure. The use of quantitative low-dose extrapolation of dose-response data from an animal bioassay raises numerous scientific uncertainties related to the selection of mathematical models and extrapolation down to levels of human exposure. There was consensus that the margin of exposure (MOE) was the preferred approach because it is based on the available animal dose-response data, without extrapolation, and on human exposures. The MOE can be used for prioritisation of risk management actions but the conference recognised that it is difficult to interpret it in terms of health risk.

In this document, we report on the long-term dietary exposure to 40 different food colours in young children living in 11 European countries. Food consumption data of children aged 1 up to 10 years (in Cyprus 11 up to 14 years) were combined with food colour concentrations as supplied by EFSA using statistical models to calculate exposure. Food consumption data were all categorised according to a harmonised system to allow for linkage with food colour concentration data in a standardised way. Two different exposure scenarios were calculated for each food colour: the maximum permitted usage levels in the relevant Community legislation (here called the "MPL scenario") and the actual maximum reported usage patterns (here called the "maximum usage level scenario"). For some food colours extra scenarios were considered depending on the percentage of coating (5 or 20%), e.g. food colours permitted in the coating of chocolate products. For lycopene, five different scenarios were considered. Although the results showed differences in exposure between countries, such differences should be interpreted with caution, as different methodological limitations rather than true exposure differences might be partly responsible for such findings. It is clear from this exercise that food consumption data in different countries can be categorised in a standard way to allow for harmonised exposure modelling. Methodological issues related to exposure 1 EFSA-Q-

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Few sweetener intake studies have been performed on the general population and only one study has been specifically designed to investigate diabetics and children. This report describes a Swedish study on the estimated intake of the artificial sweeteners acesulfame-K, aspartame, cyclamate and saccharin by children (0-15 years) and adult male and female diabetics (types I and II) of various ages (16-90 years). Altogether, 1120 participants were asked to complete a questionnaire about their sweetener intake. The response rate (71%, range 59-78%) was comparable across age and gender groups. The most consumed 'light' foodstuffs were diet soda, cider, fruit syrup, table powder, table tablets, table drops, ice cream, chewing gum, throat lozenges, sweets, yoghurt and vitamin C. The major sources of sweetener intake were beverages and table powder. About 70% of the participants, equally distributed across all age groups, read the manufacturer's specifications of the food products' content. The estimated intakes showed that neither men nor women exceeded the ADI for acesulfame-K; however, using worst-case calculations, high intakes were found in young children (169% of ADI). In general, the aspartame intake was low. Children had the highest estimated (worst case) intake of cyclamate (317% of ADI). Children's estimated intake of saccharin only slightly exceeded the ADI at the 5% level for fruit syrup. Children had an unexpected high intake of tabletop sweeteners, which, in Sweden, is normally based on cyclamate. The study was performed during two winter months when it can be assumed that the intake of sweeteners was lower as compared with during warm, summer months. Thus, the present study probably underestimates the average intake on a yearly basis. However, our worst-case calculations based on maximum permitted levels were performed on each individual sweetener, although exposure is probably relatively evenly distributed among all sweeteners, except for cyclamate containing table sweeteners.

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