GUIDEA—Guidance for Dietary Intake and Exposure Assessment—A New Resource for Exposure Assessment Professionals

Abstract

Exposure assessment is a key component of any risk-benefit assessment, yet it is clear that there is a lack of reliable methodology in this area for assessing consumer exposures to both food constituents and nonfood products. The International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) Europe Food Intake Methodology Task Force has in the past explored methods to assess the intake of nutrients/additives and exposure to contaminants/residues from food. In December 2008, a workshop was held to discuss the differences between different types of exposure assessments as well as the difficulties involved in the practical application of the methods available. It was noted that although no two assessments are the same in terms of data required and its availability, or the assumptions made, there is also wide and perhaps unnecessary variation between the approaches taken by different assessors. As a result, the ILSI Europe Food Intake Methodology Task Force initiated an activity aimed at producing a practical guide for conducting intake/exposure assessments in the form of an interactive web-based application. During the course of this work it became clear that the best form in which to present the guide would be a web-based MediaWiki-type system. A website was developed and launched in October 2012, at which time global experts and practitioners in dietary exposure assessment were invited to register to use the site and help keep the knowledge contained within it, relevant and up-to-date. It is hoped that the guide will be an important reference source for a wide group of stakeholders, providing concise guidance on the planning, conduct, reporting and interpretation of exposure assessments and contributing to greater harmonisation of the dietary intake/exposure methodologies used.