French EATs
Carried out on a national scale, the Total Diet Studies (TDS) have the primary objective of monitoring the exposure of populations to substances of interest in terms of public health.. These studies make it possible to estimate the composition/contamination of foods “as consumed” and to calculate the exposure of individuals via food in order to provide assistance in the implementation of public health policies.
The first EAT, set up in 2000 by INRA and in collaboration with Afssa, has made it possible to draw up a assessment of the level of exposure of the French population over the age of 3 to mycotoxins and trace and mineral elements.
In 2006the second EAT was initiated in order toassess the dietary exposure of this same population by targeting not only the compounds included in the first TDS but also many substances requiring more in-depth knowledge, includingresidues of phytosanitary products, persistent organic pollutants, additives, phytoestrogens and acrylamide. Thus, the EAT 2 led to the collection of 20,000 food products representing 212 types of foodwherein 445 substances of interest have been sought.
Finally in 2010an EAT specifically targeting children under 3 years old was launched.
Why a TDS specific to the child population?
The baby food market is very specific and constantly changing. Foods intended for infants and young children differ significantly from those of the population categories considered in the previous TDS. In addition, knowledge of the dietary exposure of the infant population to chemical substances is necessary in view of the particular vulnerability of this population. The implementation of a total diet study specific to the infant population is therefore essential, in order to best protect toddlers against the adverse effects of chemical substances.
The 3 stages of the EAT
EATs are made up of 3 main steps:
- food sampling : purchases of food products and preparation of food “as consumed” in order to produce food samples representative of the consumption of individuals;
- analysis of “as consumed” samples by accredited laboratories;
- population exposure assessment and health risks.
A good level of health control but some substances to monitor
The results of the infant TDS confirm the good level of control of the health risks associated with the potential presence of chemical contaminants in food. Indeed, for 90% of the substances assessed, the risk can be ruled out.
However, for 9 substances, the situation calls for special vigilance. These are substances for which a non-negligible number of children have exposure above the toxicological reference values (inorganic arsenic, lead, nickel, PCDD/F, PCB, mycotoxins T-2 & HT-2, acrylamide, deoxynivalenol and its derivatives and furan). For 7 other substances, in particular aluminium, cobalt, strontium, methylmercury, selenium, cadmium and genistein in soy consumers, the risk cannot be ruled out. Exposure to some of these 16 substances had already been found to be of concern in previous work by the Agency.
In addition, 12 minerals of nutritional interest were analyzed within the framework of the EATi. The results show that the coverage of nutritional needs is generally satisfactory. However, there are insufficient intakes for zinc, calcium and iron or excess intakes for zinc and calcium depending on the age of the child. The potential health risks associated with these excess intakes require additional studies.
The Agency’s recommendations
Faced with these findings, ANSES reiterates the importance to better understand the origin of the presence of these chemical substances in food.
Concerning the 16 substances to be monitored, in particular the 9 for which the situation was deemed to be of concern, the implementation or strengthening of management measures aimed at limit exposure levelsn proves necessary (policy for controlling environmental discharges, controlling processes, setting regulatory thresholds or reducing these thresholds). For substances for which the risk cannot be excluded or could not be assessed, the Agency recommends to acquire additional knowledge.
Since the study also shows that dietary diversification leads to exposure to certain contaminants that is higher than that caused by the consumption of infant formula, without these being considered to be of concern, the Agency reiterates the need to follow the recommendations of the Program National Health Nutrition (PNNS) and start food diversification only from 6 months. After 6 months, the Agency recalls the general recommendation of diversity in diet and sources of supply.
The study also highlighted the consumption of running milk by several children under the age of one. The Agency recalls that only breast milk or infant formula can meet the infant’s needs. In addition, common milk, regardless of the producing animal species, is not suited to the nutritional needs of children under one year of age.