The approach adopted in the UK for the estimation of the intake of food additives

The UK has developed considerable experience in the estimating additive intake over the past 20 years. The earliest approach involved collecting large amounts of detailed information on additive concentrations and aimed to provide accurate estimates of intake for all additives in a given class. This has been replaced in recent times by a hierarchical approach which is applied to selected additives following an initial prioritization. Initial intake estimates are made using readily available data and conservative assumptions about additive occurrence and food consumption. More refined calculations are not necessary if the initial estimate shows that intake is well below the Acceptable Daily Intake. Once the level of intake has been established, it is only necessary to repeat the estimation if market information shows that there have been substantial changes in additive usage or food consumption. A similar approach is recommended for adoption across the European Union.