Work has recently begun on a new European project, TDS Exposure, in which Matís participates. The aim of the project is to coordinate research on the total consumption of undesirable contaminants in food.
The project is important for risk assessment and all those who monitor the effects of the contaminants on health. The name of the European project in English is Total Diet Study Exposure and its short name is TDS-Exposure, but the project has been given the Icelandic name Research on the total consumption of contaminants from food.
The project aims to improve and standardize monitoring of how exposed we are to unwanted contaminants in food as we eat it. The work on the project is based on a method known in English as Total Diet Studies (TDS). The method assesses the amount of unwanted contaminants people receive from finished and cooked foods and therefore gives a solid picture of the problem from the perspective of the consumer and regulators.
The part of the research in which Matís participates includes the development and implementation of a quality framework for parties that conduct research on the total consumption of contaminants, but also the analysis of data on contaminants. Matís will also take part in an experiment to carry out a harmonized study of total consumption of at least one foreign substance in Iceland, and these results will be compared with comparable studies carried out in the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany and Portugal. Matís also manages a work package that is to disseminate information regarding the results of the project to stakeholders.
Active control of undesirable substances in food and risk assessment are key elements in ensuring safe foods that are free of harmful substances such as fungicides, heavy metals and pesticides. The results of research on the total consumption of contaminants enable regulators to obtain an actual assessment of which contaminants and which foods are most important in assessing the total consumption of undesirable substances in food. But they also provide information so that a risk assessment can be made for the consumption of these substances and assess their impact on human health over a long period of time. A number of different methods have been used in Europe, but in some countries research into the total consumption of contaminants has not yet been conducted.
Researchers from 19 different European countries are taking part in the project, which will test and harmonize the methods used in Europe for food sampling, measurement of food contaminants and data quality assessment, and subsequently define best research practices. This information will be invaluable for regulators and risk assessors and for organizations such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
For further information Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir at Matís.