“What’s on the Menu in Europe” (EU Menu) Pan-European food consumption survey Synergisms with health related EU activities?

Liisa Valsta & Caroline Merten Data Collection and Exposure Unit

Data Collection and Exposure We work from farm to fork

………

…… harmful to beneficial…..

…… combined into exposure

DG SANCO Luxembourg

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Current support

DG SANCO Luxembourg

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Food consumption - EUMENU

Hazard Identification Hazard Characterisation

Chemical or microbiological Occurrence

Exposure Assessment Risk Characterisation

DG SANCO Luxembourg

Food Consumption

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Data at individual level needed

Consumption data

Representative for EU Capturing regional differences Acute (at one meal) and chronic exposure

Vulnerable groups

Special diets Pregnant women Children

High consumers

Ethnic diets Big eaters “Unusual habits” January 2010 5

Food description

Different types of information may be needed based on the different agents and chemical substances under evaluation.

In general: • Foods consumed must be described, as much as possible, in detail.

• Composite foods and recipes must be disaggregated into their main components.

• Additional information e.g. cooking method, processing etc.

Tomatoes White bread from wheat Ham, pork DG SANCO Luxembourg Cheese, Cheddar

What’s on the Menu in Europe? (EU Menu) Standardised, detailed consumption data at the individual level would benefit many:

 Food safety risk assessors improving predictive accuracy    Food safety risk managers in making better targeted decisions, better legislation High quality risk communication for better consumer awareness In nutrition monitoring and public health policy development curbing life style diseases January 2010   Industry in reducing compliance costs with possibly less conservative estimates Consumers in providing appropriate protection 7

Scientific Committee

January 2010 In 2005 the Scientific Committee suggested the establishment of a harmonised food consumption database in the EU It also recommended that EFSA should contribute to the development of a European framework for the harmonisation of food consumption data in the EU and make these data publicly accessible

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Food consumption surveys in Europe

• Concise European Food Consumption db (2008) – data from 19 European countries – data in 15 only main food categories (29 sub-categories) – screening tool for preliminary exposure assessment • Comprehensive database adults (2008-2010) – most recent data from 20 Member States – data for food described at the most disaggregate level available – – representative consumption at national level for adults detailed individual level by 24 h recall or dietary record • Comprehensive database children – most recent data from 13 Member States – – data for food described at the most disaggregate level available representative consumption at national level for children –

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Some international initiatives

• USA has a rolling program on dietary habits called the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) that started in the 1960s • In recognition of a critical need for information about the nutrition of Canadians, a survey was undertaken during 2004 • The China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), an ongoing international collaboration, examines the effects of policies and programs on health and nutritional status • The annual National Nutrition Survey in Japan has played an important role by monitoring nutrition and health status of the Japanese since 1940s January 2010 DG SANCO Luxembourg 10

EFSA Guidance published 2009

• Standardised methodology • Sample selection • Survey tool • Recipe calculations • Food frequency • Data validation • Data interpolation Discussed and endorsed by the

Expert group on food consumption data

in mid October 2009 EFSA Guidance published on 18.12.2009 ( www.efsa.europa.eu

/ EFSA Journal) January 2010 11

Collaborating organisations

Country

Austria Belgium Bulgaria Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Poland Portugal Romania Slovak Republic Slovenia Spain Sweden The Netherlands United Kingdom January 2010

Organisation

University of Vienna, Department of Nutritional Sciences Institute of Public Health National Centre of Public Health Protection State General Laboratory National Institute of Public Health National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark (DTU) National Institute for Health Development National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) Afssa - French Food Safety Authority Max Rubner Institute Hellenic Food Authority Hungarian Food Safety Office Food Safety Authority of Ireland National Research Institute for Food and Nutrition Food Centre of Food and Veterinary Service National Nutritional Centre OSQA – Food Security and Quality Office Malta Standards Authority National Food and Nutrition Institute National Health Institute National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority Ministry of Agriculture of Slovak Republic National Institute of Public Health of Slovenia University Computense de Madrid Swedish National Food Administration - Nutrition Division National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) Food Standards Agency (FSA) DG SANCO Luxembourg 12

The pan-European survey plan

Activity completed by Project preparation Dietary survey in 5-7 countries x Dietary survey in 5-7 countries x Dietary survey in 5-7 countries x Dietary survey in 5-7 countries x Dietary survey in 5-7 countries x

(x= local preparatory/piloting phase in the Member States)

Countries selected in: • different geographical areas to immediately have a good coverage of consumption patterns across Europe (macro areas to be identified) • children and adults January 2010

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In short …

• Survey of 80,000 people in total • All food and beverage consumption on 2 non consecutive days + FPQ allowing modelling of intake distributions • Anthropometric measurements (e.g. measured w&h) • In 27 Member States • Using the EPIC soft software that has been developed and tested through the EU funded projects EFCOSUM and EFCOVAL and a FPQ approach tested in the IDAMES project • Timeframe ~8-10 years including project planning and completion January 2010 14

Thank you

Cooperation with Member States (national dietary surveys) and health related EU actions January 2010 Harmonised approach 15