Food and chemical substances relevant for monitoring - Scientific Opinion of the Scientific Steering Committee of the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment

At request from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (NFSA), VKM has identified food groups and food items consumed by the Norwegian population that are relevant for monitoring regarding content of one or more undesirable chemical substances (Figure 1). Undesirable chemical substances were defined as chemical substances in food that may constitute a potential health risk. VKM has created a knowledge base (an Excel file) as a tool for planning and prioritising monitoring of foods and undesirable chemical substances. The substance groups included in the knowledge base are flavourings, food additives, metals and metalloids, natural toxins, persistent organic pollutants, process-induced contaminants, substances in food contact materials, substances in food supplements, and trace elements. More than 40 different substances were included. Food items that are known contributors to exposure to an undesirable chemical substance were identified from quantitative and qualitative data, mainly from EFSA opinions and VKM risk assessments. Four national dietary surveys were used for identification of food items and food groups habitually eaten by the Norwegian population. The habitual diet was used to identify potential unknown sources of the substances. The information on known and unknown sources was compiled in a knowledge base comprised of 456 “undesirable chemical substance/food item” pairs that were identified to be relevant for monitoring. For each “undesirable chemical substance/food item” pair, the following information are included in the knowledge base: - Food category - Contribution to total exposure, including degree of contribution - Origin of occurrence data, and availability of Norwegian occurrence data - Remarks regarding sampling - Sources of the undesirable chemical substances in food - Risk (a combined score for hazard and exposure) Sampling of food is a complex area. Careful planning of the sampling strategy is needed and several parameters should be taken into consideration, depending on the properties of the chemical substance and the food item. Generic guidelines on sampling strategy, including sample number and frequency, have been provided in the report. Key words: VKM, health risk, monitoring, Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment, Norwegian Food Safety Authority, undesirable chemical substance.