More precise estimate of the dietary intake of food additives in Finland

In this report, the intake of food additives in Finland was estimated based on maximum permitted levels (Regulation (EC) no 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council), actual usage levels inquired from the food industry for a previous report and on the estimated proportion of product titles that contain the food additive of interest. The prevalence of each food additive in product titles was assessed using online catalogues of the two major Finnish food retail chains. As actual market shares of products were not available, our estimate was based on the proportion of product titles containing the food additive of interest among the most essential product groups. The intake of food additives among children and adults was calculated using the FAIM 2.0 tool developed by EFSA.

In the intake scenario based on the proportions of product titles, the intake of only three food additives (E407, E338-343 & E450-452 and E160e) exceeded the acceptable daily intake (ADI) value among high consumers (95^th percentile of intake). The mean intakes of these three food additives were much lower. A more detailed risk assessment on these food additives, with food additive concentrations based on food analyses and/or acquired from the food industry, and up-to-date, individual-level food consumption data, is needed to support potential risk management measures like food consumption recommendations.