Exposure assessment of food enzymes

In preparation of receiving dossiers on food enzymes, in 2009, the EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids published guidance on data requirements and methodologies foreseen in the risk assessment of food enzymes. Based on experiences gained in assessing submitted dossiers, the Panel noted that the Budget method, an approach originally designed to assess food additives, was not appropriate for the purpose of assessing food enzymes. Consequently, the Panel undertook the task of developing an alternative assessment methodology. The Panel recommends the use of actual food consumption data for the assessment of dietary exposure to food enzymes. Consequently, individual data reported in the EFSA Comprehensive European Food Consumption Database will be used in the evaluation of food enzyme dossiers. It is envisaged that, during the evaluation of dossiers, a process-based tool, based on summary statistics reported in the EFSA Comprehensive European Food Consumption Database, will be developed. As each process will require information on several input parameters, it is foreseen that the tool will be rolled out process-by-process over a period of time in collaboration with stakeholders.