Dietary exposure of the Belgian adult population to 70 food additives with numerical ADI

- 70 food additives with numerical ADI were identified during the label survey.
- FAIM can be used as screening tool in a tiered approach.
- The ADI could be exceeded for the stearoyl-2-lactylates and polysorbates.
- A further Tier 3 intake assessment is needed for E338-341, E432-436, E450-452, E481-482 and E493-E494.

The safety of the use of food additives is evaluated through the intake assessment of the additives for the consumer. A stepwise approach (using EFSA's Food Additives intake model (FAIM), followed by Tier 2 and refined Tier 2) was used to assess the exposure of the Belgian adult population to food additives. Additives for which the daily intake exceeded the acceptable daily intake (ADI) were subjected to the next evaluation step. In total 70 additives with numerical ADI were identified on labels of food products for sale in the 5 most frequented supermarkets in Belgium. According to the refined Tier 2 assessment, the ADI could be exceeded for the stearoyl-2-lactylates and polysorbates. It was further concluded that the exposure to phosphates, sorbitan monolaurate, sorbitan monooleate, as well as to those additives with numerical ADI which are permitted as quantum satis, are to be studied further by using real use levels (Tier 3).