Recent progress in exposure assessment and its interaction with the risk analysis process

The exposure assessment for chemicals in food is a crucial component of the risk assessment process and is part of the practices of expert committees and panels. Its combination with the toxicological evaluation results in characterisation of the risk for human health.According to article 22 of Regulation (EC) No. 178/2002, data are needed to permit European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to carry out its mainstay risk assessment activities. A critical element in the conduct of risk assessments is therefore the exposure assessment which combines data on concentrations of a chemical substance or a biological agent in foods with data on the quantity of those foods consumed across the European Union (EU). The methodology can equally be applied to harmful as well as beneficial substances with regard to food components that are naturally present, food additives, food supplements, contaminants and pesticide residues.The aim of the present paper is to describe the most recent evolutions and the short-term perspectives for exposure assessment driven by the progress of the risk analysis process itself and to describe the scientific and technical challenges to take into account the exposure assessment as an internal expertise within the EFSA including the creation of databases for food consumption, food composition and food contamination.