01.01.08
An updated version of the risk management model reviewed in the European Commission’s Orientation Paper on maximum and minimum levels for vitamins and minerals has been published. It was devised by a scientific team led by professor David Richardson, and its methodology is supported by the European Responsible Nutrition Alliance (ERNA), Brussels, Belgium. Available in the November 2nd edition of peer-reviewed journal Food Science and Technology Bulletin: Functional Foods, the model has been updated using the latest data from the U.K. and Ireland. The model is based on a system of categorizing nutrients into three risk groups: those with no evidence of risk, those with a low risk of exceeding the upper level, and those with a potential risk of exceeding the upper level. Last year on request of the European Commission, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded its series of scientific opinions on tolerable upper intake levels for 29 nutrients, specified numerical upper intake levels for 16, and gave qualitative risk assessments for the others where the existing data was insufficient. These results have been included in the commission’s Orientation Paper, as well as results from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in the U.S. and the U.K. Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals (EVM).