Modelling consumer exposures to nutrients and additives in animal products

Current guidelines for assessing human exposures to nutrients and other substances used in animal feed are based on methods used for veterinary pharmaceuticals. These methods assume high-level daily consumption of animal products and do not take account of differences between species or between consuming humans. A more detailed dietary modelling approach is described, which takes these factors into account as well as high-level consumption by different age groups. The proposed approach is evaluated in three case studies, iodine, selenium and astaxanthin, which have previously undergone thorough evaluation by EU authorities. When applied in a tiered approach, the proposed model provides results that are consistent with previous assessments and with results obtained using other modelling techniques. The results indicate that the method has the potential to provide a conservative, reliable and flexible alternative to existing approaches to intake estimation.