Risk-benefit Assessment of Foods in Sweden -Developing a Working Procedure

Abstract

Background: Assessments of food-related health risks and benefits performed by national or international experts are still to a large extent separate processes. Diets, foods, and even single food ingredients, may potentially be associated with both beneficial and adverse health effects. Therefore in some cases it is important to consider both health risks and benefits, by assessing the balance between potential risks and benefits, ideally by expressing risk and benefit on the same scale. In Sweden risk-benefit assessments in the food sector are the responsibility of the Risk and Benefit Assessment Department at the National Food Agency (NFA), which brings together the scientific disciplines toxicology, nutrition and microbiology and related fields. In 2012 a project was initiated to develop a general procedure for risk-benefit assessments at the NFA. The results of this project, and an in-house working procedure, have been published in a governmental report [1] and presented at the Scientific conference “Shaping the Future of Food Safety Together” hosted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in Milan, Italy, in October 2015 (http://www.efsaexpo2015.eu/). The objectives of the project were to: • Summarize previous national and international experiences in the field of risk-benefit assessment • Develop a working procedure for practical use at the NFA • Test the procedure in a case study Grey Literature Principles of Risk-benefit Assessment From the overview and evaluation of the risk and benefit assessment literature it was concluded that no international consensus on the general principles or approaches for conducting risk assessment of foods and food components has so far been EFSA [2] was used as a starting point for the development of the proposed NFA procedure for risk benefit assessment. Tiered, stepwise approaches have been the preferred procedure benefit assessments. In such an approach the nature of the question and the availability and type of data on for example food composition, exposure and health consequences determine at what tier the assessment can be stopped. The advantage of a stepwise methodology is that it is conceptually easy to use by the assessors and promotes transparency of the process. The NFA Procedure for Risk-benefit The developed risk-benefit assessment procedure contains three assessment of risks and benefits separately to a quantitative assessment expressing risks and benefits on the same scale: 1) Initial assessment of risks and benefits separately 2) Enhanced assessment where different metrics for risks a 3) Expressing risks and benefits on the same scale, for example mortality or DALYs (Disability Adjusted Life Years). Fig. 1. The relation between the three different steps in the NFA working procedure (1). Dialogue between the risk-benefit assessor and the risk Case Study of the Risk-benefit The procedure was applied in a case study to assess the risk and benefits with a decreased content of nitrite and salt in processed meat, when done in combination with a decreased maximum storage temperature [3]. The potential health benefits for the gener risk of exceeding ADI and lower risk of high blood pressure of decreased nitrite and salt intake was weighed against an increased risk of Eneroth et al.; EJNFS, 6(2): 75-78, 2016; Article no.EJNFS.20 76 reached. The workflow suggested by in the majority of published risk