FSAI 2016 — Total Diet Study Ireland 2012–2014
This is the second Total Diet Study (TDS) conducted by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), covering chemical exposure in the Irish population from food purchased in autumn 2012 (141 samples, 1,043 sub-samples from major Dublin retailers). Foods were prepared as consumed before analysis by the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA, UK). Dietary exposure was estimated by combining food consumption data from the National Adult Nutrition Survey (NANS, n = 1,500 adults aged 18+, 2008–2010) and the National Children’s Food Survey (NCFS, n = 594 children aged 5–12, 2003–2004) with measured chemical concentrations. The report covers contaminant metals (Al, total As, inorganic As, Cd, Cr, Pb, Hg, Sn), essential nutrients (I, Se), food additives (nitrates, nitrites), acrylamide, mycotoxins, PAHs, BPA, phthalates, and pesticides. For heavy metals, the primary findings are that Irish dietary exposures were below health-based guidance values for all metals except marginal Cd exceedances at the 97.5th percentile in both adults and children, and that cereals were the dominant contributor to iAs, Pb, Al, and acrylamide exposure while fish (white fish and canned fish) dominated Hg exposure.
Key numbers
Aluminium: Below EFSA TWI of 1 mg/kg bw for both adults and children. Major contributors: tea (40%) and cereals including bread and fine bakery ware (33%) for adults; cereals (54%) for children.
Inorganic arsenic (iAs): Exposure below the EFSA BMDL01 range (0.3–8 µg/kg bw/day) for cancers of lung, skin, and bladder in both population groups. Cereals were the dominant contributor (81% for adults, 94% for children). The European Commission had newly introduced maximum limits for rice and rice products at the time of the study.
Cadmium: Below EFSA TWI of 2.5 µg/kg bw/week at mean exposure for adults and children, but slight exceedances observed at the 97.5th percentile in both groups. Authors note that adult Cd exposure estimates were appreciably lower than in the previous TDS, attributed to dietary behaviour change. A biomarker study on urine samples from NANS participants (reflecting long-term chronic exposure) found no unacceptable risk.
Chromium: Well below EFSA TDI of 300 µg/kg bw for both populations. Major contributors: meat (26%) and vegetables (31%) for adults; meat (16%), vegetables (26%), cereals (17%), and fruit juices (16%) for children. Note: total chromium measured; Cr-VI speciation not performed.
Lead: Dietary exposures below EFSA BMDLs for developmental neurotoxicity, systolic blood pressure effects, and chronic kidney disease in both groups; calculated margins of exposure indicate low risk. Major contributors for adults: alcoholic beverages (28%), cereals (22%), vegetables (12%); for children: cereals (37%), non-alcoholic beverages (19%), vegetables (12%). Tap water from household sampling did not contain detectable Pb; however, legacy lead piping in older Irish properties was flagged as a separate risk pathway.
Mercury (total Hg / tHg): Well below EFSA PTWI for methylmercury in both population groups. Major contributors: white fish (52% adults, 59% children) and canned fish (29% adults, 36% children). The report notes that Irish fish consumption is below the EU average, making mercury risk from fish unlikely for the general population, but special consumption advice for children, pregnant women, and women of reproductive age regarding predatory fish (shark, marlin, swordfish, fresh tuna) is provided.
Tin: Low in both groups; less than 4% of JECFA PTWI of 14 mg/kg bw. Not a priority concern.
Selenium and iodine: Irish population neither deficient nor at risk from excess intake.
Methods
TDS design following WHO/EFSA/FAO harmonised TDS guidance (EFSA/WHO/FAO, 2011). Foods purchased in Dublin in autumn 2012. Sub-samples (typically five per food) selected based on brand market share from food consumption databases. Foods prepared as consumed before analysis. Analytical methods performed by FERA (UK) under contract; details in Annex I of the report. Upper-bound (UB) and lower-bound (LB) approaches applied for left-censored data (< LOD set to LOD for UB; < LOD set to zero for LB). Second TDS for Ireland; previous TDS published by FSAI in 2011.
Speciation: Arsenic speciation was performed — both total As and iAs reported (the critical distinction). Mercury reported as total Hg (tHg); MeHg speciation not performed, though the report attributes fish exposure risk to methylmercury based on literature. Chromium reported as total Cr; Cr-VI not speciated.
Implications
Certification: Provides the Irish national exposure baseline for Al, iAs, Cd, Cr, Pb, tHg, and Sn. Confirms cereals as the dominant iAs exposure pathway and fish as the dominant Hg pathway in the Irish diet — consistent with European TDS literature. The marginal Cd exceedance at P97.5 is relevant for HMT&C assessment of cereal-based products targeting Irish markets.
Courses: A strong teaching case for the TDS methodology: how food consumption surveys, food sampling, preparation-as-consumed, and exposure calculation combine to produce population-level estimates. Illustrates the iAs/tAs speciation imperative — the study explicitly speciated arsenic, which is the correct approach.
App: Irish dietary exposure data for adults and children across a broad food list. The food list (Table 2) covers fats and oils (olive oil, vegetable oil) relevant to the condiment/oils ingredient category, with exposure estimates for multiple metals.