ABSTRACT
Many methods and tools are available for determining whether population intakes of food toxins fall within safe levels, but the relative accuracy and reliability of these methods have been the subjects of much research and debate. Some methods, such as the Budget Method developed in Denmark for use with additives,1 have been designed as “screening” methods. The Budget Method is an inexpensive means of predicting additive intake because it relies on estimates of physiological requirements for total food and liquid rather than on food consumption survey data. The Budget Method yields a worst-case intake estimate, the theoretical maximum daily intake (TMDI).
