Selection of representative foods and 'best-fit' mapping of other foods for estimation of a comprehensive exposure to food contaminantsin a Korean total diet study

A food list representing the typical diet of Koreans was developed for a total diet study based on the 687 food items which appeared in the dietary intake data collected during the 2008 & 2009 Korea National Health & Nutrition Examination Survey. Food items included in 90% of the cumulative intake, items with a consumption frequency of 5% or higher and items contributing to 80% of cumulative fat intake were considered first. From the resulting 165 food items, 15 items were removed to avoid similar foods, while 10 distinct items were added to increase the efficiency of 'best-fit' mapping. Consequently, 160 items were selected as representative foods, which cover 90.93% of intake amount, 91.36% of energy intake and 89.05% of fat intake. Given that every food consumed by Koreans can't be analyzed for contaminants of interest, mapping other foods to the previously mentioned representative 160 foods is warranted because it enables a more comprehensive dietary exposure assessment that is close to reality.