Outcome of the Public Consultation on the Draft Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition, and Allergies (NDA) on Dietary Reference Values for Fats, Including Saturated Fatty Acids, Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated Fatty Acids, Trans Fatty Acids, and Cholesterol

On 2 July 2009, the EFSA Panel on Dietetic products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) endorsed a draft Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for fats to be released for public consultation. This Scientific Report summarises the comments received through the public consultation and outlines how these were taken into account in the final opinion. EFSA had received contributions from 40 interested parties (individuals, non-governmental organisations, industry organisations, academia and national assessment bodies). The main comments which were received during the public consultation related to: the availability of more recent data, the nomenclature used, the use of a non-European food composition data base, the impact of genetic factors in modulating the absorption, metabolism and health effects of different fatty acids, the definition of “nutritionally adequate diet”, the use of Dietary Reference Values in the labelling of foods, the translation of advice into food-based dietary guidelines, nutrient goals and recommendations, certain risk management issues, and to Dietary Reference Values of fats, individual fatty acids, and cholesterol. All the public comments received that related to the remit of EFSA were assessed and the Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for fats has been revised taking relevant comments into consideration.

Variation of the Group 5 Grass Pollen Allergen Content of Airborne Pollen in Relation to Geographical Location and Time in Season

Allergies to grass pollen are the number one cause of outdoor hay fever. The human immune system reacts with symptoms to allergens from pollen. Objective: We investigated the natural variability in release of the major group 5 allergen from grass pollen across Europe. Methods: Airborne pollen and allergens were simultaneously collected daily with a volumetric spore trap and a high-volume cascade impactor at 10 sites across Europe for 3 consecutive years. Group 5 allergen was determined with a Phl p 5 specific ELISA in two fractions of ambient air: Particulate Matter (PM) >10μm and 10μm>PM>2.5μm. Mediator release by ambient air was determined in FcεR1-humanized basophils. Origin of pollen was modeled and condensed to pollen potency maps. Results: On average grass pollen released 2.3 pg Phl p 5/pollen. Allergen release per pollen (potency) varied substantially, ranging from 0 to 9 pg Phl p 5/pollen (5 to 95% percentile). The main variation was locally day-to-day. Average potency maps across Europe varied between years. Mediator release from basophilic granulocytes correlated better with allergen/m3 (r2=0.80, p<0.001) than with pollen/m3 (r2=0.61, p<0.001). In addition, pollen released different amounts of allergen in the nonpollen bearing fraction of ambient air depending on humidity. Conclusion: Across Europe, the same amount of pollen released substantially different amounts of group 5 grass pollen allergen. This variation in allergen release is on top of variations in pollen counts. Molecular aerobiology, i.e. determining allergen in ambient air, may be a valuable addition to pollen counting.