Experiences in Total Diet Studies in Indonesia

Abstract

Indonesia has more than 230 million people of diverse ethnic groupings whose dietary habits are quite variable. Given this condition, some efforts have been carried out to prepare and develop a national total diet study (TDS) in Indonesia. Since 2002, the National Agency for Drug and Food Control has initiated a number of pilot studies are summarized in this chapter, such as exposure assessment of food additives based on permitted maximum limits as well as with a TDS approach and chemical risk assessment of heavy metals in fishery products. From these pilot studies, important technical aspects of TDSs were identified including the validation of TDS procedures, method validation for food chemical analyses, pretesting of analytical systems, the sampling framework, food recipe and composition database, technical aspects in sample preparation, i.e. cooking, and especially laboratory proficiency testing. Achieving a national TDS in Indonesia will require resources, expertise, and capacities from all involved ministries and agencies in a spirit of partnership throughout the planning and implementation process. A strong commitment by each organization is an imperative to make an effective TDS a reality, as each has specific strengths and roles.