EFSA Launches Consultation on Draft Opinion on Riboflavin Dietary Reference Values

24 Apr 2017 --- The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has announced an open consultation on its draft scientific opinion on dietary reference values (DRV) for riboflavin for adults, infants and children, pregnant and lactating women. The opinion finds that average riboflavin requirements range from 1.3 mg/day for adults to 0.5 mg/day for children aged 1 to 3 years and proposes a number of areas that require further research.

“Based on data from 13 surveys in nine countries of the European Union, average riboflavin intake ranged across countries from 0.6 to 1.2 mg/day in infants, from 0.9 to 1.4 mg/day in children aged 1 to < 3 years, from 1 to 1.8 mg/day in children aged 3 to < 10 years, and from 1.2 to 2.2 mg/day in children aged 10 to < 18 years. Average riboflavin intake ranged between 1.4 and 2.2 mg/day in adults,” the opinion by the EFSA’s Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) states.

In the scientific opinion, the EFSA suggests that further research is conducted on “biomarkers of riboflavin intake and status, and their dose-response relationship with riboflavin intake; the standardization of EGRAC measurement, its relationship with urinary excretion of riboflavin and the cut-off value for EGRAC to assess adequacy for riboflavin; the requirement for riboflavin in some population groups, e.g. infants, children, pregnant or lactating women and the potential influence of age and sex; the effect of physical activity and energy expenditure on riboflavin requirement; and the quantification of the effect of genetic polymorphism on riboflavin requirement, in particular the polymorphism of MTHFR 677 C>T.”

Parties interested in commenting on the draft scientific opinion can submit their written comments by 28 May 2017 via an electronic template available on the EFSA website.