Annex C: Discussion paper on the effects of excess Selenium on maternal health
Published 4 September 2026
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This is a paper for discussion. This does not represent the views of the Committee and should not be cited.
1. Food group information
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The table in this section defines the foods included in each food group used for the exposure assessment as descriptors in order to provide more insight into the groups. It does not provide all of the individual food codes and recipes included in the dataset.
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Bottled water and tap water were not included in the assessment in section 3.2.
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These are based on the food groups from the 2014 TDS but have been updated to meet the requirements of the exposure assessment team at the FSA. (Total diet study: metals and other elements Food Standards Agency)
Table C1: TDS Food group commodities.
| Food group | Descriptor | Commodities included |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bread | White sliced bread; white unsliced bread; brown bread; wholemeal and granary bread; other bread |
| 2 | Miscellaneous cereals | Flour; buns, cakes and pastries; savoury biscuits; sweet biscuits; chocolate biscuits; breakfast cereals; rice; other cereal products; pizza; pasta |
| 3 | Carcasse meat | Beef; lamb; pork; including joints and other cuts of raw and cooked meats |
| 4 | Offal | Lambs liver; pigs liver; other liver; kidney; other offal (excluding kidney and liver) |
| 5 | Meat products | Corned meat; other canned or cooked meats; other sausages; ready to eat meat products; meat-based ready meals; meat-based takeaways; other meat products; burgers; homemade meat-based meals |
| 6 | Poultry | Chicken (raw); other poultry (raw); cooked poultry; poultry products including meals, ready meals, takeaways |
| 7 | Fish and seafood | White fish; fatty fish; shellfish; canned salmon; other canned/ bottled fish; fish-based ready meals and fish products; takeaway fish-based meals |
| 8 | Fats and oils | Fat spreads or blended spreads; reduced fat spreads or blended spreads; low/ light fat spreads or blended spreads; vegetable oils; lard; other fats |
| 9 | Eggs | Eggs; egg products |
| 10 | Sugars and confectionary | Sugar; jam and fruit curds; marmalade; syrup, honey, treacle, maple syrup; jelly; chocolate confectionary; sugar confectionary |
| 11 | Green vegetables | Cabbage; sprouts; lettuce and leafy salads; peas; green beans; other fresh green vegetables |
| 12 | Potatoes | Fresh potatoes; potato products |
| 13 | Other vegetables | Onions, leeks; carrots; turnip, swedes; other fresh vegetables; mushrooms; tomatoes; other vegetables; dried pulses; herbs, spices; vegetable-based ready meals; dried soups |
| 14 | Canned vegetables | Canned, carton or jarred soups; canned or jarred tomatoes; canned or jarred peas; canned or jarred beans; other canned or jarred vegetables |
| 15 | Fresh fruit | Oranges; other citrus fruits; apples; pears; stone fruit; bananas; grapes; other fresh fruit |
| 16 | Fruit products | Dried fruit; fruit juices and vegetables juices; canned peaches, pears, pineapples; other canned or frozen fruit |
| 17 | Non-alcoholic beverages | Tea; takeaway tea; instant coffee; ground coffee; branded food drinks; cocoa, drinking chocolate; concentrated soft drinks; ready to drink soft drinks; alternatives to milk; carbonated soft drinks |
| 18 | Milk | Whole (full fat) milk (cows); skimmed/ semi-skimmed milks (cows); condensed or evaporated milk; instant milk; milk from other animals (e.g. goat) |
| 19 | Dairy products | Natural cheese; processed cheese butter; ice cream; yoghurt; other milk products; cream; canned milk puddings; drinks made with milk |
| 20 | Nuts and seeds | Ground nuts including peanut butter; tree nuts; coconut; seeds (e.g. sunflower) |
| 21 | Alcoholic beverages | Beer; cider; wine; alcopops and cocktails; spirits |
| 22 | Meat alternatives | Vegetarian meat alternatives including bean burgers, Quorn products, nut roasts, soya products and other meat alternatives. |
| 23 | Snacks | Potato crisps and potato-based snacks; other snacks (not potato-based) including maize-based snacks, popcorn, pork scratchings, pretzels |
| 24 | Desserts | Desserts (unfrozen); desserts (frozen including ice cream) |
| 25 | Condiments | Meat or yeast extracts; spreads, dressings; pickles, sauces including powdered |
| 26 | Tap water | Tap water only |
| 27 | Bottled water | Still or carbonated water, flavour water without sugar |