FDA uses Derived Intervention Levels (DILs) to help determine whether food presents a safety concern. The criteria used to set DILs include:
the percentage of potentially contaminated foods in a person’s diet
the amount of food typically eaten
the length of time that a person may be expected to eat contaminated food
the potential exposure to contaminated foods of different members of the population, including infants and children.
In general, DILs apply to all foods. FDA does not have different DILs for different types of food, though DILs may be adjusted based on, for example, whether a food must be rehydrated before being ready to eat.
