In Part 2 of the Ad hoc Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on Risk Assessment of Food Allergens, reference doses (RfDs) were recommended for the global priority allergens, which included: walnut (and pecan), cashew (and pistachio), almond, peanut, egg, hazelnut, wheat, fish, shrimp, milk and sesame. Still, RfDs were not recommended for a number of regional or national priority allergens as they did not meet the criteria to be global priority allergens. In an additional request, the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) indicated interest in potential RfD derivation for the following specific food allergens: specific tree nuts (Brazil nut, macadamia nut or Queensland nut, pine nut), soy, celery, lupin, mustard, buckwheat, and oats. An overview of the available data and...

In 2019, following a request from the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH), the Codex Alimentarius Committee (CAC) approved new work at its 42nd Session on the development of guidelines for the control of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in leafy vegetables and in sprouts. The objective of the report was to evaluate commodity-specific interventions used at all stages of fresh fruit and vegetable production from primary production to post-harvest activities, transportation, point of sale and consumer use. Emphasis was placed on the identification and evaluation of interventions used throughout the world to reduce microbiological hazards of fresh fruits and vegetables that contribute to the risk of foodborne illnesses, taking into consideration their effectiveness, practicality and suitability. The expert committee addressed four...

This INFOSAN Activity Report provides an overview of the major events, activities, and information products relating to INFOSAN in 2020/2021. Aiming to prevent the international spread of contaminated food and foodborne diseases through international food trade, International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) has been set by FAO and WHO for connecting national authorities worldwide to strengthen national and international food safety systems. Since its launch in 2004, INFOSAN has continued to grow and develop forging functional links with regional food safety networks and initiatives, and building on a strong global reputation for efficiency and effectiveness in the context of international food safety emergency response.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Israel, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) held a stakeholder meeting to come up with a technical reference document on the food safety aspects of cell-based food. Developers and producers of cell-based foods were invited to present the different cell-based production processes used for chicken nuggets, hamburgers, beef steak and sushi salmon, and to present their input materials, such as scaffolds, cell lines and growth media, that in certain cases are consumed along with the cell-based food product. All the participants stated that food safety is of foremost importance, and many presenters explained their cell-based food production processes with relevant food safety considerations in flowcharts, which have been included...

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the inherited or acquired characteristic of microorganisms to survive or proliferate in concentrations of an antimicrobial that would otherwise kill or inhibit them. People, plants, or animals infected with resistant pathogens cannot be easily treated: the microorganisms thrive, disease continues to spread, individuals get sicker and may die. Antimicrobial resistance increases costs of both health care and food production. Paradoxically, although the use of antimicrobials is a common treatment of infections, it also drives the emergence of resistant organisms. 

This document summarizes the conclusions and recommendations of the microbiological risk assessments of L. monocytogenes in specific foods; namely, diced ready-to-eat (RTE) cantaloupe, frozen vegetables and cold-smoked ready-to-eat (RTE) fish, in light of new data and approaches. This document has been prepared to facilitate the deliberations of the upcoming CCFH meeting. A full report of the meeting will be published as part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) Microbiological Risk Assessment (MRA) Series.  

The Ninety-sixth meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Executive Committee on Food Additives was held in Geneva from 27 June to 6 July 2023. The purpose of the meeting was to evaluate the safety of certain food additives and flavourings. The present meeting was the Ninety-sixth in a series of similar meetings. The tasks before the Committee were to (a) further elaborate principles governing the evaluation of food additives; (b) undertake safety evaluations of certain food additives; (c) review and prepare specifications for certain food additives; and (d) establish specifications for certain flavouring agents.