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 > Calls for data and experts
 

 

 

Current calls for data and experts

Past calls for data and experts

Call for data for Lead in food commodities: revised deadline: 30 Sept 2017
Call for data on Arsenic in Rice: deadline: 30 September 2014
Call for data for the 78th meeting of JECFA to be held 5 to 14 November 2013: deadline: 20 April 2013

The meeting will be dedicated to the evaluation of residues of veterinary drugs in foods. Interested sponsors and governments should submit data in response to this call at the latest by 20 April 2013, in accordance with the instructions.

CALL FOR DATA AND EXPERTS ON MICROBIOLOGICAL HAZARD ASSOCIATED WITH LOW MOISTURE FOODS: deadline: 31 March 2013

In November 2012, the 44th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) agreed to develop a Draft Code of Hygienic practice for Low moisture Foods which will apply to the control of microbiological hazards in foods having a water activity of 0.85 or below that are exposed to the processing environment following a microbial inactivation step, products that are not subjected to an inactivation step, or products in which low moisture ingredients that may be contaminated with pathogens such as Salmonella are added after an inactivation step. To facilitate this work, the Committee requested that FAO and WHO to undertake work to provide the Committee with scientific advice.

FAO and WHO want to ensure that all available and relevant information and data are collected, and are issuing an international call for data to raise awareness about data needs and invite all interested parties to provide both organizations with any relevant information/data, particularly that which may not be readily available in the public domain.

In addition, FAO and WHO are currently in the process of identifying experts to participate in future work of FAO and WHO in the area of microbiological hazard associated with low moisture foods.

The details about the call for data and experts are available here.

CALL FOR DATA AND EXPERTS ON MICROBIOLOGICAL HAZARD ASSOCIATED WITH SPICES AND DRIED AROMATIC HERBS: deadline: 31 March 2013

In November 2012, the 44th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) agreed to request that FAO and WHO undertake a risk assessment to determine whether there is a significant public health risk from Salmonella associated with consumption of spices and dried aromatic herbs and to evaluate whether criteria for Salmonella are meaningful to ensure adequate consumer health protection.

FAO and WHO want to ensure that all available and relevant information and data are collected, and are issuing an international call for data to raise awareness about data needs and invite all interested parties to provide both organizations with any relevant information/data, particularly that which may not be readily available in the public domain.

In addition, FAO and WHO are currently in the process of identifying experts to participate in future work of FAO and WHO in the area of microbiological hazard associated with spices and dried aromatic herbs.

The details about the call for data and experts are available here.

Call for data for the 77th meeting of JECFA to be held 4 to 13 June 2013 - Revised 21 November, 2012.

The meeting will be dedicated to the evaluation of food additives and contaminants. Interested sponsors and governments should submit data in response to this call at the latest by 17 December 2012, in accordance with the instructions.

NEW – An Addendum to the "List of substances scheduled for evaluation and request for data" indicating some changes to the list of substances scheduled for evaluation at the 77th JECFA has been issued on 21 November 2012 and is available here

Request to provide latest national individual food consumption data into the new templates for acute and chronic exposure assessment - Deadline: 30 September 2012

In order to harmonize the food consumption data for risk assessment purpose, FAO and WHO are launching a call to submit summary statistics based on individual food consumption data. These data will be used to asses dietary exposure to chemical food hazards including veterinary drugs, pesticide residues, food additives and contaminants and biological hazards. In addition, these data may be used for dietary assessment for nutritional purposes.

The full guidance document and templates for data submission can be found below:

About calls for data for JECFA, JEMRA and other expert meetings

The secretariat invites the submission of information on substances that will be evaluated at future meetings as described in its requests for data. As noted in the requests for data, reports of studies that are submitted should contain detailed information.

JECFA calls for data

The Secretariat invites those who submit information to prepare monographs summarizing the data that they are submitting as described in its various guidelines for the preparation of working papers.

The procedural guidelines describe the procedures used by FAO and WHO in its evaluation of food additives and residues of veterinary drugs.

Past calls for data

Past JECFA calls for data
  • Call for data for the 76th meeting of JECFA to be held 5 to 14 June 2012. The meeting will be dedicated to the evaluation of food additives. Interested sponsors and governments should submit data in response to this call at the latest by 1 December 2011, in accordance with the instructions.


  • Stakeholder meeting to provide input to the FAO/WHO Project to review and update the principles and methodology to assess dietary exposure to residues of veterinary drugs.The Meeting will be held on 7 November 2011 at FAO HQ, Rome, Italy. Persons and organizations interested in attending this meeting should submit a written request to [email protected] as soon as possible, but not later than 15 October 2011.


  • Call for data for the 75th meeting of JECFA to be held 7-17 November 2011. The meeting will be dedicated to the evaluation of residues of veterinary drugs. Interested sponsors and governments should submit data in response to this call at the latest by 15 June 2011, in accordance with the instructions.


  • Call for data on dietary intake (consumption) of foods of animal origin for exposure assessment purposes. Data should be submitted by 31 January 2011.
Past JEMRA calls for data

About JECFA, JEMRA and other experts

Procedures for the work of JECFA, JEMRA and other experts as well as the process for the selection of experts are both contained in the FAO/WHO framework for the provision of scientific advice on food safety and nutrition.

The following are the core criteria used for the selection of experts for assessment of any particular topic:

  • Technical expertise and professional recognition - education and professional background in microbiology, epidemiology, mathematical modelling, public health, food science, veterinary medicine, risk assessment and/or pathogen-commodity combinations considered.
  • Publications in peer-reviewed journals, documented risk assessments or government technical reports.
  • Ability to participate in group discussions and to draft clear and concise reports.

Calls for experts are issued when FAO requires appropriate expertise to address a specific food safety issue.

For participation in JECFA, FAO and WHO have complementary functions in selecting experts. FAO is responsible for selecting members to develop specifications for the identity and purity of food additives and to perform assessments of residue of veterinary drugs in food. WHO is responsible for selecting members to perform the toxicological evaluations of the substances under consideration. Both FAO and WHO invite members who are responsible for assessing the dietary exposure.

About JECFA expert roster

The selection of members is made after a careful consideration of the scientific credentials of the various candidates, and a balance of scientific expertise and other experience is considered essential. FAO and WHO have established rosters of experts from which individuals would be selected to serve at expert meetings such as JECFA. In order to establish rosters, FAO and WHO issue calls for applications, which describe the essential qualifications of the applicants, selection procedures for the roster and other relevant information.