FAO.org

The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) is an international expert scientific committee that is administered jointly by FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Its areas of work are:

• Risk assessment/safety evaluation of Food additives (intentionally added); Processing aids (considered as food additives); Flavouring agents (by functional groups); Residues of veterinary drugs in animal products; Contaminants; Natural toxins.
• Exposure assessment.
• Specifications and analytical methods, residue definition, MRL proposals (veterinary drugs).
• Development of general principles.

JECFA has evaluated more than 2500 food additives, approximately 40 contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants, and residues of approximately 90 veterinary drugs.

The Committee has also developed principles for safety assessment of chemicals in foods that are consistent with current thinking on risk assessment and take account of developments in toxicology and other relevant sciences.