In response to a request from the 52nd Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH), the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meeting on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA) convened a meeting, with the objective of developing formal full risk assessment models for Listeria monocytogenes in lettuce, cantaloupe, frozen vegetables and ready-to-eat fish.In the light of the available data and the current risk assessment approaches, the expert group aimed to collectively ascertain the stages from primary production to consumption to be represented in the model, including approaches that accommodate the testing of scenarios, interventions and sampling schemes that could reduce the risk of listeriosis.This report describes the output of this expert meeting and the advice herein is useful for both...

This document summarizes proceedings of the FAO Side event at the 47th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC47) as a follow-up to the recent FAO publication "Food safety in a circular economy". The aim was to stimulate discussion on the food safety aspects that need to be considered and addressed when implementing circular practices in agrifood production. The webinar was part of the activities under the FAO Food Safety Foresight Programme.

This Chemical and Technical Assessment summarizes data and information on the endo-1,4-β-xylanase from Rasamsonia emersonii expressed in Aspergillus niger that was submitted to JECFA. 1 This document also discusses published information relevant to the safety of the endo-1,4-β-xylanase, including the A. niger production organism and details related to the manufacturing, specifications, use, and use levels of the endo-1,4-β-xylanase enzyme preparation in food. This document uses the expression “endo-1,4-β-xylanase” to refer to the enzyme and its amino acid sequence, the expression “enzyme concentrate” to refer to the fermentation products containing the enzyme of interest, and the expression “endo-1,4-β-xylanase enzyme preparation” to refer to the products formulated for commercial use.

This Chemical and Technical Assessment summarizes data and information on the endo-1,4-β-xylanase enzyme preparation from Bacillus subtilis LMG S-28355 expressing a xylanase gene from B. subtilis. This document also discusses published information relevant to the safety of endo-1,4-β-xylanase, including the B. subtilis production organism and details related to the manufacturing, specifications, use and use levels of the xylanase enzyme preparation in food. This document uses the expression “endo-1,4-β-xylanase” to refer to the enzyme and its amino acid sequence, and the expression “endo-1,4-β-xylanase enzyme preparation” to refer to the product formulated for commercial use.

This Chemical and Technical Assessment summarizes data and information on the glucosidase from Aspergillus niger expressed in Trichoderma reesei that was submitted to JECFA. This document also discusses published information relevant to the safety of the glucosidase enzyme, including the T. reesei production organism and details related to the manufacturing, specifications, use and use levels of the enzyme in food. In this document, the terms “glucosidase”, “α-glucosidase”, and “transglucosidase” refer to the enzyme and its amino acid sequence; the term “enzyme concentrate” refers to the fermentation product containing the enzyme of interest, which is used in the toxicity studies; and the term “enzyme preparation” refers to the formulated product for commercial use.

In response to a request from the 53rd Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH), the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meeting on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA) convened a meeting to review recent scientific developments, data and evidence associated with foodborne viruses.The Expert Committee: 1) reviewed the literature and available surveillance databases, and participated in an expert knowledge elicitation, which ranked foodborne viruses according to frequency and severity; 2) ranked the relevant food commodities of highest public health concern; 3) discussed methods for virus testing performed for outbreak investigation and product testing as part of surveillance and monitoring strategies; and 4) reviewed current and potential indicators for viral contamination.

Food contact materials should not release their constituent substances into food at levels harmful to human health nor change the food composition, taste, or odor unacceptably. The historical evolution of food packaging shows that the use of plastics has increased dramatically, because of its convenience, lightweight, and cost effectiveness, but carries a significant environmental impact. Influenced by trends such as growing awareness of the environmental footprint and stricter safety requirements, conventional packaging is now progressively evolving toward new alternatives. All stakeholders in the agrifood system are involved in the journey to transform food packaging to more sustainable alternatives, while maintaining the important functionalities of suitable food packaging. The current most promising food packaging alternatives are presented in this...

This volume of FAO JECFA Monographs contains residue evaluation of certain veterinary drugs prepared at the 98th Meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), held from 20 to 29 February 2024. This JECFA meeting was convened specifically to consider residues of veterinary drugs in food-producing animal species. The tasks for the Committee were to further elaborate principles for evaluating the safety of residues of veterinary drugs in food and for establishing acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) and/or acute reference doses (ARfDs), and to recommend maximum residue limits (MRLs) for substances when they are administered to food-producing animals in accordance with good veterinary practice (GVP) in the use of veterinary drugs. The present volume contains monographs...

The Ninety-ninth meeting of the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) was held in Geneva from 11 to 20 June 2024. The purpose of the meeting was to evaluate the safety of certain food additives. The present meeting was the Ninety-ninth in a series of similar meetings. The tasks before the Committee were to (a) further elaborate principles governing the evaluation of food additives and enzymes; (b) undertake safety evaluations of certain food additives and enzymes; (c) review and prepare specifications for certain food additives and enzymes; and (d) review specifications for certain flavouring agents.

Lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS) and ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) are used to prevent and treat malnutrition in children. They are often produced in regions experiencing food insecurity and include edible oils obtained from oleaginous seeds or fruits that must be refined to remove undesirable substances and ensure adequate shelf-life for the product. However, the formation of the heat-induced contaminants 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) fatty acid esters and glycidyl fatty acid esters (GEs) may occur during the refining process of edible oils.3-MCPD and its fatty acid esters are present in many other foodstuffs and most of the total lifetime exposure is attributed to foods other than LNS/RUTF. While the only Codex standard developed for 3-MCPD is for liquid condiments containing...