This is the first edition of guidelines for the preparation of working papers on the intake of food additives for the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). They are intended primarily for WHO Temporary Advisers, FAO Consultants, and Members who prepare working papers on intake for the Committee.

A Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on Foods Derived from Biotechnology was held at the Headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva from 29 May to 2 June 2000. A total of 27 experts, including authors of discussion papers, participated in the Consultation. The Ms Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Executive Director, Cluster of Sustainable Development and Healthy Environments, opened the Consultation on behalf of Directors-General of WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). In her statement, Ms Singh indicated that biotechnology would provide powerful tools for the sustainable development of agriculture and food production. When appropriately integrated with other technologies for the food production, biotechnology can be of significant assistance in meeting the needs of...

This report is a further elaboration of the risk analysis process. The interaction of risk managers and risk assessors is considered in detail. The diagram (Fig. 1) highlights two points in the risk management cycle where interaction with risk assessors occurs. However, interaction may be necessary at other places as well. Risk assessment and cost benefit analysis are independent; science based activities conducted to provide the basis for risk management decisions. Risk assessment and risk management activities are typically not linear processes but iterative and fluid. Frequently, the risk management goals and the risk assessment activities will be revised and refined based on the scientific findings as the work progresses

Objectives: The consultation examined the technical documents on hazard characterization and exposure assessment of Salmonella spp. in broilers and eggs and L. monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods, and the draft guidelines on hazard characterization with the following objectives: 1. To provide scientific advice to FAO and WHO Member Countries and Codex on the risk assessment of Salmonella spp. in broilers and eggs and L. monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods. 2. To provide guidance to FAO and WHO Member Countries and Codex in the form of practical guidelines and methodology for hazard characterization of microbial pathogens. 3. To identify the knowledge gaps and information requirements needed to complete the above-mentioned risk assessments

This manuscript is to document the procedures developed by JECFA for the evaluation of residues of veterinary drugs in food. It includes in many instances, the historical development leading to the current procedures. In consolidating the pertinent evaluation procedures, it is intended to provide guidance to present and future members of JECFA and to provide transparency on how the food safety assessments performed by JECFA for residues of veterinary drugs in food are conducted. While informative for establishing ADIs and recommending MRLs, it is not intended to be a proscriptive document on how Member Governments might develop their national regulations for residues of veterinary drugs in food.

Risk communication was defined by the March 1995 Consultation on the Application of Risk Analysis to Food Safety Issues as "an interactive process of exchange of information and opinion on risk among risk assessors, risk managers, and other interested parties". The practical application of risk communication in relation to food safety involves all aspects of communications among risk assessors, risk managers and the public. This includes the mechanisms of delivery; message content; timeliness of the communication; the availability and use of supporting materials and information; and the purpose, credibility and meaningfulness of the communication. With increased public concern regarding food safety, greater demands are placed on risk communicators to involve the public and other interested parties in an interactive dialogue...

The globalization and growth of international trade in fish and fishery products in recent years has made these products one of the most important items traded in terms of value. Concerns regarding the safety of these products has prompted the emergence of a number of new regulations such as a zero-tolerance policy for Listeria monocytogenes in fishery products or the use of a risk based approach to establish maximum limits for Listeria in these products. The paper describes the findings of the FAO Expert Consultation on the Trade Impact of Listeria in Fish Products, held in the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA from 17 to 20 May 1999. It documents the current scientific knowledge regarding the risks of listeriosis in...

The Codex Committee on Residue of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF) at its 11th Session recommended a Harmonization Meeting on residue definitions and other issues relating to the use of chemicals both as veterinary drugs and as pesticides because of the differences in the evaluation processes by Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) leading to different MRLs for the same chemical. The Meeting was held in Rome, Italy from 1-2 February 1999. The main task of the meeting was to have informal exchange of information related to the same chemical which is of interest to both parties, to come up with only one recommendation on definitions of terms and MRL, used...