A meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) was held in Rome, Italy, from 8 to 17 November 2016. The purpose of the meeting was to evaluate certain contaminants in food.

This document contains food additive specification monographs, analytical methods, and other information prepared at the eighty-second meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), which was held in Geneva, Switzerland, 7 - 16 June 2016. The specification monographs provide information on the identity and purity of food additives used directly in foods or in food production. The main three objectives of these specifications are to identify the food additive that has be en subjected to testing for safety, to ensure that the additives are of the quality required for use in food or in processing and to reflect and encourage good manufacturing practice. This publication and other documents produced by JECFA contain information that is useful to...

Recent advances in Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) technology have the potential to play a significant role in the area of food safety. WGS provides rapid identification and characterization of microorganisms, including antimicrobial resistance (AMR), with a level of precision not previously possible. With the rapidly declining cost of this technology, WGS applications in food safety management, including the opportunities it provides for enhanced integration of information from other sectors, suc h as human and animal health, could contribute to enhanced consumer protection, trade facilitation, nutrition and food security. However, the level of understanding of the concepts and potential use of WGS in food safety management vary among countries. This document aims to take the first steps in addressing these gaps,...

Kava beverage has a long history of consumption in the South Pacific and has an important role in traditional community ceremonies. In recent times, it has become more widely consumed as a recreational beverage in both the South Pacific islander community as well as in the wider international community. Within these communities, kava is considered to be a safe and enjoyable beverage, based on a long tradition of use and little evidence of harm. This review has examined existing data relevant to the safety of kava beverage and identified any gaps in the available data, as well as steps that are needed to ensure the safe use of kava beverage. Consideration has been given to the method of preparation of...

World bivalve molluscs production (capture + aquaculture) has been increasing substantially in the last fifty years, going from nearly one million tonnes in 1950 to about 15 million tonnes in 2012. Being filter feeders, bivalves utilise natural plankton and detritus as feed and do not require artificial feeds. But this filter feeding nature is also the reason for the requirement of strict environmental hygiene to produce bivalves safe for human consumption. They tend to concentrate microorganism s, toxins and chemicals from the environment and therefore, their safety management requires stringent sanitary measures to ensure consumer protection. Following the request of Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products (CCFFP), FAO/WHO agreed to develop a technical document on the subject of Toxicity...

This document outlines the FAO Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance, which describes how the Organization will implement Resolution 4/2105 (Annex 1). The Plan was developed by a multidisciplinary FAO team to ensure that all relevant dimensions, including terrestrial and aquatic animal health and production, crop production, food safety, standard setting and legal aspects, are considered and that it is embedded within the Strategic Programme of FAO. Framing FAO’s work on AMR, it informs FAO Members and partners of the Organization’s approach and goals over the next five years.

This Handbook focuses on practical principles and best practices of risk communication to support risk management of adverse food safety (including quality) events associated with biological, chemical or physical hazards. The focus of this Handbook is on the use of risk communication in the process of risk analysis to manage both emergency food safety risks (e.g. foodborne illness outbreaks) and non-emergency or more enduring food safety issues (e.g. food safety and health promotion campaigns). The Handbook begins with a broad overview of the key goals and concepts of risk communication (Chapter 1). The second Chapter describes the importance of trust for effective risk communication, introduces the principles of good risk communication, and the importance of planning for effective risk communication....

Nontyphoidal Salmonella spp. are estimated to cause 93.8 million cases of acute gastroenteritis and 155,000 deaths globally each year, approximately 85% of which are estimated to be foodborne, thus having a significant public health and economic impact on society. Pork products are among the top food-borne sources of Salmonella globally. While beef products have been implicated in several large outbreaks in recent years. Contamination of beef and pork with Salmonella can also negatively impact the agri-food and trade sectors due to costly recalls of products and by limiting market access. In order to support the development of Codex “Guidelines for the Control of Nontyphoidal Salmonella spp. in Beef and Pork Meat”, FAO and WHO conducted a systematic review on the...

Globally, approximately 180 million children suffer from malnutrition, of which an estimated 40 million annually develop severe, acute malnutrition. Efforts to mitigate severe acute malnutrition and prevent moderate acute malnutrition from developing further need to be multifaceted, given the range of contributors to malnutrition. Providing foods with optional nutrients and free from pathogens and toxins to the extent feasible is an important part of this. The development of lipid-based ready–to-use foods for the management of severe acute malnutrition and moderate acute malnutrition, which provide necessary energy, fatty acids, protein, and micronutrients tailored to the needs and tastes of the children.

A particular aim of this document is to illustrate the important mathematical and statistical aspects of microbiological criteria, but with minimal statistical jargon, equations and mathematical details. It is hoped that the resulting document and support materials make this subject more accessible to a broad audience.