The Committee on Food and Chemical Safety promotes a science-based determination of the chemical safety of foods to support the advancement of public health.
How this committee operates:
The Food and Chemical Safety Committee focuses on many different issues related to the safety of the food supply. To deliver output and impact, the committee works in subgroups focused on specific areas of food and chemical safety. Explore the work of the Committees below.
Areas of Work
Food allergies affect a significant number of children and adults in the US and globally. Potential exposure to food allergens is currently communicated using ambiguous, unhelpful statements such as “may contain” or “packaged in a facility that also processes”. The committee supported the first study of its kind to model peanut allergen dose-responses based on US clinical tests and estimate thresholds of peanut protein that trigger an adverse reaction. The use of allergen response thresholds has the potential to significantly improve food labeling with measurable benefits to allergic individuals (read the project description here and the publication here).
The Committee was a co-sponsor of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report Finding a Path to Safety in Food Allergy.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Abbott Nutrition
ADM
Cargill, Incorporated
Campbell Soup
Conagra Brands
General Mills, Inc.
The Hershey Company
International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc.
Keurig Dr Pepper
Kraft Heinz Company
Mondelēz International
ACADEMIC ADVISOR
Norbert Kaminski, PhD, Michigan State University
GOVERNMENT LIAISONS
Suzanne Fitzpatrick, PhD, DABT
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
Randolph Duverna, PhD
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Food Safety & Inspection Service Office of Public Health Service
Katie Weyrauch
U.S Department of Agriculture
Food Safety and Inspection Service
Louis D'Amico, PhD
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development
Projects Supported by the Committee:
Publications
Journal Articles
Integrating the Totality of Food and Nutrition Evidence for Public Health Decision Making and Communication
Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 2010
Threshold Dose for Peanut: Risk Characterization Based Upon Diagnostic Oral Challenge of a Series of 286 Peanut-Allergic Individuals
Food and Chemical Toxicology, 2010
Clinical records of 286 consecutive patients reacting positively with objective symptoms to double-blind, placebo-controlled oral peanut challenges at University Hospital, Nancy, France were examined for individual no observed adverse effect levels (NOAELs) and lowest observed adverse effect levels (LOAELs). This study was published in Food and Chemical Toxicology (2010;48:814-819).
Refining the Threshold of Toxicological Concern (TTC) for Risk Prioritization of Trace Chemicals in Food
Food and Chemical Toxicology, 2009
This paper, published in Food and Chemical Toxicology (2009;47:2236–2245), builds on the existing TTC literature and recommends refinements that address two key areas: the inclusion of genotoxicity and duration of exposure.
Kinetic and Mechanistic Data for a Human Physiologically Bases Pharmacokinetic (PBPK) Model for Acrylamide
Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 2005
Despite gaps and limitations to the database, model parameters have been estimated to provide a relatively consistent description of the kinetics of acrylamide and glycidamide using a single set of values (with minor adjustments in some cases). This review, published in Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology (2005;561:117-125), discusses the PBPK model for acrylamide.
Human Exposure and Internal Dose Assessments of Acrylamide in Food
Food and Chemical Toxicology, 2005
This review, published in Food and Chemical Toxicology (2005;43:365-410), provides a framework contributing to the risk assessment of acrylamide in food. It is based on the outcome of the ILSI Europe FOSIE process, a risk assessment framework for chemicals in foods and adds to the overall framework by focusing especially on exposure assessment and internal dose assessment of acrylamide in food.
Read more about Human Exposure and Internal Dose Assessments of Acrylamide in Food
Events
2020
IAFP 2020 Annual Meeting
October 26, 2020 – October 28, 2020
Virtual, USA
Each year, the International Association for Food Protection hosts an Annual Meeting, providing attendees with information on current and emerging food safety issues, the latest science, innovative solutions to new and recurring problems, and the opportunity to network with thousands of food safety professionals from around the globe. IAFNS is supporting four sessions at the 2020 IAFP Annual Meeting.
IAFNS Virtual Symposium on Risk Assessment of PFAS in Food
September 2, 2020
Virtual, Symposium
IAFNS is pleased to announce the second session in the symposium “Identifying Science Gaps for Risk Assessment of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Food”. This session will address risk characterization with a focus on exposure routes and toxicology, and will build on the first session on PFAS Analytical Methodology which was held June 23rd.
Read more about IAFNS Virtual Symposium on Risk Assessment of PFAS in Food
Virtual Symposium: Science Gaps for Risk Assessment of PFAS in Food
June 23, 2020
Washington, DC, USA
This IAFNS virtual symposium aims to inform risk assessment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in foods and ingredients. The symposium will address analytical methods for PFAS in environmental and food sources, exposure routes from foods, known toxicity mechanisms and knowledge gaps.
Read more about Virtual Symposium: Science Gaps for Risk Assessment of PFAS in Food