Improving scientific knowledge on food contaminants to ensure safer products
Task Force Information
Objectives
Food contaminants present a serious risk to consumer health. Enhancing our understanding of them is essential. The Task Force focuses on:
- Advancing scientific knowledge on various contaminants, particularly assessing their impact on human health.
- Addressing research gaps in toxicity, exposure, and analytical aspects.
- Reviewing mitigation measures and supporting risk management strategies.
Task Force Members
Neil Buck - Chair | General Mills | Corporate Toxicologist | CH |
Michelangelo Pascale – Co-Chair | Institute of Food Sciences, National Research Council of Italy | Director | IT |
Michele Suman – Vice-Chair | Barilla G&R Fratelli | Head of Food Safety & Authenticity | IT |
Karsten Harms | Südzucker Group | Senior Manager Molecular Biology | DE |
Clare Hazel | Premier Foods | Group Science Manager | UK |
Sue O’Hagan | PepsiCo International | Director Scientific Affairs | UK |
Mónica Molero Monfort | Importaco | Operative Quality Director | ES |
Gloria Pellegrino | Luigi Lavazza | Scientific Research Manager | IT |
Daniel Ribera | Cargill | Senior Advisor Regulatory and Scientific Affairs | BE |
Natalie Thatcher | Mondelēz International | Global Lead for Toxicology | UK |
Mathilde Bergal | Danone | Food Safety & Toxicology Scientist | FR |
Armando Venâncio* | Center of biological engineering - Univerity of Minho | Associate Professor | PT |
Konrad Korzeniowski | ILSI Europe | Scientific Project Manager | BE |
* Scientific Advisors
Contact Information
For more detailed information, please contact Konrad Korzeniowski at kkorzeniowski@ilsieurope.be
Activity Overview
Ongoing
- Update on Risk-Benefit Assessment of Foods: Approaches to Facilitate Application
An expert group on risk-benefits assessment of foods explores the reasons for limited application and seek practical solutions to increase the utility of this methodology in foods.
Start: Sep 2021 - End: Dec 2024
- Prioritisation of Natural Toxins for Risk Management Action
The Expert Group on the prioritisation of natural toxins for risk management action establishes a framework to prioritise natural toxins in foods following a riskbased approach. Based on the evidence and scale of risk to consumers, the framework will enable the differentiation between mycotoxins or phytotoxins where risk management action is both warranted and likely to be effective based on available evidence
Start date: Nov 2022 - End date: Nov 2025
- Food contaminant definitions
An expert group on food contaminant definitions explores existing definitions, their clarity and consistency. This activity un-picks the perceptual underpinning of those different definitions, the key parameters that drive them and the different stakeholders who use them and it identifies the possibility to consolidate a global definition of ‘food contaminant’.
Start date: Feb 2023 - End date: Feb 2024
Upcoming
- Early Career Scientist Seminar
A seminar for Early Career Scientists will take place in Q1 2025. Find more info here.
Expert Groups
Update on Risk-Benefit Assessment of foods: approaches to facilitate application
Background and Objectives
All foods contain chemical and biological impurities some of which may be viewed as contaminants of toxicological or microbiological relevance, depending on the definition used. Classical risk assessment does not reconcile the benefit to health of the food against the potential effects of the contaminants or the impact of mitigation measures that may be applied to reduce contaminants. A contaminant-centric view of a food can result in an incomplete understanding of the net health benefits of food by groups such as policy makers.
As such, methods for the comparison between benefits and risks have been developed, including the publication of guidance materials. Despite the availability of guidance, there have been a limited number of examples of risk-benefit analysis being used as an input for the risk management of foods by food safety agencies.
Output
This activity will review the evolution and application of risk-benefit assessment since its infancy, and thereby understand:
- Why risk-benefit assessment has not been more widely applied by food safety agencies in Europe?
- What are the available applications of RBA since the publication of guidance and what are the lessons learned?
- Whether existing guidance can be amended to improve applicability?
- The above learnings will be tested via a limited number of worked examples and summarized in a peer-reviewed publication.
Expert Group Members
Géraldine Boué - Chair | ONIRIS | Senior Lecturer in Food Safety | FR |
Neil Buck - Vice-Chair | General Mills | Corporate Toxicologist | CH |
Ricardo Assunçao | IUEM - Instituto Universitário Egas Moniz | Assistant Professor | PT |
Nils Billecke | Cargill | Senior Nutrition Scientist | BE |
Alan Boobis | Imperial College London | Emeritus Professor of Toxicology | UK |
Ana Catarina Carvalho | University of Porto | PhD Student | PT |
Michele Suman | Barilla G&R Fratell | Head of Food Safety & Authenticity | IT |
Natalie Thatcher | Mondelēz International | Global Lead for Toxicology | UK |
Gloria Pellegrino | Luigi Lavazza | Scientific Research Manager | IT |
Lea Sletting Jakobsen | Technical University of Denmark | Senior Researcher | DK |
Sue O'Hagan | PepsiCo | Director of Scientific Affairs | UK |
Hans Verhagen | Food Safety and Nutrition Consultancy | Scientific Regulatory Expert | NL |
Jossie Garthoff | Danone | Global Food Safety Scientific Affairs Leader | NL |
Tanya Huang | Nanyang Technical University | Researcher | SG |
Approaches to Facilitiate Application Prioritisation of Natural Toxins for Risk Management
Background and objectives
In its simplest form, risk is the product of hazard (i.e., toxic potency of a chemical) and exposure (or dose). ‘’Hazard-based’’ decision-making is based solely on hazard without any consideration of exposure. The development of mitigation strategies should prioritize mycotoxins that regularly occur at undesirable levels in commonly consumed commodities, wherein both the toxicological profiles and effectiveness of mitigation are understood with a reasonable degree of certainty. The ultimate goal of mycotoxin mitigation is to prevent adverse health effects caused by foodborne exposure to mycotoxins while reserving nutritional and organoleptic quality of food. Based on the evidence and scale of risk to consumers, and the potential for risk mitigation, the framework will enable the differentiation between mycotoxins or phytotoxins where risk management action is both warranted and likely to be effective based on available evidence. Through case-studies, this framework will also highlight potential knowledge gaps. Output This activity will establish a framework for the prioritization of natural toxins found in food following a risk-based approach (Decision Tree). Based on the evidence and scale of risk to consumers, and the potential for risk mitigation, the framework will enable the differentiation between mycotoxins or phytotoxins where risk management action is both warranted and likely to be effective based on available evidence. Through case-studies, this framework will also highlight potential knowledge gaps. |
Expert Group Members
Michele Suman - Chair | Barilla G&R Fratelli | Head of Food Safety & Authenticity | IT |
Neil Buck - Vice-Chair | General Mills | Corporate Toxicologist | CH |
Monica Molero | Importaco | Operative Quality Director | ES |
Armando Venancio | Center of biological engineering - Univerity of Minho | Associate Professor | PT |
Clare Hazel | Premier Foods | Group Science Manager | UK |
Doris Marko | Universität Wien | Researcher | AT |
Angela Mally | University of Wuerzburg | Chair of Toxicology | DE |
Elisabeth Varga | University of Vienna | Senior Scientist | AT |
Mohamed Fathi Abdallah | Ugent | Post Doctoral Researcher | BE |
Maxence Oboeuf | Danone | Food Safety and Toxicology Scientist | NL |
Gerrit Spijers | General Health Effects Toxicology Safety Food | Expert in Food Safety | FR |
Angel Medina Vaya | Cranfield University | Professor | UK |
Food Contaminants Definitions
Background and Objectives
Chemical contaminants are a major focus of risk assessment and management, however there is no common definition of what constitutes a ‘food contaminant’. It is not clear which substances fall into scope of being considered a ‘food contaminant’, and it is not clear what criteria define a substance to be a ‘food contaminant’. As such there is confusion between stakeholders when there is any communication on the subject of ‘food contaminant’. As communication between stakeholders about food contaminants is frequent, there is a pressing need to explore understanding amongst stakeholders and seek clarity on how the term should be defined and therefore used. Activity will un pick the perceptual underpinning of those different definitions, the key parameters that drive them and the different stakeholders that use them. Moreover, identify if it is possible to consolidate a global definition of ‘food contaminant’ and explore the value of using the above understanding as a communication tool with food chain stakeholders.
Output
Overall, the research would provide a comprehensive understanding of the diverse definitions of ‘food contaminant’ among stakeholders, examine the factors influencing these definitions, evaluate the possibility of achieving a global definition, and highlight the potential benefits of using this understanding as a communication tool with stakeholders in the food chain.
Expert Group Members
Publications
Oldest to Newest
Ochratoxin A in Food: Recent Developments and Significance
2005
3-MCPD Esters in Food Products Summary Report
2009
Summary report of an ILSI Europe workshop held in February 2009.
Evaluation of Agronomic Practices for Mitigation of Natural Toxins
2010
ILSI Europe Report Series. 2010:1-48.
Analytical Approaches for MCPD Esters and Glycidyl Esters in Food and Biological Samples – A Review and Future Perspectives
2013
Food Additives and Contaminants: Part A. 2013;30(1):11-45. Commissioned by the Risk Assessment of Chemicals in Food Task Force.
Fatty Acid Esters of Monochloropropanediol (MCPD) and Glycidol in Refined Edible Oils
2013
Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A. 2013;30(1):46-51. Commissioned by the Process-Related Compounds Task Force.