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Foodborne Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group

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The Foodborne Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group (FERG) comprises over 30 internationally renowned experts in a broad range of disciplines relevant to global foodborne disease epidemiology. Members were appointed by the WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan, following a transparent selection process.

The expert group is charged to:

• assemble, appraise and report on the current, the projected as well as the averted burden of foodborne disease estimates;
• conduct epidemiological reviews for mortality, morbidity and disability in each of the major foodborne diseases;
• provide models for the estimation of FBD burden where data are lacking;
• develop cause attribution models to estimate the proportion of diseases that are foodborne; and, most importantly
• use the FERG models to develop user-friendly tools for burden of foodborne disease studies at country level.

FERG consists of:

• a Core (or Steering) Group to coordinate and oversee the scientific work;
• four different Thematic Task Forces advancing the work in specific areas as shown in the figure below; and
• external resource advisers who are invited on an ad hoc basis to provide specific expertise.

To estimate the global human health burden (expressed in Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), FERG will initially focus on microbial, parasitic, zoonotic and chemical contamination of food with an emphasis:

• on diseases whose incidence and severity is thought to be high.
• on pathogens and chemicals that are most likely to contaminate food and which have a high degree of preventability.

FERG will be supported by the WHO Secretariat, comprising 9 WHO Departments as well as international organizations (such as FAO, UNEP etc.) with an interest in foodborne disease burden estimation.

Structure and Composition of FERG

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