Food Contaminants: One hundred and first meeting - Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)

List of substances scheduled for evaluation and request for data

Attached is the list of substances (Annex 1) scheduled for evaluation or re-evaluation at the one hundred and first meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) (see Annex 2 for more information about JECFA). This list has been prepared by the Joint FAO/WHO Secretariat of the Committee and is based on recommendations of Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods (CCCF), previous Expert Committees, and direct requests from governments, or other interested organizations.

Submission data

Governments, interested organizations, and individuals are invited to submit data for the toxicological evaluation and for estimating the exposure to the contaminants that are listed in Annex 1. 

The submitted data may be published or unpublished and should contain detailed reports of laboratory studies, including individual animal data, epidemiological evidence of human exposures and associated health endpoints, or an examination of the occurrence of chemicals in the food system. Reference to relevant published studies should also be provided, where applicable. Summaries in the form of monographs are helpful, but they are not in themselves sufficient for evaluation.

Unpublished confidential studies that are submitted will be safeguarded and will be used only for evaluation purposes by JECFA. Summaries of the studies will be published by FAO and WHO after the meetings in the form JECFA monographs.

The secretariats of JECFA at FAO and WHO kindly request the submission of data in electronic format. Such data should be presented preferably using standard word processing or document formats, and need to include a “Table of contents” using fully descriptive file names. For large-volume submissions or any questions related to data submissions please contact the Secretariat.

Submissions of recent regulatory reviews or comprehensive literature reviews with supporting publications are also encouraged.

Date for submission

The submission of data on the contaminants listed in Annex 1 is requested before

1st December 2024

This deadline applies to all data.

Toxicological data for contaminants (Annex 1)

Data relevant to the toxicological evaluations of the contaminants on the agenda including the results of:

• metabolism and pharmacokinetic studies;
• short-term toxicity, long-term toxicity/carcinogenicity, reproductive toxicity, and developmental toxicity studies in animals and genotoxicity studies;
• epidemiological studies; and
• special studies designed to investigate specific effects, such as the mechanism of toxicity (including interactions among related contaminants, in particular as mentioned in annex 1), immune responses, or macromolecular binding

should be sent to:

Attention: Kim Petersen
Department of Nutrition and Food Safety
World Health Organization
Avenue Appia
1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland
Telephone: +41 (0)79 728 7487
E-mail: jecfa@who.int

Additional copies of the data might be needed and the JECFA Secretariat will inform the data provider on where to send additional copies in due course.

Occurrence data for contaminants (Annex 1)

Data relevant to the occurrence, and quantification of contaminants listed in annex 1 including:

• levels and patterns of occurrence (and in some cases co-occurrence, see annex 1) of the listed contaminants in raw commodities and finished food products
• levels of the listed contaminants in animal feed
• information on carry-over of contaminants from feed to animals for human consumption
• effects of processing on levels of contaminants in food as consumed and in feed
• analytical techniques used by investigators or authorities for identifying and quantifying the listed contaminants in foodstuffs and/or human and animal tissues;
• sampling protocols for the listed contaminants
• methods available for the prevention and control of the listed contaminants

should be sent to:

Attention: Dr Markus Lipp
Agrifood Systems and Food Safety Division
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Via delle Terme di Caracalla
00153 Rome, Italy
Telephone: +39 06 5705 3283
E-mail: jecfa@fao.org

Additional copies of the data might be needed and the JECFA Secretariat will inform the data provider on where to send additional copies in due course.

Please note

All data relevant to:

• levels and patterns of human exposure from all relevant sources of the listed contaminants
• food consumption patterns; also considering different (age-)population groups
• biomarkers of exposure

should be sent to FAO at the address above (jecfa@fao.org) and to WHO at the address above (jecfa@who.int). Additional copies should be sent to the experts assigned for the exposure assessment; please contact the FAO or WHO Secretariat for information on where to send those copies.

Presentation of data

Please note that the above lists are not meant to be all-inclusive since it is recognized that other studies may, in some instances, assist in the evaluation.

Procedures for the evaluation of chemicals in food were updated and published by FAO and WHO (Principles and Methods for the Risk Assessment of Chemicals in Food – Environmental Health Criteria No. 240.

Specific procedural guidelines for contaminants in food are also available from FAO and WHO (see https://www.fao.org/food-safety/scientific-advice/jecfa/jecfa-guidelines/en/ and https://www.who.int/groups/joint-fao-who-expert-committee-on-food-additives-(jecfa)/procedural-guidance).

All relevant data, both positive and negative, should be submitted. Data should be presented, summarized and referenced in a clear and concise manner.

This call for data is available at both the FAO and WHO websites:

• https://www.fao.org/food-safety/scientific-advice/calls-for-data-and-experts-expert-rosters/en/
• https://www.who.int/groups/joint-fao-who-expert-committee-on-food-additives-(jecfa)/calls-for-data