International Liaison Group on Methods for Risk Assessment of Chemicals in Food (ILMERAC)
About us
The International Liaison Group on Methods for Risk Assessment of Chemicals in Food (ILMERAC) is a network of more than 25 governmental und intergovernmental organisations, which are active in the field of food and feed safety at the global level. ILMERAC was founded in 2018 under the auspices of the European Food Safety Agency (EFSAkurz fürEuropean Food Safety Authority (Europäische Behörde für Lebensmittelsicherheit)). EFSAkurz fürEuropean Food Safety Authority (Europäische Behörde für Lebensmittelsicherheit) hosted the Scientific Secretariat of ILMERAC for two consecutive terms, from 2018 through 2023.
During the period 2024-2026, the Scientific Secretariat is hosted by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfRkurz fürBundesinstitut für Risikobewertung).
Mission Statement
ILMERAC is driven by the need to facilitate global collaboration in chemical food safety. We create synergies between participating scientists and institutions and exchange best practices and new developments in the field of chemical risk assessment.
Who we are
ILMERAC is comprised of member and observer organisations, which constitute the Coordinating Committee. The mandate of the Coordinating Committee is to provide strategic guidance and determine scientific priorities of the Group. It also steers the application process of new member and observer organisations.
Below is a list of member and observer organisations.
Member organisations
| Member Organisations | Country | |
|---|---|---|
| ACHIPIA | Chilean Food Quality and Safety Agency | Chile |
| ANSES | French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety | France |
| ANVISA | Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency | Brazil |
| BfR | Externer Link:German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment | Germany |
| BPI | Benaki Phytopathological Institute | Greece |
| CFIA | Canadian Food Inspection Agency | Canada |
| CFSA | China National Centre for Food Safety Risk Assessment | China |
| CNSA | National Center for Environmental Health | Spain |
| EFSA | European Food Safety Authority | Italy |
| FSANZ | Food Standards Australia New Zealand | Australia, New Zealand |
| FSCJ | Food Safety Commission Secretariat | Japan |
| HC | Externer Link:Health Canada | Canada |
| KIT | Korea Institute of Toxicology | Republic of Korea |
| MPI | Ministry for Primary Industries | New Zealand |
| NIFDS | National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation | Republic of Korea |
| RIVM | National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, The Netherlands | The Netherlands |
| SCAHT | Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology | Switzerland |
| SFA | Externer Link:Singapore Food Agency | Singapore |
| UCD | University College Dublin | Ireland |
| US FDA | Food and Drug Administration | USA |
Observer Organisations
| Observer Organisations | Country | |
|---|---|---|
| AMCNSOLUCIONES | AMCNSOLUCIONES | Peru |
| DG Sante | European Commission, Health and Food Safety Directorate General | Belgium |
| FAO | Food and Agriculture Organisation | Italy |
| FSA | Food Standards Agency | United Kingdom |
| GFORSS | Global Food Regulatory Science Society / Affiliate to the International Union of Food Science and Technology | Canada |
| NVWA | Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority | The Netherlands |
| OECD | Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development | France |
| SFDA | Saudi Food and Drug Administration | Saudi Arabia |
| US DA/FSIS | Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service | USA |
| US EPA/OPP | Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, Office of Pesticide Programs | USA |
| WHO | World Health Organization | Switzerland |
Objectives
Recent international harmonisation efforts have resulted in more consistent approaches in risk assessment of chemical substances in food and feed. Inconsistencies in their application can result in considerable differences in risk assessment outputs. Such differences can create undue confusion among scientists, risk managers and in the public at large.
To keep up with the evolution of science, cooperation between agencies conducting risk assessments informing regulatory measures in the area of food and feed safety is crucial. Food safety research and the development of new tools, concepts and models will lead to new insights. The validation, implementation and acceptance of these potential improvements by the risk assessors take time. The resources required to innovate methodologies often compete with the experts’ time needed to carry out the numerous assessments included in the agencies’ work programmes. Cooperation between regulatory risk assessment agencies worldwide will help ensure consistency in addressing the common challenges in the area of chemical risk assessment.
The work of ILMERAC is thus guided by following objectives:
- Support the development of new risk assessment methodologies
- Improve the consistency of the methods used for risk assessment of chemicals in food and feed by organisations with a risk assessment mandate at national and supranational level
- Map activities related to developing, validating and implementing methods in regulatory risk assessment
- Provide recommendations to national and international organisations for promoting global harmonisation
- Assist in the identification of research needs
- Promote the application of new science in risk assessment practice
- Facilitate the dissemination and exchange of information, ongoing projects and activities among ILMERAC member organisations.
Events
Upcoming events
- ILMERAC Expert Dialogue "Use of AI in Risk Assessment", 25 February 2025, online
Past events
- ILMERAC 17th meeting, 2 December 2024, Berlin
- 2nd scientific web meeting of ILMERAC, 7 November 2024
- 1st scientific web meeting of ILMERAC, 4 September 2024
- 16th online meeting of ILMERAC, 20 June 2024
Contact
If you have any questions or would like to find out more on ILMERAC, feel free to reach out to ILMERAC@bfr.bund.de or +49 (0) 30 18412 34017.