The IAFNS Food Chemical Safety Committee mobilizes members from government, industry and academia to drive, fund and lead actionable science in support of public health.
Through its tripartite model—bringing together scientists from government, academia, and industry—the Food Chemical Safety Committee funds external researchers and convenes experts to enhance the safety of our global food supply.
Focus Areas include:
- Heavy Metals and Toxic Elements
- Nanoplastics and Microplastics
- Food Allergens
- Evidence-Based Risk Assessment
- New Approach Methods (NAMs)
The Food Chemical Safety Committee promotes a science-based assessment of the safety of foods and food ingredients to support public health.
For example, our work advances strategies for mitigating the presence of heavy metals in food and agricultural soils.
We fund and promote novel, exposure-focused risk assessment methods that leverage validated new approaches and scientific paradigms.
Soil Factors Driving Uptake of Toxic Elements by Rice and Leafy Greens
Both rice and leafy greens are healthy, widely consumed, and used in a variety of food products, but are susceptible to contamination by toxic elements, sometimes referred to as heavy metals. Rice is a uniquely grown crop, typically grown under flooded conditions for most of its lifecycle, which increases availability of arsenic. Leafy greens, including the widely consumed lettuce and spinach, can be contaminated by toxic elements including cadmium and lead. Spinach is particularly efficient at accumulating cadmium in its leaves. This work examines the soil factors that drive uptake of arsenic and cadmium in rice and cadmium and lead in leafy greens to highlight how soil factors, by very different mechanisms, are important in driving this uptake in diverse food products. This information informs mitigation solutions.
A Framework for Heavy Metal Exposure Reduction in Human Diets
Heavy metals (also referred to as toxic elements) such as lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic are widely present in the environment due to natural occurrence (e.g., in agricultural soils) and anthropomorphic activities. Heavy metals can sometimes unavoidably enter the food supply from various routes such as soil, water and air, as well as agricultural practices. Aligned with FDA’s ‘Closer to Zero’ initiative for reducing toxic elements in foods for babies and infants, the committee has launched two complementary research projects that aim to develop a framework for reducing exposure to heavy metals in foods. Framework elements will include metal/commodity prioritization, concentration ranges, exposure assessments, agricultural practices, and current and future mitigation options along the production and supply chains.
Review of Regulatory Reference Values and Background Levels for Heavy Metals in the Human Diet
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has identified dietary exposure to heavy metals as a public health concern, focusing particularly on arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury. One way to assess exposure risk is to compare established safe exposure limits (reference values) with current population-based dietary background levels. In this IAFNS paper, information on reference values and dietary background exposure was quickly evaluated and updated. These regulatory and consumption levels inform a novel, interactive, web-based tool that can be used for screening-level assessments of potential risks of heavy metals in foods and ingredients.
Heavy Metals and Age Groups
Heavy metals such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg) have the potential to cause neurocognitive impairment to infants and young children who are exposed to them in their diets. To help address these risks it is important to identify which foods contain the highest levels of these metals; and based on US consumption of these foods by age group, which food-metal combinations cause the greatest potential exposure via diets. This research examined which foods contain the highest levels of heavy metals; and based on US consumption of these foods by different age groups, which food-metal dyads cause the greatest human exposures.
Evidence-Based Risk Assessment of Ingredients and Additives
Ingredient & Additive Risk Assessment Evidence-Based Risk Assessment of Ingredients and Additives This project focuses on the development of a framework to facilitate the risk […]
Soil Factors Driving Uptake of Toxic Elements by Rice and Leafy Greens
Investigating Soil Characteristics Soil Factors Driving Uptake of Toxic Elements by Rice & Leafy Greens Investigating how soil characteristics influence arsenic, cadmium, and lead levels […]
Exposure Characterization of Micro- and Nanoplastics in Foods
FCS and Packaging Committee Project: Exposure Characterization of Micro- and Nanoplastics in Foods The volume of plastics produced globally every year has steadily increased over […]
Review of EU Novel Food Submissions and US GRAS Petitions to Identify Opportunities for NAMS
Opportunities for NAMS in Food Safety Reviews Review of EU Novel Food Submissions and US GRAS Petitions to Identify Opportunities for NAMS The risk assessment […]
Heavy Metals in US Foods: Exposure Assessment by Age Group and Mitigation Strategies
Heavy Metal Exposure in US Foods by Age Group Heavy Metals in US Foods: Exposure Assessment by Age Group and Mitigation Strategies Heavy metals such […]
A Framework for Heavy Metal Prioritization and Mitigation for Reducing Metal Intake: Rice and Spinach Case Studies
Heavy Metal Risk and Mitigation in Rice and Spinach A Framework for Heavy Metal Prioritization and Mitigation for Reducing Metal Intake: Rice and Spinach Case […]
Accelerated Oxidative Aging of Microplastics and Its Effect on Copper Sorption Behavior
Microplastics, 2026
Microplastics in wastewater treatment plants are exposed to oxidative conditions during disinfection and advanced oxidation processes, which can alter morphology and surface chemistry and influence interactions with coexisting contaminants.
Concentrations of Cadmium and Arsenic Species in Rice from Production-Scale Fields in Arkansas under Variable Water Management
Agricultural and Environmental Letters, 2026
Rice accumulates arsenic when grown under flooded conditions; therefore, alternative water management strategies have shown promise in decreasing grain arsenic. This paper analyzes polished white rice grain from 103 field-years of production for arsenic and cadmium.
Microplastics Analysis in Food: Current Challenges and Opportunities for Standardization
September 22, 2026
Virtual, Event
This webinar is a collaboration between IAFNS and AOAC and will examine current approaches to microplastics analysis, including sample preparation and validation, identify key challenges with current methodologies (e.g. data quality and comparability, etc.), and explore opportunities for future method harmonization and standards development.
IAFNS at IAFP 2026
July 26, 2026 – July 29, 2026
New Orleans, Louisiana
IAFNS Food Microbiology and Food Chemical Safety Committees hosted sessions at the 2026 International Association for Food Protection Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.
- Caroline Smith DeWaal, JD, Center for Strategic and International Studies
- Constanza Vergara Escobar, BS, Chilean Undersecretariat of International Economic Relations (SUBREI)
- Deon Mahoney, MS, Adjunct the University of Queensland
- Matthew Stasiewicz, PhD, University of Illinois
- Rose Omari, PhD, Science and Technology Policy Research Institute, Ghana
- Tia Glave, BS, Catalyst Food Leaders
Co-organizers: Markus Lipp, PhD, FAO; Ariel Garsow, PhD, IAFNS
For more information about the IAFP 2026 Annual Meeting, click here.
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