Work Plan of the Scientific Committee 2021-2025
The Work Plan of the Scientific Committee is a ‘living’ document that is subject to annual review and adjustment. The work items are laid out by functional area in priority order. The titles used and priorities given may be subject to change. Each work item will be further developed in a more detailed mandate document outlining the full request for advice.
Completed Scientific Advice
1. Vitamin D: Scientific Recommendations for 5 to 65 Year Olds Living in Ireland.
Adopted by Scientific Committee on 23.09.22.
2. Assessment of the safety of probiotics in food supplements.
Adopted by Scientific Committee on 31.03.23.
3. Parameter/foodstuff combinations for consideration in the next Total Diet Study (TDS) and the selection of appropriate biomarkers to support risk assessment in Ireland. (Part 1 of the RfA)
Adopted by Scientific Committee on 11.12.23.
4. The suitability of analytical methods for assessing food authenticity.
Adopted by Scientific Committee on 13.08.24.
Biological Safety Mandates
1. Risk ranking of microbiological hazards 1.
Start Date: Jan 2022. Work in progress.
2. Foodborne risk to human health of Hepatitis E virus in pigs and pigmeat in Ireland.
Start Date: Dec 2023. Work in progress.
3. Recommendations on measures to achieve risk reduction of Salmonellosis from Salmonella Typhimurium in Ireland.
Request for advice pending.
4. A review of the science underpinning measures to prevent botulinum toxin formation by Clostridium botulinum and other Clostridia in food.
Request for advice pending.
5. Advice on optimal source attribution approaches within the limitations of the Irish surveillance systems in human, foods and animals.
Request for advice pending.
6. Risk assessment of Toxoplasma gondii in the Irish food chain.
Request for advice pending.
Chemical Safety Mandates
1. Mitigation measures for dioxins and polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) in terrestrial farm animals with access to outdoor pastures.
Start Date: July 2022. Work in progress.
2. Parameter/foodstuff combinations for consideration in the next Total Diet Study (TDS) and the selection of appropriate biomarkers to support risk assessment in Ireland. (Part 2 of the RfA)
Start Date: Nov 2023 Work in progress.
3. Review of the chemical safety risk ranking model2.
Request for advice pending.
Public Health Nutrition Mandates
1. Scientific recommendations on food based dietary guidelines for adolescents.
Start Date: July 2023. Work in progress.
2. Safety and appropriateness of foods directed to sports people.
Request for advice pending.
Food Science and Technology Mandates
Completed.
Official Controls Mandates
1. Evaluation of food hygiene rating systems and recommendations for Ireland.
Start Date: January 2024. Work in progress.
2. Assessment of appropriate risk-based official control frequencies and development of semi quantitative (scoring) approaches for prioritisation of official controls.
Request for advice pending.
3. Advice on the use of bioinformatic data from Whole Genome Sequencing and Next Generation Sequencing to improve risk assessment and better inform official controls and risk management actions taken to protect public health.
Request for advice pending.
1 Mandate already agreed by last Scientific Committee and interim report produced.
2 Advice by the FSAI Scientific Committee, published 2019. FSAI Risk Ranking Model for Chemical Contaminants in Food.
Last updated 09.12.2024