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GHI HONORARY OFFICERS

Ms. Julie Larson Bricher
Communications Director

Dr. Alina-Ioana Gostin
Ambassador Programme Director

Dr. Susanne Braun
Working Groups Coordinator

Dr. Aleksandra Martinovic
Meetings Coordinator

Mr. Richard Stier
Course Director

Dr. Vishweshwaraiah Prakash
Membership Director

Ms. Irena Soljic
Assistant General Secretariat

Ms. Nicole Coutrelis
Regulatory Advisor

Dr. Bernd van der Meulen
Legal Advisor - Food

Dr. Sian Astley
Newsletter Editor-in-Chief

Mr. Grigor Badalyan
Newsletter Publisher

Mr. Gunter Greil
Webmaster

Join a GHI
Working Group

GHI's Working Groups (WGs) provide the consensus-building forums in which individual scientists share their expertise and come to agreement on the scientific principles that will support informed and objective global food safety, security and nutrition regulatory and legislative decision-making.

Visit the GHI Website to find
out more about about the

heart and soul of GHI.

GHI SUPERVISORY BOARD

Dr. Roland Ernest Poms (Chair)

ICC, Vienna, Austria

Dr. Hans Steinhart

EuCheMS Food Chemistry Division, Hamburg, Germany

Dr. Pablo Juliano

CSIRO, Werribee, Australia

Dr. V. Balasubramaniam

The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA

Dr. Pingfan Rao

Fuzhou University and Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology, Fujian, China

Dr. Jaap Hanekamp

Roosevelt Academy, Tilburg,

The Netherlands

Dr. Sian Astley

EuroFIR, Brussels, Belgium

Dr. Maria Tapia

Universidad Central de Venezuela, Venezuela

GHI AUDITORS

Dr. Vladimir Kakurinov

Macedonia

Dr. Pablo Juliano
Australia

Plan to participate at upcoming GHI Meetings!

In the coming months, GHI will hold several general meetings, working group gatherings, and make presentations at scientific meetings all over the globe.

Visit the GHI Website to get the scoop on our calendar of events.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Enroll as a member of GHI today and see what a difference your scientific expertise can make!

As GHI members, we are all volunteers and that means that our regular work has priority. There are so many ideas and so many potential opportunities that there simply is no capacity to do everything that we would like to do. I therefore apologise on behalf of all of us who got delayed with what we intended to do. Behind the scenes, however, much has happened in the past year and it is my pleasure to be able to tell you a little about it now and I promise more details in the next issue.

First, the idea to obtain funding that is needed to facilitate the GHI Officers and the Working Groups to meet live, as opposite to electronic meetings, really took hold in 2014. Experience has showed us that live meetings are far more efficient. The non-profit foundation GHI-Financials (GHI-F) wanted to send out invitations to support such meetings, so that they can support us. The struggle was to how to show the benefits of such support to industry donors? We asked GHI-F to wait until we, GHI, could answer that very question. After many debates we drafted and widely circulated among the GHI Officers and Ambassadors a one-page document that we felt would do the job. Thanks to the many critiques in response to our request, we finally crafted a document that was greeted with enthusiasm. GHI-F is now sending the invitations to the target audiences. We hope that GHI-F will be successful and we will keep you informed.

Another important subject is that there is now also a formal cooperation between the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) and GHI. With joint forces we shall try to influence the world to improve food safety and food (or rather nutrient) security. Future joint activities will show how important this cooperation is.

I am also pleased to announce that there are serious plans to organise a GHI Congress in 2015, where GHI will present to the global stakeholders what has been accomplished so far and what can be done to resolve food safety and security problems to the benefit of all - nations, industries and consumers alike - globally. During the congress, the results of the Working Groups will be presented, many of which have made solid progress in developing science-based harmonization activities on key international food safety, nutrition and food security issues. Watch the coming issues of GHI Matters in the New Year for details!

I'd like to end my message by wishing you all a great holiday season and a very prosperous 2015. May the politicians in this world put more energy in cooperation than than they do in encumberment. They should listen to understand and to speak to be understood. But this happens only if there is a desire to do so. That desire might develop if a good number of people would exert pressure on the politicians. It requires greater respect for the others, whoever they are.

As always, we encourage you to contribute via email your GHI-related news, calendar listings and resource links for inclusion in upcoming e-newsletters and announcements. On behalf of the GHI Executive Board, I do hope that we will have the opportunity to meet at one of next year's scientific conferences!

Best regards,

Huub Lelieveld

President, GHI

NEW BOOK OF INTEREST

EU Food Law Handbook | Editor: Bernd van der Meulen

2014 | 692 pages | Wageningen Academic Press

The twenty-first century has witnessed a fundamental reform of food law in the European Union, to the point where modern EU food law has now come of age. The EU Food Law Handbook, edited by GHI Legal Advisor Dr. Bernd van der Meulen, presents the most significant elements of these legal developments with contributions from a highly qualified team of academics and practitioners. Their analysis is based on a shared vision of the structure and content of EU food law.

Principles and specific rules are discussed, including food as a product, processes related to food production, and communication about food to consumers through labelling. These rules define requirements on subjects ranging from market authorisation for food additives, novel foods, genetically modified foods, food hygiene, and tracking and tracing. The powers of public authorities to enforce food law and to deal with incidents are outlined. Both international (WTO, Codex Alimentarius) and private standards are detailed.

In addition to the systematic analysis, the book includes selected topics such as nutrition health and policy, special foods, food import requirements, food contact materials, intellectual property and animal feed. The book is produced in cooperation with the European Institute for Food Law. Click here to download a full table of contentsor to order a copy of the EU Food Law Handbook.

IUFoST Issues Scientific Bulletin on Ebola, Global Visions Report

November 2014
IUFoST Scientific Bulletin
Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)

The International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) issued a new scientific bulletin in November entitled "Ebola Virus Disease (EVD): Important Aspects for the Food Science and Technology Community," which succinctly describes what we know to date about the virus, its prevalence and modes of transmission. While the chances of contracting EVD through food are negligible, the bulletin outlines the importance of basic food hygiene, the role of the food science and technology community, and the potential threat to the food supply and distribution activities.

The bulletin is available on the IUFoST website, or it can be downloaded from the GHI website.

December 2014

Global Visions for the Role of Food Science and Technology to Meet Societal and Technological Challenges

The key drivers and issues facing food production and security on a global basis are well known. Growth, security, sustainability, diet and health are global headlines. To achieve any progress, the role of best practice in food manufacture and the distribution of safe, stable foodstuffs requires the contribution of food science and technology, with its interdisciplinary skills. An educated and trained workforce also will be crucial. What is not known is whether and how regions, nation states and global food businesses are developing individual strategies to cope. As a result, the future role of food science and technology in societal and technological challenges is unclear, as individual regions and nation states may have different objectives and visions for their future.

A new IUFoST report, Global Visions for the Role of Food Science and Technology to Meet Societal and Technological Challenges, Academy Fellows Anne-Marie Hermansson, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, and Peter Lillford, University of Birmingham, UK, map the current state of affairs from which collaboration, change of programmes, and best practices in food research, technology and innovation worldwide can be recommended. The results can be used by stakeholders in strategic discussions of the role of food science and technology with ministries and governments.

Global Visions began with partners from different parts of the world being asked a common set of questions relating to the current situation and their projections of what may be needed in the future. The situation country-by-country was examined for any regional patterns in the attitudes and strategies for food science and technology, followed by a cluster analysis, conclusions and recommendations. To date, the report is based on the contributions that have been have received from different parts of the world, but there are still many countries from which we are missing up-to-date information.

The report offers an approach upon which you are encouraged to build in your own countries and regions. The Global Visions website has been developed to provide ongoing input into the vital issues that will shape the future of food science and technology.This affects all of us. Please visit the website globalvisions.iufost.org to read the report, contribute to the project and stay up-to-date on its progress.

Note: GHI entered into a formal cooperation with IUFoST, the global organisation for food science and technology, in August 2014.

Order Your Copy of GHI's First Book and Receive a 20% Discount

Based on the principles of GHI, Ensuring Global Food Safety: Exploring Global Harmonization offers a rational and multi-faceted approach to current food safety issues, while arguing that a science-based global regulatory framework will enhance the safety, availability and quality of the food supply worldwide. GHI was specifically established to help build global consensus on the scientific evidence underpinning food safety policymaking. This book provides practical examples in key areas such as microbiology, toxicology and nutrition, as well as discusses possible improvements necessary to sustain the integrity of the global food supply in the 21st century. Get a

20% discount by using Code 98440

when you order your copy from Academic Press/Elsevier...

Member News & Notes

Prof. Hamit Koksel

Prof. Hamit Koksel, a GHI Ambassador to Turkey and professor in the Food Engineering Department at Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey, has been elected International Association of Cereal Science and Technology (ICC) President Elect 2015-2016. Prof. Koksel will succeed Prof. Fengcheng Wang from China as ICC President in 2017-2018.

Prof. Koksel accepted congratulations from GHI President Huub Lelieveld on behalf of the membership, noting, "I would like to take this opportunity to wish our colleagues within GHI a happy and prosperous New Year. I hope we can advance the collaboration between ICC and GHI in the future."

GHI President Huub Lelieveld

was made Doctor honoris causa by the National University of Food Technologies in Kiev, Ukraine, where he has acted as an advisor for the past eight years. You can access a video of the award presentation on the university's YouTube page.

Dr. Firouz Darroudi

Congratulations to Chair of the GHI Genetic Toxicology Working Group Dr. Firouz Darroudi, who is now the director of two institutes in the Middle East. Dr. Darroudi is Director of The Biomedical Research Institute and Head of the Radiation Genetics and Chemical Mutagenesis Lab at the College of the North Atlantic - Qatar (CNA-Q) in Doha, Qatar. Additionally, he serves as the director of the Center for Human Safety & Health and Diagnostic Genome Analysis at the Red Crescent Iranian Hospital in Dubai (UAE). Dr. Darroudi, a globally recognized expert in genetic toxicology and a leading cancer researcher, was professor of Radiation Genetics and Chemical Mutagenesis at Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands, for the past 35 years. He was also director and international coordinator of the Global Harmonization Initiative Platform at the university.

Dr. V. Prakash, Executive Board Officer of GHI and Vice

Dr. V. Prakash

President, the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS), gave the keynote address, "Youth Leadership to Sustain Translational Nutrition," at the Food and Nutrition Society of Indonesia's "I You" lead workshop in August 2014. The Hon. Minister of Agriculture inaugurated the event and emphasized the role of nutrition from the farm through to the consumer, as well as the need for nutrition outreach to mothers and children, the young and adolescent and elderly citizens.

In his keynote, Dr. Prakash emphasized the role of food safety in nutrition, from its impact on nutritional claims to bioavailability. Additives, preservatives, colours, various combination of foods, shelf-life and even the role of packaging material is critical in delivering nutrition that is safe and secure, he noted. Dr. Prakash also discussed the role of GHI, which led to a lively, in-depth discussion after the presentation.

Reading Corner

Global Food Legislation: An Overview

Editors: Evelyn Kirchsteiger-Meier and Tobias Baumgartner

July 2014, 352 pages, ISBN 9783527335558

Filling a distinct need in the globalized food economy, this introductory reference distills the key facts and regulations from the food laws of 10 major countries across four continents. The result is a truly global survey of the world's most important food markets in terms of regulatory standards, principles and the authorities involved. Chapter 1, Argentina is co-written by GHI Ambassador to Argentina Alejandro Ariosti.

The tried-and-tested concept behind the book originates from a regular summer school on food law for non-lawyers organized by the editors, and dispenses with formalized legal language, such that food specialists without a law degree can use the content. By virtue of its systematic structure, the book allows different market conditions to be easily compared, and global trends in food legislation can be followed. Key facts for food producers active on the international market, who often lack the time and resources to refer to the primary laws and legal commentaries.

Order information from publisher John Wiley & Sons.

GHI Ambassador Programme

The GHI Ambassador Programme is designed to empower selected GHI members to invite scientists in their country or region to join GHI, foster new opportunities for information sharing, identify specialists to comment on consensus documents and serve as front line representatives for GHI.

Ambassadors play an important role in the organisation in a variety of ways, including:

identifying specialists and scientific forums and communicating with food safety regulators in the local language;
making GHI known in their region, in a variety of ways, such as publishing about GHI in food-related magazines and journals, giving presentations about GHI at local events, symposia, conferences, workshops);
writing reviews on the GHI books, such as the first published book, Ensuring Global Food Safety: Exploring Global Harmonization, edited by C.E. Boisrobert, A. Stjepanovic, S. Oh, and H.L.M. Lelieveld, or translating into a local language the GHI brochure;
inviting colleagues to join GHI and/or participate in one or more of the Working Groups;
spreading information about GHI publications;
raising issues and report on progress in the GHI Newsletter and by other means.

Currently there are 52 GHI Ambassadors in 41 countries. In eight countries we have more than one Ambassador (ranging from two to four) to ensure coverage of multiple dialects and broad geographies with regional differences.

As you may be aware, GHI plans to extend the Ambassador coverage across globe for a faster global consensus on food regulation and legislation. The GHI Executive Board and other officers are invited to look for potential Ambassador candidates who agree with GHI's goals and who are competent and enthusiastic about helping GHI to make progress in achieving its mission.

In addition, all who are interested in working with us on this important effort are invited to apply. If you have good communication skills, both verbal and written, in the local language and in English, scientific skills and experience that allows sound scientific assessments, and a general interest in food regulations, risk/benefit analysis and the scientific process and in disseminating this information, we would be happy to receive your CV together with a short note with your intentions at ambassadors@globalharmonization.net. We look forward to welcoming you aboard!

For more information about becoming a GHI Ambassador, please email Dr. Alina-Ioana Gostin, GHI Ambassador Programme Director.

Conferences & Meetings

GHI regularly makes presentations and holds general and working group meetings in conjunction with scientific and food industry conferences around the globe.

Please check our website for details, or contact the GHI Meetings Coordinator, Aleksandra Martinovic, via email to submit listings.

2ND CALL FOR PAPERS: ASEAN FOOD CONFERENCE 2015

The ASEAN Food Conference (AFC) 2015 will be held at the SMX Convention Center, MOA Complex, Pasay City, Philippines from 24-26 June 2015.

Hosted by the Philippine Association of Food Technologists, Inc. (PAFT) in partnership with the ASEAN Sub-Committee on Food, United Business Media plc, the International Union of Food Science and Technology, and the Federation of Institutes of Food Science and Technology in ASEAN, organisers have gathered the food industry's greatest minds to share their latest insights in the pursuit of greater cooperation between member states of the ASEAN and the world. This comes at a most appropriate time, concordant with the efforts of all member countries towards the future integration of the ASEAN, and the harmonisation of its food policies and legislation.

The Organising Committee of AFC 2015 cordially invites scientists, technologists and industry colleagues to present papers (oral and/or poster) on a number of food science topics. The ASEAN Food Conference abstract submission deadline is now extended to 31 January 2015. Please visit the AFC 2015 website for details on how to prepare and submit your one-page abstract.

2015 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE AGRICULTURE FOR LIFE - LIFE FOR AGRICULTURE

The University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest will hold the 2015 International Conference Agriculture for Life - Life for Agriculture in Bucharest, Romania from 4-6 June 2015. GHI President Huub Lelieveld will present a keynote address, "Food Safety Regulations Based on Real Science." To find out more about the conference and registration, please visit the conference website.

Articles of Interest

In September 2014, Dr. Dilip Ghosh, GHI Ambassador to Bangladesh, published a feature article, "Biotech in Food and Nutrition," in the online e-publication NuFFooDS Spectrum. Read it here...

In November 2014, Dr. V. Prakash penned a column for NuFFooDS Spectrum entitled, "The Role of BIG DATA from the Clinical World and Claims for Nutraceuticals." Read it here...

Hon. Prof. Ruth Oniang'o, Editor-in-Chief of the African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development (AFJAND), announced the release of the last issue of 2014. Issue 67 features eight great papers, exceptionally well reviewed, that cover diverse topics from research into a potential tool for mycotoxin control in maize to enhancing nutrient bioavailability of lentils. Also featured in the issue is a short communication entitled, "Selenium Needed for Ebola Treatment?" from Dr. Graham Lyons of the University of Adelaide, South Australia.

Participate in GHI

Join Us for Monthly GHI Teleconferences

The activities of GHI are now sufficiently widespread and diverse that it is difficult to keep track of them. One solution has been the introduction of monthly teleconferences. For more information about how you can participate, please contact GHI Secretariat Irena Soljic.

ABOUT THE GLOBAL HARMONIZATION INITIATIVE

Founded in 2004 as a joint activity of the US-based Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) International Division and the European Federation of Food Science and Technology (EFFoST), the Global Harmonization Initiative (GHI) is a network of scientific organizations and individual scientists working together to promote harmonization of global food safety regulations and legislation. For more information, please visit our website at www.globalharmonization.net.

GHI has legal non-profit entity status and its charter and constitution are registered in Vienna, Austria as the GHI-Association (ZVR453446383).

GHI is an initiative of the European Federation of Food Science and Technology (EFFoST), which is the European part of the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) and the International Division of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). GHI is supported by many other scientific organizations and receives support from the European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group (EHEDG).