At the invitation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Professor Xiao Ying from the Faculty of Medicine at the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) attended the 102nd session of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), jointly convened by FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO) from June 9 to 18, 2026. Notably, Professor Xiao participated as the sole invited Chinese expert at this year’s session.
Held in Nanjing, this session marked a major historic milestone as the first meeting in JECFA’s 70-year history to be hosted in a member state city outside of the FAO and WHO headquarters in Rome and Geneva. As prestigious international expert committee in the field of global food safety jointly administered by the FAO and the WHO, JECFA is primarily responsible for conducting international risk assessments on food additives, contaminants, and residues of veterinary drugs. The conference brought together more than 40 of the world’s leading authorities in food safety toxicology, dietary exposure assessment, and food quality specifications to collaborate on setting core international food safety standards. During the session, the experts reviewed extensive data on over 20 food additives – including toxicological animal experiment data, human epidemiological studies, population dietary exposure, and product quality specifications – to establish corresponding Health-based Guidance Values (HBGVs). Their work provides a solid scientific foundation for the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) and national food safety authorities worldwide to formulate or revise food safety regulations, and conduct food safety risk management.
Group photo at the 102nd JECFA Meeting
Professor Xiao has been a member of the elite FAO/WHO JECFA roster since 2011. With an illustrious career spanning both research and education, she has long dedicated herself to food toxicology, nutrition and food safety, and population dietary exposure risk assessment. Her extensive professional background includes key positions at the U.S. National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR), the National Institute for Nutrition and Health of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the School of Public Health at Peking University, and the Centre for Food Safety in Hong Kong. During her tenure in Hong Kong, she led the city’s first Total Diet Study, which systematically assessed the dietary exposure of Hong Kong adults to more than 100 chemical substances.
Professor Xiao’s participation in the 102nd JECFA meeting as an expert committee member underscores her premier academic standing in global food safety while highlighting the world-class caliber of MUST Faculty of Medicine. Exceptional educators are the foundation of high-quality education. Professor Xiao’s profound international expertise not only drives the regional adoption of cutting-edge risk assessment technologies, but also ensures that MUST students receive an education aligned with top global standards, equipping them to become highly competitive professionals in the field.
