GHI Working Groups

GHI Working Groups (WGs) provide a platform for GHI member scientists and experts to engage with colleagues to collaborate, build consensus and take collective action within topical areas relevant to our mission.

Members of the GHI WGs — scientists and experts from industry, government and academia with expertise in food safety, nutrition, regulation and trade — work together to come to agreement on the scientific principles that support informed and objective global regulatory and legislative decision-making. Working Groups look at each focus area from all sides, examining the scientific and legal issues piece-by-piece and side-by-side to complete the global harmonization puzzle.

Working Toward a Harmonious Solution

Each WG collects and evaluates available scientific evidence in the area of interest, and assesses the existing laws and regulations (or lack thereof) and the potential for harmonization of global laws and regulations consistent with the scientific findings. The goal of each GHI Working Group is to develop a white paper or consensus statement that promotes globally harmonized, science-based food regulations in a specific focus area. 


Each Working Group’s findings undergo a rigorous and international subject matter expert review. Once finalized, GHI issues official consensus statements via white papers or similar deliverables for global distribution to public health authorities, regulatory agencies, legislative and policymaking bodies. GHI also communicates the WG findings to the public, press and policymakers through 
its communications channels, including social media, web blog, digital email and e-newsletter, articles, and conference presentations.

Find out more about the GHI Working Group process and how to establish a WG by downloading our information sheet, Working Toward Harmony: About the GHI Working Group Process (.pdf)

Share Your Expertise

GHI is committed to building a working group process that is accessible by food scientists worldwide to ensure that any consensus reached is broad-based and truly representative of current scientific knowledge from every continent. GHI members are invited to join one or more groups based on their interests and expertise. To join:

• Contact the GHI Working Group Director at wg@globalharmonization.net, listing the WGs in which you’d like to participate or to suggest new WG topics related to global harmonization. Your request will be reviewed to ensure that your expertise is matched to the appropriate WG area of interest.
• Once you have qualified as a participant in a WG, you will receive notification via email, along with information from the WG Coordinator and/or WG Chair regarding upcoming meetings, available minutes or relevant past WG meeting materials, and a list of current WG members. 

• Only registered members of GHI are eligible to join its Working Groups. If you are not already a GHI member, click here to join our global community of scientists and experts. There is no fee to join GHI. 


Standing Working Groups & Chairs

Consumer Perception
Dr. Diana Bogueva, Australia

Chemical Food Safety
Prof. Dr. Franco Pedreschi, Chile
Dr. Michael Murkovic, Austria

Food Safety Training and Education Working Group
Prof. Dr. Obadina Adewale, Nigeria
Prof. Dr. Amalia Mitelut, Romania

Ethics in Food Safety Practices
Dr. Peter Overbosch, Netherlands
Dr. Olanrewaju Olotu, Australia
Dr. Dajana Vucinic, Serbia

Food Law and Regulations
Adina Baicu, Romania

Food Microbiology
Prof. Dr. Stanley Brul, The Netherlands
Dr. Rozita Vaskoska, Australia

Food Packaging Materials
Prof. MSc. Alejandro Ariosti, Argentina

Food Preservation Technologies
Tatiana Koutchma, PhD, Canada
Anet Režek Jambrak, PhD, Croatia

Food Safety in Relation to Religious Dietary Laws
Isabella van Rijn, MSc, The Netherlands
Dr. Ismail Odetokun, Nigeria

Genetic Toxicology and Genomics
Dr. Firouz Darroudi, The Netherlands

Global Incident Alert Network

Mycotoxins
Dr. Naresh Magan, UK
Dr. Mark Shamtsyan, Russia
Dr. Karina Grigoryan, Armenia

Nanotechnology & Foods
Dr. An-I Yeh, Taiwan
Prof. h.c. Dr. Ralf Greiner, Germany

Nomenclature on Food Safety and Quality
Dr. Ileana Negruzza, Russia
Prof. Dr. Andrey Bratsikhin, Russia
Prof. Dr. Dmitry Kulyov, Russia

Nutrition
Dr. Iuliana Vintila, Romania
Dr. Viduranga Waisundara, Sri Lanka

Reducing Post-Harvest Losses
Dr. Kenneth Marsh, USA
Dr. Theofania Tsironi, Greece

Science Communication
Dr. Diana Bogueva, Australia
Dr. Edward Duca, Malta
Dr. Nevena Hristozova, Belgium

 Downloads

 Working Toward Harmony: About the GHI Working Group Process