Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meeting on Microbiological Risk Assessment on microbiological risk assessment on powdered formulae for infants and young children

15 – 19 June 2026
F.A.O. - Food And Agriculture Organization, Via delle Terme di Caracalla, Rome, Italy

Background information

In response to the request for scientific advice from the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene, JEMRA has provided scientific advice related to the safety of powdered formulae for infants and young children since 2004. Past work has included the meetings and reports on Enterobacter sakazakii and other microorganisms in powdered infant formula (2004)1, Enterobacter sakazakii and Salmonella in powdered infant formula (2006)2, Enterobacter sakazakii (Cronobacter spp.) in powdered follow-up formula (2008)3 and also the risk assessment tool for Cronobacter sakazakii in powdered infant formula4 . These activities contributed to the development of the Code of Hygienic Practice for Powdered Formulae for Infants and Young Children (CXC 66 - 2008)5.

Outbreaks and recalls associated with powdered formulae continue to occur across the globe caused by microorganisms such as Clostridium botulinum, Cronobacter sakazakii, Bacillus cereus (cereuride), Salmonella spp., Clostridium perfringens and Staphylococcus aureus. To address the issues and support a potential revision of the Code of hygienic practice for powdered formulae for infants and young children (CXC 66-2008), the fifty-fifth session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH55) requested JEMRA to;

  1. conduct a risk assessment on spore-forming pathogens, including Clostridium botulinum and Bacillus cereus, in powdered infant formula;
  2. update the existing risk assessment and scientific advice on environmental pathogens (e.g. Cronobacter and Salmonella); and
  3. provide other relevant scientific advice that would inform recommendations on strengthened control measures across the production environment, covering all stages from primary production and packaging through to the reconstitution of the product, and including environmental monitoring programmes.

The purpose of this meeting is to respond these requests.

List of experts 

The list of experts and their bio-sketches for this meeting is available in this page's download section. Please find below their bio-sketches. If you have any comments, please contact us at JEMRA@fao.org and JEMRA@who.int no later than 25 May 2026.

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1 FAO and WHO. 2004. Enterobacter sakazakii and other microorganisms in powdered infant formula: meeting report. https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/y5502e
2 FAO and WHO. 2006. Enterobacter sakazakii and Salmonella in powdered infant formula: meeting report. https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/a0707e
3 FAO and WHO. 2008. Enterobacter sakazakii (Cronobacter spp.) in powdered follow-up formula: meeting report. https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/i0453e
4 https://www.fstools.org/esak/
5 https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/sh-proxy/en/?lnk=1&url=https%253A%252F%252Fworkspace.fao.org%252Fsites%252Fcodex%252FStandards%252FCXC%2B66-2008%252FCXC_066e.pdf