粮农组织-世界卫生组织微生物风险评估联合专家会议关于在微生物风险评估中使用基于组学的技术

Joint FAO/WHOexpertmeetingon microbiological risk assessmenton the use of omics-based technologies in microbiological risk assessment FAO HQ, Rome, Italy, 2-6 March 2026 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS Issued inMarch2026 A Joint FAO/WHO Expert MeetingonMicrobiologicalRiskAssessment(JEMRA)on the use of omics-based technologies in microbiological risk assessment (MRA) was convened in Rome, Italy, from 2–6March 2026. The meeting brought together international experts to review recent scientificdevelopments, availableinformationand practical experience related to the application of omics-basedtechnologies in microbiological food safetyandMRA. TheExpert Committeeexamined thecurrent and potential use of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics,metabolomics,and relatedapproaches in supporting hazard identification, hazard characterization, exposureassessment,andrisk characterization.TheExpert Committeereviewedtwo CodexAlimentariusdocuments aboutMRAand managementandprovidedsuggestionson areas where advances in omics-based technologiescould beincorporatedto updatethem. This documentsummarizesthe conclusions of the meeting.Afull report will be published byFAOandWHO. The meeting participants are listed in Annex 1 of this summary report.Maarten Nautaserved asChairperson andBing Wangas Rapporteur. More information on this work is available at:http://www.fao.org/food-safety/en/andhttps://www.who.int/foodsafety/en/ The issuance of this document does not constitute formal publication. Thedocument may, however,be freely reviewed, abstracted, reproduced or translated, in whole or in part, but not for sale or use inconjunction with commercial purposes. Background In response to a request from the Codex Alimentarius Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH)for scientificadvice, FAO and WHO convened a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meeting on MicrobiologicalRisk Assessment(JEMRA) to evaluate the role of omics-based technologies in microbiological risk assessment (MRA).Since the publication of the Microbiological Risk Assessment–Guidance for Food (FAO/WHO, 2021)1,rapid advancements in analytical methodsthat generate extensive molecular datahave transformedfood microbiology, surveillance and outbreak investigation. These developments have generated newtypes of data with potential relevance for hazard identification, hazard characterization, exposureassessment,and risk characterization. The objective of this meeting was to assess whether, and to what extent, current MRA guidancecouldbe updated to incorporatethe application of omics-based technologiesandomics-deriveddata.Specifically, theExpert Committee wastasked with: (i) compiling an overview of omics-basedtechnologies currently available and applicable tomicrobiologicalfood safety; (ii)for those currentlyapplied in MRA,reviewing their benefits, limitations, and practical challenges; (iii) evaluating howomics-deriveddatacan inform different steps of theMRAprocess as defined by CodexAlimentariusand (iv) identifying considerations for practical implementation. Omics-based technologies,including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics andrelated approaches,enable detailed characterization of microbial identity, relatedness,geneticdeterminants, functional potential and expressed traits. The meeting focused onhow omics-deriveddata can be integrated into MRA in a fit-for-purpose manner, while maintaining transparency,scientific rigor, and consistency with risk analysis principles. This Executive Summary reflects the key findings and conclusions of the meeting and serves as thebasis for a more detailed technical report. Overviewof omics-based technologies and their application inmicrobiological food safety •For the specific purpose of conducting MRA, “omics-based technologies” refer to methodsthat generate extensive molecular data to characterize microbial identity, relatedness,functional potential and/or activity at the system level, whether applied to individual isolatesor complex communities.•Omics-based technologies have more discriminatory power than previously usedclassifications (e.g., species, serotype, phage type, etc.).•Genomics is being used for detection, surveillance, outbreak investigation, sourceattribution,and characterizationof foodborne hazards.•Proteomics,transcriptomics,metabolomics,and related methods are supporting thecharacterization of the behaviour of microorganisms.•Severalmethodologicalchallenges remain in the interpretation and application of omics-deriveddatain microbiological food safety. These include issues such as low prevalence ofpathogensin food,the need for cultivation in some applications,as well asthe difficulty in distinguishing between viable and non-viable microorganisms when interpreting molecularsignals. Application ofomics-based technologiesin MRA General considerationson the application of omics-derived datain MRA •Genomics-derived data enhance foodborne disease surveillance,epidemiologicalinvestigations and sourceattribution, strengthening