Felicia Wu John A. Hanna, Professor Emeritus and University Professor Emeritus, Michigan State University College of Agriculture and Natural Resourceswas selected to serve as a member of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Risk-Benefit Assessment Technical Group, which makes recommendations on dietary guidelines.
Specifically, the international commission will assess the risks and benefits of dietary components, including foods of animal and plant origin, on malnutrition and non-communicable diseases in people around the world.
Felicia Wu is a professor in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State University. Photo courtesy.
Wu said: Food Science and Human Nutrition and Agriculture, Food and Resource EconomicsShe was invited by WHO to join the committee and applied, and she currently serves on the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives, an international committee run jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and WHO.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve on the WHO Dietary Guidelines Committee, which will develop global dietary guidelines based on evidence of foods and nutrients that contribute to optimal health rather than chronic disease,” said Wu. “This work is important because it focuses on the needs of different populations around the world, including resource-poor people who have limited regular access to animal-based foods. In particular, this has implications for maternal and child nutrition, young children and older adults, and the differing needs of different parts of the world.”
The committee is expected to take two to three years to develop its recommendations, with several in-person meetings planned and the remaining work to be done virtually. WHO dietary update It will be updated regularly as more scientific information becomes available.
Wu currently has nine grants related to his research into agriculture, biotechnology, food safety and nutrition to improve public health outcomes.
In addition to her role at WHO, Wu is president of the 2,000-member Association for Risk Analysis. She was also appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer to serve on the Michigan Agriculture and Rural Development Commission, and other roles will be listed on her WHO biography later this year.
The first meeting Risk-Benefit Evaluation Technology Group It will be held in the fall of 2024.
“I look forward to working with experts from around the world to develop these recommendations and to bringing my 25 years of food safety and nutrition experience to the committee,” Wu said.
