IRAC Overview

Interagency Risk Assessment Consortium
January 18, 2012

 

Purpose:

The Interagency Risk Assessment Consortium (IRAC) provides a forum for enhanced communication and coordination among federal agencies that develop and utilize food safety risk assessments.  


Goals:

1)      Improve risk assessment research

2)      Enhance the development and use of risk assessment models and tools

3)      Serve as a forum to communicate about risk assessment and related research issues including the use of quantitative risk assessment in decision making.  

 

Background:

The IRAC was established in response to the Presidential Executive Order 13100 (dated August 25, 1998) and subsequent planning and implementation documents of the President’s Food Safety Council.  A charter was developed, (revised February, 2011) which provides the basis for collaboration among the members of the IRAC in carrying out the responsibilities as set forth in the President’s report.  Each year the IRAC creates a plan of specific topic areas and activities relevant to food safety risk assessments, to meet the overall goals. The IRAC meets quarterly to develop new projects and activities, and review progress on existing projects.

 

Recent accomplishments:

  • Workshop on Food and Waterborne Pathogen Risk Ranking Models
  • Conference on Risk Assessment, Economic Analysis, and Foodborne Illness Regulations
  • Symposium on New Tools, Methods and Approaches for Risk Assessment
  • Workshop on Defining Susceptible Populations in Food Safety Risk Assessment
  • Workshop on Risk- Based Inspection

 

Current activities:

A workshop on dose response for Listeria monocytogenes is planned for March 2011.

 
Membership:

The IRAC seeks membership from all federal agencies with risk analysis responsibilities related to food safety, including animal and human health research. The IRAC technical representative from each agency serves as its agency’s scientific delegate. Initial technical representatives were appointed by individual federal member agencies in response to a July 14, 1997, request from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a scientific/technical representative.  The IRAC policy representative from each agency serves as a member of the IRAC Policy Council.  Selection of representatives should be consistent with the goals of IRAC described above. Agencies may change the official representative as needed. The agencies may, on an ad hoc basis, have additional or alternate representatives participate in IRAC activities. 

 


Interagency Risk Assessment Consortium Member Agencies:

  • Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, HHS
  • National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HHS
  • National Center for Toxicological Research, Food and Drug Administration, HHS
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, HHS
  • Center for Veterinary Medicine, Food and Drug Administration, HHS
  • National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CDC, HHS
  • Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA
  • National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA
  • Agricultural Research Service, USDA
  • Food and Nutrition Service, USDA
  • Economic Research Service, USDA
  • Office of Risk Assessment and Cost Benefit Analysis, USDA
  • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA
  • Office of Pesticide Programs, EPA
  • Office of Water, EPA
  • Office of Research and Development, EPA
  • US Army Public Health Command (Provisional) DOD
  • National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA
  • Office of the Chief Economist, USDA
  • Office of Risk Assessment and Cost Benefit Analysis, USDA
  • Center for Veterinary Medicine, Food and Drug Administration, HHS
  • National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA
  • Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA
  • Department of Homeland Security

 

To find more information on the Interagency Risk Assessment Consortium please visit the IRAC website at www.foodrisk.org/irac.