Prestigious UN/WHO appointment for Emeritus Professor Kofi Aidoo

Emeritus Professor Kofi Aidoo has been appointed to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants (JECFA).

The Professor of Food Safety and Microbiology at the Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, School of Health and Life Sciences (SHLS) at Glasgow Caledonian University, will remain on the expert committee of the United Nations in Rome until 2027.

The Committee evaluates food additives, contaminants and naturally occurring toxins in food, and residues of veterinary drugs. The Committee is made up of international experts from 29 countries, all members of the UN.

At Glasgow Caledonian, Professor Aidoo’s research interests include food safety - chemical, microbiological and physical contaminants - and the nutritional composition of foods. He has had several research papers published and has contributed to books. He is the co-author of JECFA’s WHO Technical Report Series 1002 on Food Additives, 2017.

SHLS Dean Professor Anita Simmers said: “We are delighted with Professor Emeritus Kofi Aidoo’s prominent appointment. Kofi remains an internationally recognised authority in food bioscience and our staff and students continue to benefit greatly from his research and international networks. Congratulations Kofi, we are all very proud of you in the School!”

SHLS Associate Dean Research Professor Sharron Dolan added her congratulations and praised his “lifelong dedication” to food science.

She said: “Kofi joined GCU founding institution The Queen’s College in 1988, and was integral to establishing and leading Food Science at GCU until his retirement in 2016.

“He has educated and trained scores of GCU graduates, and continues to influence and inspire the next generation of food scientists in his emeritus position.

“It has been a privilege to work with Kofi over the years and I am absolutely delighted to hear of this appointment, a real testimony to his international standing and lifelong dedication to food science.”

Professor Aidoo said the new appointment meant a lot to him and it was “testimony to the research work I have done over the years in an environment conducive to research teaching”.

“By that, I mean GCU created a working environment which enable me to achieve my potential and for that I am grateful to the Head of Department Professor Sharron Dolan, who is now Associate Dean Research, the SHLS Dean Professor Anita Simmers, and the University community,” he said.

Speaking of his new role, Professor Aidoo added: “I hope to be able to contribute effectively to the scientific evaluation of food contaminants, particularly some of the lesser-known food contaminants, which adversely affect human as well as animal health.

“With my background in biochemistry and microbiology, I would be able to assist in the evaluation protocols which set maximum permissible levels of contaminants in foods by FAO/WHO – standards that would then be adopted by member states of the United Nations.”