American Chemical Society, FDA center to sign agreement promoting food-science training

WASHINGTON, May 28, 2019 — On June 4, the American Chemical Society (ACS) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FDA’s CFSAN) will sign a memorandum of understanding to promote continuing education in food chemistry as it applies to regulatory science. This collaboration will support FDA in its mission to promote and protect public health and assist the agency in communicating with stakeholders about complex scientific and health issues.

“This collaboration capitalizes on the strength of ACS’ scientific expertise and the Society’s experience in providing professional development to scientists,” says ACS Executive Vice President for Scientific Advancement Mary Kirchhoff, Ph.D. “This partnership between FDA and ACS supports U.N. Sustainable Development Goal 2, Zero Hunger, by applying science to ensure a safe and secure food supply.”

As part of the agreement, ACS and CFSAN are launching a series of colloquia focused on high-quality, cutting-edge aspects of chemistry related to food additives, food packaging and food safety. The first session, “Frontiers in Flavor Chemistry,” is scheduled for June 4, 9 a.m. to noon EDT, at FDA’s Harvey Wiley Building auditorium in College Park, Maryland. Registration is now open to attend in person or via webinar at https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/meetings/affiliated/fda-frontiers-in-flavor-chemistry.html.

In the memorandum, ACS and CFSAN agree to:

• Collaborate on training in chemistry-related topics relevant to CFSAN’s mission, such as food safety, food additives and food packaging.
• Facilitate dialogue among scientists in CFSAN, academia, industry and other organizations on emerging topics and technologies.
• Recommend, support and publicize seminars, workshops, training and other activities to engage CFSAN chemists in discussions of emerging chemistry topics and techniques.
• Promote professional development to advance education and research in food science.

All materials that result from the MOU will be posted online and will be freely available to the public on FDA’s website at https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/partnerships-enhancing-science-through-collaborations-fda/fda-memoranda-understanding.

The American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, is a not-for-profit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. ACS does not conduct research, but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.