For over 60 years, the ICMSF has been actively contributing to the development and communication of scientific concepts to help reduce the incidence of microbiological foodborne illness and food spoilage.

LAS-ICMSF webinar session videos available

18 October 2023

View English and Spanish session videos of the LAS-ICMSF webinar on challenges in food safety in a dynamic world, held from 26 to 28 September 2023.

Read on

Fumiko Kasuga and Jeff Farber awarded at IAFP 2023

20 July 2023

Congratulations to ICMSF members Fumiko Kasuga and Jeff Farber, who both received awards at the IAFP 2023 Awards Banquet on 19 July in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Read on

Paper published on performance of Campylobacter criteria

6 July 2023

Read “Effectiveness of an increasingly stringent microbiological process hygiene criterion to control Campylobacter in broiler carcasses”.

Read on

Resources

Books
Microorganisms in Foods books provide practical guidance on microbiological food safety and quality.
Articles and Papers
Published papers and articles about ICMSF study results.
Videos
Videos on ICMSF history and microbiological sampling, testing and related topics.
Software
Microbiological sampling plans: a tool to explore ICMSF recommendations.

Upcoming events

ICMSF annual meetings 2023/2024

The ICMSF members and consultants meet annually. Plans for 2023 are to have virtual meetings during the period of 30 October and 10 November. A physical meeting is foreseen in early 2024. At these meetings, the Commission progresses its most current project (Book 9), which discusses approaches to balance the management of food safety in tune with food security and sustainability challenges.

2024 IAFP European Symposium

30 April – 2 May 2024, Geneva, Switzerland
ICMSF members plan to contribute to the programme of this annual meeting again. Since 2005, IAFP’s European Symposium has been shaping the future of food safety by providing a forum for the exchange of ideas with colleagues from across Europe working in industry, government, and academia.
Symposium website

The International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods (ICMSF, the Commission) was formed in 1962 through the action of the International Committee on Food Microbiology and Hygiene, a committee of the International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS). Through the IUMS, the ICMSF is linked to the International Union of Biological Societies (IUBS) and to the World Health Organization (WHO) of the United Nations.