Deadline for submission: 15 June 2025
The World Health Organization (WHO) is currently seeking experts to develop a guideline on consumption of ultra-processed foods. This notice provides information about the work to be completed and application process.
Background
Diet plays a critical role in shaping the health and well-being of both individuals and populations. Healthy, safe diets help to protect against malnutrition in all its forms, as well as noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer, and foodborne diseases caused by physical, chemical or biological hazards. A growing body of evidence suggests that a diet rich in highly processed foods – commonly referred to as “ultra-processed foods” – is associated with increased risk for a number of diet-related NCDs and other negative health outcomes.
WHO supports Member States in their efforts to promote healthier, safer and more sustainable diets as a priority through a variety of actions, including the recent release of several relevant guidelines on macronutrient intake and policy actions, activities promoting healthy diets in schools, sporting events and other venues, and provision of scientific advice to the Codex Alimentarius through various joint FAO/WHO programs. Building off this work, WHO is planning much needed global guidance on the consumption of ultra-processed foods which will complement existing WHO guidance on macronutrient intake and forthcoming guidance on consumption of animal-source foods.
The guideline will be developed following the WHO guideline development process (https://www.who.int/groups/guidelines-review-committee) which includes the convening of a multidisciplinary group of experts from all regions of the globe to serve on the guideline development group. The guideline development group will produce a guideline containing evidence-informed recommendations and contextual information to aid policy makers in relevant decision-making.
WHO is therefore currently seeking experts to serve in the guideline development group. Desired characteristics and qualifications for each group are listed separately below.
Information for candidates
Qualifications
Successful candidates should meet most or all of the following qualifications:
- An advanced degree and demonstrated expertise in one or more subject matter areas as listed below
- Recent, relevant scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals
- Leadership, or invited participation, in national or international scientific bodies, committees and other expert advisory bodies pertinent to the scope of this work
- Ability to contribute to the preparation of scientific documents and to work in an international environment with scientists from various disciplines
- Good knowledge of the English language, both written and oral is essential
Subject matter expertise needed
- Nutrition science, with a focus on the effects of diet on risk of noncommunicable disease and other relevant health outcomes
- Epidemiology (including assessment of RCTs, prospective observational studies, etc.) and relevant methods of dietary and exposure assessment
- Health effects of ultra-processed food consumption desirable
- Evidence review methodologies (e.g. expertise in evidence assessment and synthesis, developing guidelines, GRADE methodology, undertaking systematic reviews)
Expert activities
Experts will contribute to the following activities as part of the guideline development process:
- Provide input into the scope of the guidelines
- Help to develop the key questions that will guide evidence reviews
- Prioritize important outcomes for decision-making and develop recommendations
- Examine and interpret the evidence, with explicit consideration of the overall balance of risks and benefits
- Formulate recommendations taking into account benefits, harms, values and preferences, feasibility, equity, acceptability, resource requirements, and other factors, as appropriate
- Identify research gaps
- Review the final guideline document
Submitting an application
Interested parties should submit the following documents via the submission form at https://extranet.who.int/dataformv6/index.php/267272
- Curriculum vitae, including
- detailed education background;
- relevant work experience; and
- list of peer-reviewed publications.
- Completed Declaration of Interests (DOI) form
- PDF and Word versions of the DOI form, along with documents providing guidance on completing the DOI form can be downloaded at https://extranet.who.int/dataformv6/index.php/267272
- Signed Confidentiality Undertaking
- This document can be downloaded at https://extranet.who.int/dataformv6/index.php/267272
Process for selection of experts
- Each curriculum vitae will be reviewed to assess whether the applicant meets the qualifications and has relevant expertise in the subject matter areas listed above.
- Declaration of Interest forms will be reviewed. Any potential or perceived conflicts of interest disclosed in the Declaration of Interests form will be considered in the selection process, with input from the WHO Department of Compliance, Risk Management and Ethics as needed.
- In addition to subject matter expertise, the selection of experts will also take into consideration diversity and complementarities of expertise, a balance of genders and balanced representation from WHO geographic regions including developing and developed countries.
- Representatives of commercial organizations may not serve as experts. They may be invited to attend part of the meeting as external resource persons, if required, but may not be present at the meeting when recommendations are being formulated.
Selected experts will be invited to contribute only in their individual capacity and will not represent their government, institution or other organizations. The names and brief biographies of selected experts will be published on the WHO website.
Completing this work is expected to take no more than two years from inception to recommendations. Two virtual meetings are planned with additional virtual meetings held as needed. All meetings will be held in English only and all documents will be prepared and provided in English. No honoraria or other forms of remuneration will be provided.
Documents must be submitted by 15 June 2025 to be eligible for consideration. Documents can be submitted through the online submission form at https://extranet.who.int/dataformv6/index.php/267272. Detailed instructions for submitting documents are provided in the online form.
Questions regarding the call for experts should be addressed to Healthy_Diet@who.int.
