Nuri Gras - Head of Chilean Food Safety & Quality Agency

Chile, Chilean Food Safety and Quality Agency

Executive Secretary of the Chilean Food Safety and Quality Agency. (the highest authority)
ID: 5.312.500-k
Personal Address: Hamburgo 640, Ñuñoa. Santiago de Chile, Chile
Nationality: Chilean, Spanish
Phone (Mobile): +56 9 90782439
Email: nuri.gras@achipia.gob.cl
Languages: Spanish (Mother tongue), English (Fluently)

1. RESUMEE

Nuri Gras has a degree in chemistry from the University of Chile, a Diploma in Innovation and Technological Management Business and Studies in Master of Science in Food and Nutrition, mention Healthy Food of the Institute of Food and Nutrition (INTA)/ University of Chile.   She has held positions as scientist and as manager in Government and private organizations. Her core expertise is Metrology in Chemistry applied to food analysis, developing Reference Materials and Proficiency Test Programs as scientist in the Chilean Nuclear Energy Commission, including training period in these topics in Israel, Finland, USA (NIST), Denmark, Germany, Belgium, IAEA, Vienna, Austria and others.

She has served as expert in several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, for the IAEA, FAO and PAHO as food safety and quality consultant for the region. Besides, she was the President of AOAC Latin America and Caribbean Section during two different periods.

In private sector, Ms. Gras was the Manager of Innovation and Technology of Labser Lab, she was responsible of the implementation of the laboratory for pesticides residues in fruits and vegetables (HPLC and GC-MS/MS) and the laboratory for detection of dioxins in feeding stuff. Also she was responsible for the automation of the Microbiology Laboratory.

From February 2012 t0 April 2014, Ms Gras was the Executive Secretary of the Chilean Food Quality and Safety Agency, as the highest authority, was responsible for the strengthening of the Agency at both national and international level. The main achievements under her direction were the establishment of Scientific Network, the consolidation of the Food Safety Alert and Information Network,  National Integrated Programs and Regional Advisory Commissions and the International Relations Office for the CODEX Secretariat and other agreements.  In this position also was the President of The National Codex Commission.

From June 2014 to March 2015,  Technical Director of the Consultant Food Intelligence Net. Focused on food safety and quality projects national and international.  Mrs. Gras was the Chairwoman of the 5th Latin American Pesticides Residues Workshop, which was held in Santiago de Chile in May 2015.

From 2015 to February 2018 the Director of the consultancy company, Nuri Gras Food Integrity.

From March 2018 to date , the Executive Secretary of the Chilean Food Safety and Quality Agency, as the highest authority.  This Agency is under the Ministry of Agriculture

2. ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

Chemistry (Bachelor Degree). Universidad de Chile, 1976.
Studies of Magister in Food and Nutrition, Mention Healthy Food. Institute of Food and Nutrition (INTA-Universidad de Chile). (2006-2008).
Diploma in HACCP. Institute of Food and Nutrition (INTA-Universidad de Chile). 2008.
Diplomado: Diploma in Management of Innovation and Technology. Universidad Alberto Hurtado and University of Notre Dame, USA. 2009.

Recently related courses
Lead Instructor Training Course for FSPCA (Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance) Preventive Controls for Human Food. Illinois Institute of Technology. Institute for Food Safety and Health. Chicago, USA. January 26-28, 2016. Course for the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).               

3. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

  • 2014-To date: Food Intelligence Net (FINET), Chile. Technical Director. Consultant Agency on Food Quality and Safety
  • 2012-2014: Chilean Food Quality and Safety Agency (ACHIPIA), Chile.  Executive Secretary. Governmental Agency which depends on Ministry of Agriculture.
  • 2007-2012: Labser Laboratory (Chile). Innovation and Technology Manager. Laboratory for food safety and quality analyses and integral services. Private
  • 1977-2007: Chilean Nuclear Commission (CCHEN).  Researcher, Principal Investigator and Head of the Metrology Section.
  • Participation as Expert in IAEA Expert Missions recently.
  • RAF/5/067-05, Missionto Gaborone, Botswana, 18-22 January 2016. Mission related to Food Policy at Ministerial Level.
  • Participation as Expert in CARICOM (Mission coordinated by FAO).March 2013. Mission with the aim to support the Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA).
  • Lecturer in different Diplomas and Magister Programmes related with Food Quality and Food Safety

4. PUBLICATIONS

2005
Metals content in placentas from moderate cigarette consumers: correlation with new born birth weight. Biometals 2005 Jun;18(3):233-41.Ana Maria Ronco, Graciela Arguello, Luis Muñoz, Nuri Gras, Miguel Llanos

2008
Dioxinas en la cadena alimentaria. Revista Indualimentos año 2008, Nº54, Nuri Gras

2009
Micotoxinas en la alimentación animal . Revista Indualimentos, año 2009, Nº56, Nuri Gras

2010
Lead and arsenic levels in women with different body mass composition.

Biol Trace Elem Res 2010 Sep 23;136(3):269-78. Epub 2009 Oct 23.
Ana Maria Ronco, Yareni Gutierrez, Nuri Gras, Luis Muñoz, Gabriela Salazar, Miguel N Llanos

2013
Development and validation of a method for the simultaneous extraction and separate measurement of oxytetracycline, florfenicol, oxolinicacid and flumequinefrom marine sediments.
Luis Norambuena, Nuri Gras, Sergio Contreras
Marine Pollution Bulletin (Impact Factor: 2.63). 06/2013; DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2013.05.027

2014
Nuri Gras and Constanza Miranda. Codex Alimentarius Commission: Its Importance in Chile´sFood Safety History. Int Food Risk Anal J, 2014,4:24. doi: 10.5772/58858

Several others related with Food Policy as responsible, also the Food Strategic Plan ,but are internal of the Ministry of Agriculture, without any ISSBN Number:
Thesis Advisor in topics related to Mycotoxins in feed and heavy metals in food.

CONFERENCES RECENTLY

Chairwoman of the 5th LAPRW 2015 Conference (Santiago de Chile, May 10-13, 2015).

President of the VII AOAC Latin America and Caribbean Meeting “Food Safety: International requirements and innovative analytical methodologies”. (Santiago de Chile, August 26-27, 2012).

Among her recently participation as Lecturer, Ms. Gras has participated in (2012 – to date):

Fresenius Academy Residue monitoring programms and MRL setting procedures in Latin America. 13th International Fresenius Conference Pesticides: Food safety and dietary risk assessment.Germany. February 18-19, 2015.http://docplayer.net/5205973-Pesticides-food-safety-and-dietary-risk-assessment.html

IUPAC. Oral Session: Residues in Food and Feed. MRLs harmonization for pesticides residues in Chile: An ongoing challenge. Nuri Gras. 248th ACS National Meeting and Exposition. August 10-14, 2014, San Francisco, CA.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA): Food safety requirements and consumer´sperception: are we on the right direction? November 10-13, 2014.International Symposium on Food Safety and Quality: Application of Nuclear and Related Techniques.http://www-pub.iaea.org/iaeameetings/cn222Presentations.aspx

FAO/IAEA Satellite Event On : “Food Control Systems and the Role of the Different Stakeholders in the Food Supply Chain”- 14 thNovember2014, Vienna, Austria. The Role of National Food Safety Agencies in the Food Supply Chain

GFSI (Global Food Safety Conference 2014). Speaker at Panel: the future of private / public Collaboration: Challenges and opportunities. Anaheim, 26-28th February 2014.

China International Food Safety &Quality Conference + Expo. Panel: Codex Alimentarius Commision – 50 Years of Accomplishments and Upcoming Challenges. 2013.2013 November 6 – 7, 2013 https://www.crowell.com/files/CIFSQ-2013-Conference-Schedule.pdf

WUWM 28th Congress.Theme: “Managing Good Practice in Fresh Produce Markets”. Conference:Food Security and Food Safety. Santiago de Chile, 2013. https://www.eiseverywhere.com/ehome/66286/127225/?&language=spa

Croplife LatinAmerica.ChileanFood Safety and Quality Agency (ACHIPIA). V Forum, Uruguay. Roundtable: Perspective of Agriculture in the Southern Cone.  2012. http://www.croplifela.org/es/?option=com_content&view=article&id=86%3Acampolimpio-y-cuidagro-responsabilidad-compartida-en-nicaragua&catid=25%3Aarticulos-relacionados&Itemid=25&lang=en

5. PROJECTS

  • INTESAL (Association of Salmon in Chile). Update of FDA legislation, basedonFood Safety ModernizationAct (FSMA). OngoingProject
  • APEC FSCF PTIN (ACHIPIA).LaboratoryCompetencyStrengtheningInitiative: BuildingComprehensiveLaboratoryCapacity 2013-2014.
  • 2013-19054-INNOVA_PRODUCCION2013-19054. Public Goods for Competitiveness. Single System of the National Reference Laboratory for Food Safety to Ensure Food Industry Competitiveness. 2013. Foundation Wageningen – ACHIPIA- Chilean Institute of Public Health-Agricultural and LivestockService-NationalFisheriesService.
  • ProjectIAEA-LabserLab (Chile) D52037 IsotopicMeasurements and Elemental Fingerprinting by Nuclear and Nuclear Related Analytical Techniques to Establish Authenticity and Region Origen of ChileanCarménèreWine. 2011-2013.
  • UTF/CHI/033/CHI (ACHIPIA-FAO). 2012-2013. “FAO supporttothestrenghtening of management of ChileanFoodQuality and Safety Agency”. Santiago, Chile.
  • 11 PGI-10410 (CORFO). Management of Innovation in LabserLaboratory. 2011-2012. Rancagua, Chile.
  • Project IAEA RLA/7/11 – “Evaluation of atmosphericcontaminationbyparticles”. CCHEN (Chilean Nuclear Commission).
  • Project RLA/2/011 - ARCAL LXXVI “Sustainability of qualitysystems in Laboratoriesusing nuclear analyticaltechniques”.

6. AFFILIATION

  • President of the AOAC Latin American and Caribbean Section ( 1998- 1999)
  • President of the AOAC Latin American and Caribbean Section (2011-2012)
  • Member of the AOAC International.
  • Member of the Latin American Pesticide Committee (LAPRW)
  • Chairwoman of the LAPRW 2015 Conference
  • Member of the Board of Directors of the Food Innovation Programme, PIAL. (An initiative between Chile University and Catholic University of Chile).
  • Lecturer in different Diplomas and Magister Programmes related with Food Quality and Food Safety