Food Safety: a priority for Europe
Food is Europe's largest sector in terms of employees and manufacturers. Food safety and health are priorities for citizens and consumers' health. Several actions and initiatives are ongoing to create sinergies towards a common goal: to ensure safe and healthy food in each step of the value chains. FOODSAFETY4EU project has contributed to enhancing and better structure the EU Food Safety System (FSS) through the co-design of an integrated and multi-stakeholder platform. Our collective effort is enabling and feeding the network of FSS actors at the national, European and international level to access resources and data efficiently, synchronise food safety research strategies, share and exchange scientific knowledge.
Multi-stakeholder platform for the EU Food Safety System
This platform is the new one-shot place to explore the Food Safety, with tools, resources, contacts, links that will facilitate our members to improve the Food Safety and make a more sustainable world. The platform involves a network of 80+ Supporting Partners from different European areas, named "hubs". Our Supporting Partners cooperate within the platform by sharing news and information, participating in surveys and consultations, contributing to our FSOLabs, thus providing a regional/national view in shaping the Food Safety System.
A journey from Bari to Brussels and beyond
The European Food Safety platform, coordinated by the CNR ISPA – Institute of Sciences of Food Productions of the National Research Council, was officially launched on the World Food Safety Day 2023, being co-designed and developed by the FoodSafety4EU project partners. The network was formalized in Brussels in 2023 during the EU FOOD SAFETY FORUM through the signature of the Terms of Reference by a first nucleous of 23 organizations belonging to the FS4EU Consortium, thus giving rise to the multi-stakeholder "EU FOOD SAFETY PLATFORM." Starting from Bari, the platform was launched with the participation of EFSA, the Metropolitan City of Bari, CNR, and other international institutional representatives (JRC-EC, SCAR Food System). In 2023, the platform was showcased during the European Food Safety Forum in Brussels and at the FS4EU project stand during the FOOD2030 Conference, upon invitation by the European Commission. This event initiated preliminary contacts with some representatives of the European Parliament and other European networks. After the end of the project, the platform continued its journey by establishing a legal entity, fostering new initiatives at EU, National and Regional level, and continuing to present and exploit the main results in international workshops and conferences.
Management Board
The Management Board is the decision-making body of the EU Food Safety Platform.
Each organization, as a Platform member, may be represented by a maximum of two persons and has one vote for all required decisions.
The MB will seek advice from the multi-actor advisory board in conducting important steps (such as developing the Strategic Research Agenda (SRIA) – within the FSOLabs – and related matters). The MB may form Task Forces’s around upcoming events, position papers, requests of EU authorities, requests for services, and propose any relevant initiative to boost the network.
The MB has been set on 21 May 2024, during the KoM.
The new platform has been created in response to the EU Commission call
to set a pathway for the future food safety systems.
Why a new platform?
ACTIVATE
activate the co-creation of strategies and their translation into policies and next funding programmes, by involving also the civil society
SUPPORT
support the food safety system transformation and flexibility in a challenging scenario
LISTEN
listen to needs by several players in the food safety system, that are often underestimated
DIGITALIZE
apply digital solutions and develop an integrated approach to managing
BOOST
boost cooperation within the system, by creating connections among different levels of interventions (i.e. Small and Medium enterprises with Authorities, or research)
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Supporting partnersLiaisonsInnovative solutionsHow to get involved?
In this page (map and below) you can see the starting network of 23 partners and our 44 Supporting partners
throughout Europe!
Would you be part of our platform?
Stay updated and join us!The first nucleus of 44 Supporting Partners is being involved in the FS4EU project to share the vision of the future Food Safety System in Europe.
Food Safety Authorities, Research institutions and Academia, producers and consumers organizations participated already in our Kick-Off Meeting held on 29th January 2021.
They animated a nice discussion with the FS4EU partners and Advisors from EU Commission and EFSA.
In this first phase of the project, we launched international surveys and consultations to gather insights on emerging needs and perspectives for the Food Safety System.
SafeConsume
The ambition of SafeConsume is to initiate a new and broader approach in future research, innovation, education and food safety policy, widening the space of opportunities for improving food safety.
SHEALTHY
SHEALTHY proposal aims to assess and develop an optimal combination of non-thermal sanitization, preservation and stabilization methods to improve the safety (inactivation of pathogens and spoilage microorganisms), while preserving the nutritional and organoleptic quality and prolonging the shelf-life of fresh and minimally processed F&V products.
MYCOBOOST
“MYCOBOOST – Boosting knowledge and harmonisation in the mycotoxin field through sustainable scientific alliances” is a Partnering Grant project granted by European Food Safety Authority – GP/EFSA/ENCO/2020/03.
ProFuture
There is an increasing demand for sustainable protein sources as an alternative to conventional animal-based foods and feeds. Therefore, the EU-funded project ProFuture aims to scale up microalgae production and prepare the market uptake of microalgae proteins as ingredients for innovative and sustainable food and feed products.
The project looks at the entire supply chain to minismise land, water and energy use, making microalgae cultivation more efficient, sustainable and affordable. With cost-effective production processes and innovative technology, the project helps create protein-rich ingredients from microalgae biomasses to make foods and feeds that are nutritious and tasty.
MycoTWIN
MycoTWIN – “Enhancing Research and Innovation Capacity of TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center on Mycotoxigenic Fungi and Mycotoxins” is conducted to significantly strengthen research on mycotoxigenic fungi and mycotoxins between TÜBİTAK, the Institute of Sciences of Food Production-National Research Council of Italy (CNR-ISPA) and the University of Valencia – Spain (UV).
MycoTWIN supports the entire value chain from planning of the cropping system to cultivation of crops, harvest, storage, transport, processing and consuming, all of which can be affected by mycotoxins. The project is funded under Horizon 2020, the European Union’s Research and Innovation programme under Grant Agreement no 952337
TITAN
TITAN project aims to provide an extensive platform for the development of a wide range of innovations that will enhance transparency on the food supply chain, in the areas of food safety and authenticity, traceability, health and sustainability, thus addressing the key challenges identified in the European Green Deal
PHENOLEXA
PHENOLEXA is a research and innovation project funded by Horizon 2020 with the aim of creating a safe, effective, and environmentally friendly biorefinery process to obtain high-value polyphenolic bioactive compounds with preserved, tailored, and/or improved functionality and targeted biological activities (antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antiviral, anti-ageing, mood stabilizing), for use in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmetic products. To put it simply – to valorise peals, leaves and prunings of different feedstock that otherwise will go to waste.
“PHENOLEXA is just the project we need to create a circular economy and decrease our insufficiency in the agricultural sector. We are taking up a challenge to upcycle the feedstock to higher-value products”.
DISH Cluster
The DISH Cluster is a synergy created within the Horizon Result Booster, a European Commission initiative for steering research towards strong societal impact, concretising the value of R&I activity for societal challenges between SafeConsume, Eat2benice, FoodSafety4EU, Stance4Health and One Health EJP TOXOSOURCES.
Innovation in Food Safety
FS4EU has collected the innovative solutions and practices existing in our community through a survey – for our FS4EU platform partners and supporting partners to unveil the innovation potential.
The results are being used to feed and boost emerging innovation topics to finalize the FS4EU Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA).
The main innovative solutions and/or methodology will be presented at the EU Food Safety Forum in Brussels (28-29 November 2023).
They will be exploited with stakeholders and potentially interested users during the networking and cooperation sessions.
Including innovation in the platform is a key step to better link the Food Safety Systems actors and facilitate contacts: together we can grow and ensure a safer and more sustainable Food System in Europe!In view of launching the Knowledge Center on Food Safety, we invite supporting partners and stakeholders to send materials and resources that can be exploited in our platform, including digital tools that can help practitioners, food business operators, researchers and innovators to address the main food safety innovation issues!!
If you wish to contribute, please send an e-mail to nunzia.cito@ispa.cnr.it with the subject: FS4EU – innovative solutions.
Thank you!A pathway for cooperation can be tailored to our Supporting Partners (SP) according to their desidered level of interest/influence in the Food Safety System.
At a first level of engagement, a FS4EU Supporting Partner can integrate and exchange information, news, tools and experiences, as well as new solutions for the food safety; at following levels, the SP can share approaches, by participating in the project consultations through surveys, opinions, expertises and can be involved in project events, meetings and initiatives.
An upper level of engagement includes different and increasing forms of cooperation within the project, through collaboration – participation – committment.
It means that a FS4EU Supporting Partner can have the opportunity to become member of the platform and participate in the exclusive FS4EU Forum that will be held in 2023 in Bruxelles with the main actors of the European Food Safety System.
SUPPORTING PARTNERS ENGAGEMENT PROCESSInformationWant to follow how FS4EU is growing?
CONSULTATIONWant to share data or opinions with us about the future for EU Food Safety?
INVOLVEMENTWant to support FS4EU initiatives, or play an expert role in events and meetings?
COOPERATIONWant to get involved with FS4EU’s working groups? or would you like to cooperate with us?
PARTNERSHIPWant to be part of the FS4EU platform and contribute to define the next EU Food Safety System?Check out our current supporting partners, and how to become
COMMITMENTWant to become a full member of the FS4EU platform, and get in charge of various core activities?
FOODSAFETY4EU PROJECT
A H2020 coordination and support action
FoodSafety4EU is a collaborative action to support the European Commission (EC) in shaping the Food Safety System of the future. The 3 years project is delivering solutions to support the EC in its endeavour in aligning research, policy and innovation with the societal needs and perspectives and improving food safety across Europe.