A new platform made up of food safety authorities, consumers’ associations, research centres and other stakeholders is helping shape Europe’s food safety. We spoke to Veronica Lattanzio from FoodSafety4EU.
Food safety is a top priority for the European Commission, whose policies aim at ensuring a high level of protection of human life and consumers’ interests in relation to food while guaranteeing an effective functioning of the internal market.
However, when risk communication is not effective enough, it can have a negative impact on citizens’ trust in risk management decisions
The new Transparency Regulation is a direct response to recent consumer concerns on the transparency of the process of safety assessment of our foods and is expected to drive the Food Safety System towards a more effective risk communication between Commission, EFSA, Member states, and public stakeholders.
Under the edge of the new Transparency Regulation, the EU-funded #FoodSafety4EU project (www.foodsafety4.eu) kicked off in January 2021 as a step forward towards a more engaged and co-operative Food Safety System in Europe.
Our goal is to design, develop and release a multi-stakeholder platform for the future European Food Safety System (FSS)
The platform aims to establish a network of FSS actors at national, European, and international levels providing scientific advice and technical support for EU food safety policies. It will enable them to access resources and data efficiently, synchronize food safety research strategies, share and exchange scientific knowledge and contribute to transparent communication regarding the FSS.
Our ambition is to make Risk Communication an interactive and trustworthy exchange of information and opinions within the FSS system and with civil society.
Through a structured participatory process and new digital tools, the platform will host the co-design of strategies and communication models, tailored to the specificities of the various target groups. By engaging the citizens in this dialogue we want to support a better understanding of the scientific evidence as to the basis for risk management decisions, thus enhancing their confidence in the EU food safety system.
The Network currently consists of 23 Consortium partners and 44 stakeholders (Food Safety Authorities, consumers’ associations, academia, and research centers, industries). This community is expected to continue to grow into a Forum by the end of the project, in 3 years’ time.
Explore ways to join the European Food Safety Community here! Here you can raise your voice, share information, data and knowledge. You can participate in the co-creation of strategies thus contributing to shape the European Food Safety System of the future!
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101000613
