Our Director General, Dirk Jacobs, will be speaking about the future of food safety assessments at the EFSA Conference on 21-24 June. EFSA has provided us more information about the event here:
On 21 to 24 June, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will host the conference “ONE. Health, Environment, Society”. The four-day scientific programme will place food safety in the broader context of sustainable and resilient food systems by exploring how scientific advice needs to be advanced to contribute to current and new policy targets and societal demands, and by reflecting on future strategic goals and directions for regulatory science. Collaborative, co-creation and partnership approaches to knowledge development is crucial in this context. In this way, the event will offer an opportunity to share knowledge and expertise as well as address key topics on the EU political agenda.
The conference is co-organised by EFSA and its European sister agencies – the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) – as well as the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). It is the first time that these bodies have come together to host such an event, which marks an important step toward the gradual implementation of ONE Health goals through a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach.
What to expect from the four-day ONE conference programme
The ONE conference will be opened by EFSA’s Executive Director Bernhard Url and the EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides, followed by an opening plenary session that considers the future of food safety science. Speakers and panellists from academia, public institutions and the private sector will share their vision for the future of food systems, food safety, engagement and communication.
The opening plenary session will be followed by 17 breakout sessions grouped under four thematic tracks focusing on specific aspects of food safety. The ONE Society track will put the societal dimension of food safety and its ecosystem in the spotlight: from the role of society in policymaking, to collaboration and partnerships right through to bringing research closer to policy. Ensuring safe, healthy and sustainable food for all is at the heart of the ONE Life track, whereas the ONE Planet track will focus on the environmental dimension of food safety and sustainability. Finally, the MANY WAYS track will cover topics ranging from Artificial Intelligence (AI) to new approach methodologies (NAMs).
A closing plenary session will wrap up the four-day programme reflecting on the outcomes of the thematic sessions and addressing how the ONE Health principles could help advance food safety assessments, and how more integrated, cross-sectoral and collaborative health assessments could inform policies shaping the transition towards more sustainable food systems.
The conference will take place in Brussels and online. Stakeholders are invited to take part in the debate (programme and registration: www.one2022.eu).