ONE LIFE
Innovation in food and feed: keeping safety assessments fit for purpose
Current societal demands call for more sustainable food and feed production systems and healthier food and feed products and diets. This demand is at the heart of European policies such as the Green Deal and Food2030 . Through these policies, Europe is pursuing its ambition for the development of innovative and high-quality food and feed products that are safe and produced in a more sustainable manner. Hence, a wide range of innovative food and feed products is expected to reach the EU market in the future and novel (production, processing and application) technologies be applied (e.g. new or alternative protein sources, new whole foods and feeds such as insects or algae, in vitro meat or food and feed products obtained through synthetic biology, 3D food printing and nanotechnology). Some of these developments may pose risk assessment challenges, requiring new or updated safety assessment approaches. We will therefore explore risk assessment development needs for innovative food and feed products, and discuss how risk assessment approaches and post-market surveillance may need to be advanced to safeguard the safety of future food and feed. This should ensure preparedness and address societal demands for better protection of human and animal health as part of the One Health approach.
Vision
In the context of the European Green Deal and Food2030, the EU's research and innovation policy to transform food systems, a wide range of innovative food and feed products is expected to reach the EU market in the near future. Some of these products and the novel technologies that are increasingly used in food production and processing may pose future challenges for risk assessment. The session will focus on how to ensure risk assessment activities can keep pace with the development of these innovative food and feed products to ensure we maintain a high level of protection for human and animal health.
Background – Challenges and opportunities
In light of increasing societal demands for more sustainable food and feed systems, a range of novel products is expected to enter the food and feed system in the near future. Moreover, new policies such as the European Green Deal and Food2030 have been developed with these demands in mind. Innovation will bring wide-reaching changes, challenging the way safety assessments are currently performed. Existing food and feed safety assessment approaches may need to be revisited as they risk lagging behind in a rapidly changing world with a strong drive for innovation.
It is fundamental to ensure the development of food and feed safety standards keeps pace with the speed of innovation in the field of food and feed. The development and application of new assessment approaches, while anticipating potential emerging risks, is crucial to achieve this goal. Failure to do so would undermine the reliability of safety assessment outcomes and result in weaker public trust in the food and feed safety system.
One of the EU’s missions is to ensure that only high-quality and safe food and feed reaches the market. We should make sure that innovative food and feed do not pose unacceptable risks to human and animal health. A key question that needs a comprehensive answer is the following: “Is the current food and feed safety framework adequate for assessing the food and feed of the future?” To address this complex question, a broader collaborative and transdisciplinary approach may be needed that goes beyond the current way of performing safety assessments.
In this session, we will discuss future food and feed safety challenges and make recommendations for how to address them.
Scope and objectives
The thematic session will focus on identifying and exploring how the safety assessment of innovative food and feed products (including novel food production and processing technologies) will need to be developed. The main objectives of the thematic sessions are to:
- Describe the types of innovative food and feed products (including alternative production, processing and application technologies) that will reach the EU market in the short, medium and long-term;
- Review potential novel hazards, routes/levels of exposure, and health risks associated with the deployment of those innovative products and production, processing and application technologies focussing on their impact on human and animal health;
- Identify new risk assessment challenges and other potential emerging issues that the deployment of innovative products and production, processing and application technologies may pose;
- Map out and provide suggestions for how risk assessment tools/approaches and post-market surveillance should be developed and prioritised to keep pace with innovation.
| Time | Duration | Talk |
|---|---|---|
| 14:00 | 5 |
Opening and welcome Helle Katrine Knutsen, Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH/FHI) |
Part I - Reconciling innovation and safety
| Time | Duration | Talk |
|---|---|---|
| 14:05 | 20 |
Safety of innovative foods and the role of processing Remko Boom, Wageningen University and Research (WUR) |
| 14:25 | 10 |
Q&A Helle Katrine Knutsen, Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH/FHI) |
Part II - Case studies
| Time | Duration | Talk |
|---|---|---|
| 14:35 | 15 |
Synthetic biology: safety considerations Matias Zurbriggen, University of Düsseldorf |
| 14:50 | 15 |
Cell-cultured meat: safety considerations and research priorities Kimberly Ong, Vireo Advisors |
| 15:05 | 15 |
Safety of alternative and innovative feed sources and technologies in the context of sustainable development Daniela Battaglia, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) |
| 15:20 | 15 |
Safety of proteins: lessons from non-clinical assessment and in silico prediction of immunogenicity of therapeutic proteins Gabriele Reichmann, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut |
| 15:35 | 30 |
Coffee break |
Part III - Moderated panel discussion
| Time | Duration | Talk |
|---|---|---|
| 16:05 | 20 |
General recommendations on safety assessment of innovative products and technology Samuel Godefroy, Laval University |
| 16:25 | 40 |
Panel discussion moderated by Katrina Sichel Remko Boom, Wageningen University and Research (WUR) | Matias Zurbriggen, University of Düsseldorf | Kimberly Ong, Vireo Advisors | Daniela Battaglia, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) | Gabriele Reichmann, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut | Samuel Godefroy, Laval University |
| 17:05 | 10 |
Wrap up and concluding remarks Helle Katrine Knutsen, Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH/FHI) |