General food safety management issues; mycotoxins as emerging risks; approaches to food safety communication and environmental issues regarding genetically modified organisms (GMOs) – these were some of the issues discussed during a SAFE FOODS workshop, held near Pretoria recently. This CSIR-organised workshop preceded the project’s bi-annual meeting, held at the same venue.
This was the first time a SAFE FOODS meeting was held outside Europe, and it was complemented by a two-day workshop aimed at communicating the project’s activities to local decision makers. SAFE FOODS is an EU-funded project (under the auspices of the FP6 framework) consisting of scientists from 36 universities and research institutes from 19 countries, including South Africa and China.
Other objectives of the workshop included informing delegates about collaboration opportunities within the upcoming new Framework Programme (FP7), and to discuss general issues concerning food safety.