According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), deaths of an estimated 2 million people annually are linked to unsafe food. Food containing harmful bacteria, parasites, viruses and chemicals is also responsible for more than 200 diseases ranging from infectious diseases to some cancers.
Ensuring food security in a highly globalised world has proved to be much more complicated than expected, with new challenges constantly arising: changes in food production, distribution and consumption, climate change as well as new pathogens and antimicrobial resistance, all pose challenges to national food safety systems.
In response, the European Commission has created a common financial framework covering the whole food chain in the period 2014–2020 with a budget of €1.9 billion. The framework will support EU Member States' efforts to contribute to a high level of food safety, whilst also simplifying the regulatory environment and increasing the cooperation between administrations tasked with official controls.
This symposium is an opportunity for experts, policy makers, NGOs and other key stakeholders to discuss the latest European regulatory policies on food safety and food labelling that aim to promote a sustainable agri-food chain.
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