EFSA - ONE Health, Environment, Society Conference - summary
Updated: Oct 6, 2022
From the 21st to the 24th June, the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) hold its ONE Health, Environment, Society Conference in Brussels in cooperation with other European Agencies among others the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JCR).
The aims of the conference were examining food and feed safety from a broader perspective of sustainability, exploring possible developments in risk assessment science, reflecting on future strategic goals and directions for regulatory science, contributing to new policy targets such as the EU Green Deal and much more. An opportunity for EFSA’s international partners, scientists, politicians and students to learn and exchange ideas on today’s food safety challenges and how these could mutate in the future.
Throughout the many sessions, experts brought to the table their own interpretation of “ONE Health, Environment, Society”, using their knowledge, research and passion to debate during panel sessions and individual presentations. One of these speakers was Noa Simón Delso, the Scientific Director and Project Manager of BeeLife, who presented the EU Bee Partnership, a successful multi-stakeholder initiative, and the EU Pollinator Hub aimed at enhancing effects in data collection and democratising pollinator related data. She highlighted the need and importance of a harmonised legislation to ensure that public data is available and standardised at an EU level.
You can read more about the project here.
So what could be a key word to summarise four intense days of conferences and debates? Collaboration! The food system is one of many links that brings us together, yet it is threatened by modern challenges, such as loss of biodiversity, climate change and waste accumulation. It is necessary for institutions, stakeholders and scientists to collaborate to be able to move forward in harmony and synergy, for us and for our environment.