The European Association for Food Safety

1. The European Association for Food Safety By many people better known as: the SAFE consortium Has existed as an international organisation since October 2002 "The SAFE consortium" presentation at the Workshop Food Safety Research and Applications in Poland, Warsaw 071206

2. The European Association for Food Safety Six Institutes agreed to combine their scientific knowledge, expertise and experience in order to promote food safety in Europe. - Institute of Food Research (United Kingdom) - l’Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (France) - TNO Nutrition and Food Research (Netherlands) - VTT Biotechnology (Finland) - Wageningen University and Research Ctr (Netherlands - ISPA-CNR (Italy) "The SAFE consortium" presentation at the Workshop Food Safety Research and Applications in Poland, Warsaw 071206

3. The European Association for Food Safety The first SAFE consortium goals and objectives were to organise common small and big projects in the EU framework programmes and manage these projects from a central office in Brussels HOWEVER The Commission made it clear that she would be willing to co-operate with a broad and open association and rather not with a small exclusive elite club "The SAFE consortium" presentation at the Workshop Food Safety Research and Applications in Poland, Warsaw 071206

4. The European Association for Food Safety Therefore The Annual General Meeting of the European Association for Food Safety (the SAFE consortium) decided on April 2nd 2004: “In a growing and integrating Europe, the SAFE consortium should be represented in the majority of the 25 EU member states, in the Associated Countries and in the new Candidate Member States”. To achieve this goal, the SAFE consortium started attracting the membership of institutes from the current and the new EU states and the Associated States. "The SAFE consortium" presentation at the Workshop Food Safety Research and Applications in Poland, Warsaw 071206

5. The European Association for Food Safety By January 1st 2005 the following new members joined: • NFC Teagasc Dublin Ireland • CFRI KEKI Budapest Hungary • IRTA Barcelona Spain • Agroscope Berne Switzerland • Tubitak Marmara Turkey • KVL Copenhagen Denmark "The SAFE consortium" presentation at the Workshop Food Safety Research and Applications in Poland, Warsaw 071206

6. The European Association for Food Safety Followed in 2006 by the following new members: • BfR Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung, Berlin Germany • NVH Norwegian Veterinary University, Oslo • Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Universidade Catolica de Portugal, Porto "The SAFE consortium" presentation at the Workshop Food Safety Research and Applications in Poland, Warsaw 071206

7. EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR FOOD SAFETY The SAFE consortium "The SAFE consortium" presentation at the Workshop Food Safety Research and Applications in Poland, Warsaw 071206

8. EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR FOOD SAFETY The SAFE consortium • The requirements for a full membership according to the SAFE consortium Articles of Association (Statutes): • The institutes should have a scientific integrity guaranteed by the unlimited right to publish in the public interest. • i.e. have the possibility to speak freely about food safety issues not hampered by their links to government and industry • 2. The institutes should show academic quality, proven by publications in international scientific journals. "The SAFE consortium" presentation at the Workshop Food Safety Research and Applications in Poland, Warsaw 071206

9. The European Association for Food Safety The SAFE consortium interprets Food Safety Sciences in a broad sense: • microbiology, (classical, predictive and molecular) • molecular genetics and genomics for food safety • toxicology (chemical, veterinary pharmaceutical and biological), • allergy and food intolerance • exposure assessment and risk evaluation • risk assessment, (risk management, risk communication) • existing and novel food technologies • packaging technology • consumer sciences. For the complete chains of food and feed production: • primary production – processing – packaging – transportation – distribution – retail - consumption and consumer issues Geographical ‘operating area’: All of the 25 European Union member states, the Associated Countries: Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Israel, Turkey and the new candidate members: Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia "The SAFE consortium" presentation at the Workshop Food Safety Research and Applications in Poland, Warsaw 071206

10. Official Mission as stated in the Statutes is to: “stimulate the public debate in Europe on the scientific aspects of food safety, by making available up-to-date knowledge from institutes whose scientific integrity is guaranteed by the unlimited right to publish in the public interest”. Goals • 1. Work together to develop and promoteinterdisciplinary research projects and partnerships in the Framework Programmes of the European Commission and its institutions, national governments and food authorities. • 2. Participate in the public debate on food safety issues by organisingcongresses, conferences, seminars and workshops, participating in conferences and workshops given by others and by other activities like communications on the web site or in print. • 3. Be the independent spokesman on behalf of the member institutes concerning view points in the food safety arena, e.g. by participation in EU networks and projects. This can be done on invitation as well as on the consortium’s own initiative; focus will be on issues that concern industrial as well as governmental actors in the food chain and its management. "The SAFE consortium" presentation at the Workshop Food Safety Research and Applications in Poland, Warsaw 071206

11. The European Association for Food Safety 1. Work together to develop and promote interdisciplinary research projects and partnerships in the Framework Programmes of the European Commission and its institutions, national governments and food authorities. The consortium started activities preparing to play a very active role in the Seventh Framework Programme. "The SAFE consortium" presentation at the Workshop Food Safety Research and Applications in Poland, Warsaw 071206

12. The European Association for Food Safety 2. Participate in the public debate on food safety issues by organising congresses, conferences, seminars and workshops, participating in conferences and workshops given by others and by other activities like communications on the web site or in print. • Issues addressed: • Food composition and analysis • Risk-benefit evaluation • Functional Foods • Novel Foods / GMO • Trans and conjugated fatty acids • Phyto-estrogens • Food processing and safety • Consumer research on food safety 235 registrants 37 invited speakers 9 exhibitors 6 sponsors > 120 posters > 30 orals Abstract book: ISSN 1819-7779 Next congress probably November 2008 Girona Spain Subject: microbial genomics "The SAFE consortium" presentation at the Workshop Food Safety Research and Applications in Poland, Warsaw 071206

13. The European Association for Food Safety 3. Be the independent spokesman on behalf of the member institutes concerning view points in the food safety arena, e.g. by participation in EU networks and projects. Focus will be on issues that concern industrial as well as governmental actors in the food chain and its management. Examples will be given in the following sheets "The SAFE consortium" presentation at the Workshop Food Safety Research and Applications in Poland, Warsaw 071206

14. The European Association for Food Safety Co-operation between and Pre-SAFEFOODERA: first competition, then co-operation in proposal development. Contents: Investigation on current and future food safety issues in the participating countries. Expansion: Investigation of the possible extension of SAFEFOODERA to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Czech and Slovak Republics, Romania, Bulgaria and other countries. Organising the stakeholder meetings from November 2006 to April 2007. Future: Develop a vision on the future of food safety research in Europe and develop projects and research structures that will follow the current generation food safety projects and networks. "The SAFE consortium" presentation at the Workshop Food Safety Research and Applications in Poland, Warsaw 071206

15. European Technology Platform Food for Life http://etp.ciaa.be "The SAFE consortium" presentation at the Workshop Food Safety Research and Applications in Poland, Warsaw 071206

16. Technology Platforms: Central Concept New Instrument to strengthen the European-wide innovation process (address the so-called European paradox) (Industry led) Framework to unite stakeholders around: • a common “VISION” for the technology concerned • definition of a STRATEGIC RESEARCH AGENDA • develop and execute an IMPLEMENTATION PLAN "The SAFE consortium" presentation at the Workshop Food Safety Research and Applications in Poland, Warsaw 071206

17. Communication, Training & Technology Transfer Food Food & Quality & Health Manu- facturing Food Safety - Food & Sustainable Consumer Food Production Food Chain Management The House of the ETP "The SAFE consortium" presentation at the Workshop Food Safety Research and Applications in Poland, Warsaw 071206

18. ETP Food Safety Goals • Assuring safe foods that consumers can trust • Predicting and monitoring the behaviour and fate of relevant known and emerging biological hazards • Predicting and monitoring the behaviour and fate of relevant known and emerging chemical hazards including toxins of biological origin • Improving risk assessment and risk-benefit evaluation • Developing tools to ensure security of the food chain • Understanding and addressing consumer concerns with food safety issues "The SAFE consortium" presentation at the Workshop Food Safety Research and Applications in Poland, Warsaw 071206

19. ETP Board and Operational Committee Prof. Peter van Bladeren; Vice-President for Research, Nestlé (CH) CHAIRMAN Ms Daniela Israelachwili, General Director of CIAA (BE) Mr Rudolf Schwarzböck, President of Copa Cogeca (BE) Mr Daniele Rossi, General Director of Federalimentari Italy (IT) Dr Alphons Schmid, Chairman Regulatory Committee of Eurocommerce (NL) Prof. Brian McKenna, President of EFFoST (IE) Prof. David White, Chairman of Foodforce (UK) Dr Juergen Kohnke, President of FEI (D) Ms Kelly Duffin-Maxwell, Vice-President for R&D, Kraft Foods (D) Dr Hans Elbek Pedersen, Vice-President of Danisco A/S (DK) Dr Didier Bonnet, Director of Cargill European Technology Centre (DK) Dr Andras Sébok, General Manager, Camden & Chorleywood Hungary (HU) Dr Lisbeth Munksgaard, Director of the Centre for Advanced Food Studies (DK) Prof. Michael Gibney, University of Dublin (IE) Dr Jan Maat; Unilever (NL), Chairman Dr Michele Conti Rome (IT), Communication Training and Technology Transfer Dr Harmen Hofstra, Brussels (BE), Food Safety Prof Dietrich Knorr, Berlin (D), Food quality and manufacturing Prof Thomas Ohlsen, Goteborg (S), Sustainable food production Prof Wim Saris, Delft/Maastricht (NL), Food and Health Prof Gerhard Schiefer, Bonn (D), Food Chain Management Prof Hans van Trijp, Wageningen (NL), Food and Consumer Prof Willem de Vos, Wageningen and Dr Roger Fenwick, Norwich (UK), Intra-ETP activities "The SAFE consortium" presentation at the Workshop Food Safety Research and Applications in Poland, Warsaw 071206

20. Future co-operation of Pan-European Networks in Food Sciences, Safety and Technology SAFE consortium ++ SAFEFOODERA ++ Funders Scientists Good contents and infrastructure "The SAFE consortium" presentation at the Workshop Food Safety Research and Applications in Poland, Warsaw 071206

21. Future co-operation of Pan-European Networks in Food Sciences, Safety and Technology national reference labs SAFEFOODERA SAFE consortium National Governments Funders (bureacrats) Optimal conditions for Research, Development and Training Scientists EU Commission DG-Research EFSA EFFoST Industry ILSI ETP Food for Life et al. "The SAFE consortium" presentation at the Workshop Food Safety Research and Applications in Poland, Warsaw 071206

22. Future co-operation of Pan-European Networks in Food Sciences, Safety and Technology: Beyond SAFEFOODERA Network of national and EU Funders All EU MS and AMS + Network of scientific research institutes and universities members in all EU MS and AMS + Funders (bureacrats) Optimal conditions for Research, Development and Training Scientists Industry ETP "The SAFE consortium" presentation at the Workshop Food Safety Research and Applications in Poland, Warsaw 071206