How EU Funded Research Helps Make Food Safer

A farmer notices changing conditions in the field. A laboratory studies a foodborne hazard. A technology developer builds a model. Connecting their knowledge is one of the reasons collaborative European research matters for food safety.

Food safety questions cross disciplines and borders

Understanding how climate affects food safety requires expertise in climate science, microbiology and food production, among other fields. It also requires an understanding of the decisions made by businesses and authorities. A technically sound result needs to be relevant to the conditions in which it may be used.

EU research funding supports work across these areas. Horizon Europe's Cluster 6 includes research and innovation relating to agriculture and food systems. It provides a framework in which organisations can combine complementary expertise to investigate shared challenges.

Working across regions is particularly relevant when environmental conditions differ. Comparing findings and approaches can help researchers identify where knowledge transfers well and where a local assessment is needed.

People who use research help shape its value

The European Commission's multi-actor approach brings researchers together with people such as farmers, advisers, businesses and public representatives. It calls for their active involvement in developing solutions, drawing on practical experience alongside scientific knowledge.

For a food safety project, that involvement can make a discussion more specific. A business can explain which data it can realistically collect. A producer can describe the timing of an important decision. An adviser can identify where a technical explanation needs to be clearer. These are examples of how dialogue can help research respond to actual needs.

Sharing findings in understandable forms also matters. Research has a better chance of informing practice when potential users can find it, understand its limits and consider its relevance to their work. The Commission includes accessible, practical communication within its expectations for multi-actor projects.

AMBROSIA connects research with a wider community

Funded through Horizon Europe, AMBROSIA is investigating climate related food safety hazards and developing approaches to risk assessment, predictive modelling and adaptation. Its activities span four European biogeographical regions, reflecting the need to consider different conditions.

The AMBROSIA Innovation Hub supports the project's engagement with a wider community. It is designed to facilitate knowledge exchange and connections between stakeholders and related initiatives, with activities and resources including workshops, online training and information on opportunities.

Following a project while its research develops can help people ask informed questions and identify areas of shared interest. For AMBROSIA, the Hub provides a route into that conversation for people working in food safety, food production and related fields.