Symposium on ‘Emerging Issues in Food’
The 9-11 June this year will see food industry experts convening to discuss ‘Emerging Issues in Food’. The 15th annual symposium in food science is being organised by the UK government’s Food and Environment Research Agency and the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (JIFSAN), a partnership between the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the University of Maryland USA.
The symposium will centre on the open exchange of knowledge, insight and international perspectives on some of the major incidents to have impacted the global food industry in recent years, and will reveal technologies and new approaches seeking to mitigate the risk of contaminated and fraudulent food entering the supply chain.
Under the spotlight will be instrumental methods of analysis; the latest R&D and technological advances such as nanotechnology and DNA barcoding; developments in ‘horizon scanning’ for emerging risks; and case studies of recent food incidents, ranging from arsenic in apple juice, to the horsemeat scandal.
“Every year the Symposium focusses on a different topic associated with state-of-the-art food science and technology,” explains Dr Martin Rose, principle scientist for dioxins and PCBs at Fera, and joint chair of the Symposium organising committee.
“The selected theme for 2014 is purposely broad, highly topical and forward-looking, enabling us to bring together a fascinating group of international speakers with wide-ranging expertise, each exploring key challenges in their respective fields of research. We will also be able to discuss any latest food issue that arises between now and the meeting.”