Connecting EU Research for a Safer Food System: Strengthening Collaboration Across European Research Projects
How can European research projects join forces to address some of the most pressing challenges facing our food systems? From food fraud and authenticity to consumer trust, food safety, and food waste reduction, collaboration is essential to building a safer and more sustainable future.
On 12 October 2026, EFF-CoP participated in the joint webinar "Connecting EU Research for a Safer Food System", bringing together researchers and experts representing four EU-funded projects: EFF-CoP, CATALYSE, CUES, and ROSETTA.
The webinar provided an opportunity to exchange knowledge, share research perspectives, and explore how different European research initiatives contribute to common objectives related to food safety, transparency, and sustainability.
Bringing Together Different Perspectives on Food System Challenges
The webinar opened with welcoming remarks from ILSI Europe, followed by presentations exploring interconnected challenges across the food system.
Agustina Sarquis (UCSC) introduced the CATALYSE project through her presentation "CATALYSE CoP: Connecting Knowledge and Expertise to Make Food Safety Innovation Accessible". Her contribution focused on the importance of connecting scientific knowledge and expertise to support innovation and make food safety solutions more accessible.
Understanding Consumers in Sustainable Food Transitions: Trust, Transparency, and Behavioural Interventions
The discussion also explored the role of consumers in building sustainable food systems. Leonie C. Peiffer from Erasmus University Rotterdam, representing the CUES project, delivered a presentation titled "Understanding Consumers in Sustainable Food Transitions: Trust, Transparency, and Behavioural Interventions", addressing the importance of consumer trust, transparency, and behavioural approaches in supporting sustainable food choices.
EFF-CoP's Contribution: Connecting Food Authenticity, Fraud and Safety
Representing EFF-CoP, Joris Boom from University College Dublin (UCD) delivered a presentation titled "Food Authenticity on the Interface of Fraud and Safety".
His presentation addressed the important relationship between food authenticity, food fraud, and food safety, bringing attention to the connections between these closely related areas.
Food fraud is not only an economic concern. It can also affect consumer confidence, food integrity, and, in certain circumstances, public health. Understanding these relationships is essential for strengthening approaches to food fraud prevention and detection.
Through its Community of Practice, EFF-CoP aims to connect researchers, industry professionals, policymakers, and other stakeholders, facilitating knowledge exchange and supporting collaborative efforts to tackle food fraud across Europe.
From Research to Real-World Impact
The webinar also featured Dr George Tsalis from Copenhagen Business School, representing the ROSETTA project, who presented "Moving the Needle on Food Waste: What Real World Pilots Teach Us About Making Food Waste Reduction Scalable".
His contribution explored lessons from real-world pilots and their relevance to developing scalable approaches to food waste reduction.
Together, the four presentations demonstrated how different areas of research can contribute to a shared objective: strengthening the safety, integrity, transparency, and sustainability of European food systems.
Stronger Connections, Safer Food Systems
Although each participating project focuses on different aspects of the food system, they share a commitment to advancing research, innovation, and collaboration.
The webinar highlighted the value of bringing together complementary expertise, encouraging knowledge exchange, and strengthening connections between European research communities.
For EFF-CoP, participation in such initiatives reflects its broader mission to establish an active and connected community dedicated to preventing and detecting food fraud.
Because building a safer food system requires more than individual research efforts. It requires shared knowledge, stronger connections, and a collective commitment to transforming research into meaningful impact.
Watch the Webinar Recording
🎥 Missed the webinar? The full recording is now available!
Discover the contributions of EFF-CoP, CATALYSE, CUES, and ROSETTA, and explore how European research initiatives are working together towards a safer and more sustainable food system.
▶️ Watch the recording here: https://youtu.be/VpHu5pt7-So?si=QltALrFJLFQ5DBsT