Introduction It gives me great pleasure to open this conference, co-organised with the European Commission, and to welcome you to Parma where the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), has its headquarters since 2005. I would like to thank Commissioner Dalli and his Services, our co-organisers, DG SANCO, and the Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri for their cooperation in making today’s conference a reality. This event is timely in a number of ways: over the coming days the Fiera di Parma will host the 15th annual CIBUS exhibition, a leading European food fair that builds on Parma’s long and distinguished culinary tradition and attracts so many stakeholders in the food chain to this food valley.

My thanks also to the CIBUS organisers for hosting us here in the Fiera this morning. Although it is still five years away, planning for the Milan 2015 Universal Exposition is well underway, and we at EFSA are also preparing for the event. The main theme of EXPO 2015 is Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life and it poses some very important questions for all of us: How can we provide safe and healthy food for a global population that is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050? How can we ensure that our agricultural and food production systems are sustainable long-term? How can we promote innovation along the entire food chain? and, to focus on the task in hand today, How can science facilitate these goals?

These questions are also central pillars of the European Commission’s recently published strategy for 2020 which I’m sure Commissioner Dalli will tell us more about later. The vision expressed in Europe 2020 has at its heart the three priorities of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth which will direct European policies for the next 10 years. As a science-based organisation, EFSA is excited by the prospect of contributing to the realisation of this vision of a knowledge-based European economy and, as a small step in that direction, we are very honoured to host this panel of distinguished speakers here today.

To each of you, I thank you for taking the time from your busy schedules to participate and we look forward with great interest to your contributions and to the roundtable which I’m sure will provide a stimulating platform for debate.

EFSA background EFSA was established by European legislators in 2002 as the EU’s independent risk assessment body for food and feed safety as a direct consequence of the food crises that damaged consumer confidence in our food safety systems. Our Founding Regulation emphasises science-based policy, cooperation and the functional separation of risk assessment from risk management. Through its provision of independent scientific advice and risk communication, EFSA provides the evidence base that enables appropriate measures to be taken to protect public health and the environment. With a workforce of over 400 here in Parma, EFSA forms a close network with the national food safety agencies and annually over 1500 experts from countries inside and outside the EU contribute to the work of our ten Scientific Panels and Scientific Committee in delivering our core mandate of providing scientific advice.

EFSA has a very broad remit – the entire food chain, farm to fork, or field to plate – and to fulfil our mandate, dialogue with all actors and stakeholders in the food chain is prerequisite. As our risk assessments increase in complexity, we are frequently asked to consider aspects of the food chain which would not be traditionally regarded as belonging to the realm of food safety – for instance, the environmental risk assessment of GMOs or pesticides. Furthermore, there is an increasing demand for assessment of benefits or efficacy, such as our ongoing work on health claims or our future work on pesticides scheduled for 2011.

Innovation As Europe recovers from the effects of economic recession, the need for innovation is evident if our industries are to remain competitive. Innovation can bring benefits for both the consumer and the environment and at EFSA we look forward to assessing both the benefits and risks of new technologies. It can be challenging insofar as data in areas of new science such as nanotechnology can be limited and there may be significant areas of scientific uncertainty to address and communicate; but we are committed to meeting those challenges and to ensuring that European legislation is grounded in the best science.

When products and technologies deliver real benefits for our citizens, they become sustainable in the long term.

Innovation and new science can also enhance the tools at the disposal of the risk assessor and at EFSA we strive to embrace the latest science and technologies to ensure that our advice is based on the most up-to-date and comprehensive evidence available. As Europe 2020 emphasises, investment in R&D is a priority for Europe and that applies equally to investment in research on risk assessment. In collaboration with the Advisory Forum, which brings together representatives of the food safety agencies of all Member States, EFSA is strengthening its communication with DG Research to ensure that risk assessment needs are fully considered in the R&D spend and risk assessors have access to the data they need from European research projects.

Stakeholder engagement EFSA’s Founding Regulation recognises the shared responsibility of all actors in ensuring the safety of our food. Inclusiveness is central to the success of the European food safety system and one of EFSA’s key functions is the coordination of networks of scientific excellence and of stakeholders in the food chain.

In keeping with our core values of transparency and openness, ongoing dialogue with stakeholder organisations with a legitimate interest in the area of food and feed safety is of primary importance to EFSA and is in essence why we have gathered here this morning: to benefit from your knowledge and experience in the application of science to build a more sustainable food chain.

As we grapple with new technologies – such as GMO, nanoscience or cloning – and new legislation, there is a growing need to benefit from the expertise of stakeholders and to regularly exchange views and information with them. In that regard, our Stakeholder Consultative Platform – which includes European-level representation from farmers, primary producers, food manufacturers, processors, retailers, consumer groups and NGOs – is central to our engagement with civil society.

Conclusion In conclusion, Europe has a thriving food industry backed by centuries of tradition and know-how. We have a strong basis for innovation and Europe 2020 provides us with a motivating vision for smart, science-based growth and sustainable, “clean and green” technologies that will benefit all our citizens.

Before I hand over to Pietro Vignali, Mayor of Parma, I would like to thank our speakers again for their availability and I hope you find the discussions useful and stimulating.

Thank you very much.

Published: 10 May 2010