Editorial Article: Ensuring the Integrity of the World’s Food Supply – A Global Summit

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How can we ensure the integrity of the food we eat?

By 2050, the global population will number over 9 million. With a food system which is constantly under threat, how will we feed the growing population?

By bringing together more than 600 experts from 48 countries, spanning industry, academia, NGOs, agriculture and regulators, the Belfast Summit for Global Food Integrity aimed to grapple with the issues of how to feed a growing population whilst maintaining the integrity of the food produced. Whilst at first this might sound simple, maintaining the integrity of the food we consume faces multiple issues such as pollution, climate change, food fraud and terrorism.

The food system is about to go through the biggest change since the industrial revolution. As identified by John Bell, of the European Commission, ‘we will not have security in the future without food security; and we will not have food security without safe food,’ and it is the issue of the how we ensure this security which is fundamental.

Some of the key areas of concern presented during the summit were: deliberate contamination of food, antimicrobial resistance, foodborne illnesses andpollution. But the summit went beyond simply identifying the issues: Chris Elliott, Professor at Queen's University Belfast, who chaired the event, aimed to bring together experts to make deliberate and radical changes to the food system as it stands.

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Amy Kircher, The Food Protection and Defense Institute, University of Minnesota, USA.

Deliberate contamination of food: Understanding the growing threat to the integrity of the global food system from food fraud and food terrorism.

The summit aimed to formulate a call for action for a robust global food defense system. As highlighted by Amy Kircher, of The Food Protection and Defense Institute, food is an attractive target because everyone eats. It is also hard to detect and hard to track where contamination comes from. Thankfully there is currently a trend towards international policy development to tackle large scale concerns around food terrorism.

The threat from pathogens to the food system:  Understanding the growing complexities and risks to human health from foodborne illness and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

With the health of over 600 million people a year being affected by foodborne illnesses every year, the formation of a global monitoring system for foodborne illness and AMR is critical. By bringing together thought leaders from both developed and developing countries, the summit aimed to bring this to fruition.

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Professor Chris Elliott, Queen's University Belfast and Chairperson of ASSET 2018

Delivering the nutritional needs for the 21st century global population:  Understanding the major nutritional challenges to support improved health and wellbeing of the human population.  

Food lacking integrity costs the global economy over $40 billion a year, and over 200 diseases are spread through food – leading to a catastrophic impact on humans worldwide. The summit aimed to bring together policy makersto ensure the health of the global population far into the future. 

Over the next few weeks, SelectScience will be publishing a series of interviews with the leading experts who attended the summit. Check back for regular updates >>