Food Safety Day: Science in Action

Date and time

Thursday, 5 June 2025
14:00–16:00 CEST, Virtual Event – MS Teams

Register here →

Call for video recordings

Joint FAO/IAEA centre will be collecting short video recordings from young scientists in Member States in response to the question: “What does the use and application of sciences to ensure food safety mean to you?”

Please share your video with the Food Safety and Control Section via email no later than 2 June 2025.

NB: The video should not exceed 1.5 minutes. The audiovisual settings shall be in high resolution.

Description

World Food Safety Day on 7 June is an international day set jointly by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). It aims to draw attention and inspire action to strengthen efforts, mainstream food safety in the public agenda, and reduce the burden of foodborne diseases globally.

The Food Safety Day for the year 2025 is launched under the slogan “Food Safety: Science in Action”, focusing on the crucial role that science plays in advancing research and knowledge to keep food safe. It emphasizes the vital role of all stakeholders—governments, businesses, and consumers—in putting that knowledge into action through effective policies, practices, and responsible choices to safeguard food at every stage.

Science is at the heart of food safety. It helps us understand what makes food unsafe and guides us on how to prevent foodborne diseases.

The Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture will celebrate this occasion by highlighting the efforts made jointly with member states related to food safety and the role of sciences in supporting policy makers, industries, producers, and consumers. On this occasion, a webinar will be held on 5 June 2025 with an emphasis on the following points:

• Showcasing the role of science, technology, and innovation (STI) in addressing key challenges in food and agriculture, with a focus on food safety and control.
• Underlining the support provided by the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre to the Member States in developing and implementing research projects relevant to national concerns on food safety.
• Demonstrating the role of youth in food safety science through launching a competition for young scientists on their comprehension of the role of sciences in food safety through as answer to: “What does the use and application of sciences to ensure food safety mean to you?”

Expected Outputs

• Increase the level of awareness about food safety and the role of sciences in solving major challenges.
• Share with the food safety network the efforts of the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre in using scientific applications and data generated to improve food safety status in Member States.
• Strengthen the importance of the use of nuclear sciences and biotechnologies to develop and improve analytical skills as response to food hazards detection and risk management.
• Showcase the role of youth in science with a focus on food safety - Announcement of the top five short video recordings.

Agenda

14:00 CET:     Welcome Remarks

Dongxin Feng, Director, Joint FAO/IAEA Centre

14:05:     Scene Setter

Mr Markus Lipp, Senior Food Safety Officer, FAO

- Trust Requires Science to be a Shared Reality

14:20:     Sharing the video compilation from individual short videos prepared by Member States representatives in response to the competition and announcing the winner award

14:30:     Keynote Presentation

Ms Chrsitina Vlachou, Head, Food Safety and Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Centre 

- Using Science to Empower Member States in Ensuring Food Safety, Security and Trade - Innovative Techniques and Collaborative Efforts

14:45:     Experience Sharing

From three counterparts of coordinated research projects supported by the IAEA, showcasing the results obtained through their research projects, which can be used by national governments and food safety authorities to improve the food safety status in the country:

• Ms QIN Huaili, Institute for Security Detection Technology, Tsinghua University, China
  - Dose Calculation and Verification Methods of Low Energy Electron Beam on Surface Treatment of Food Commodities: A case of “Soft Electrons for Safer Eggs”.
• Mr Muhammad Ismail Chughtai, Nuclear Institute for Agriculture & Biology (NIAB), Pakistan
  - Depletion of Selected Antimicrobials in Food-Producing Animals – As Case Study from Pakistan
• Ms Paloma Ellitson, General Manager of the Namibian Standard Institute
  - Enhancing National Food Safety and Aquatic Contaminant Monitoring Programs (TCP NAM/5/021)

Q&A

Closing

Moderator

Ms Rola Bou Khozam, Head, Food Safety and Control Section, Joint FAO/IAEA Centre