It was announced today that a major food safety project in Europe and China will be spearheaded by the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen's University Belfast. The program has been made possible after a €10 million award was granted from the European Horizon 2020 program and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology program. The funds are intended to assist the EU and China with improving food safety and fighting food fraud.

According to professor Yongning Wu, chief scientist from the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, co-ordinator of the Chinese efforts in the project, says, "The EU-China-Safe partnership between our two trading regions is of immense importance to help deliver safe and genuine food to all citizens. Working together across China and the EU will enable us to identify where food fraud is happening, address the root causes and thereby enable us to improve food safety standards for all our citizens."

Labeled as the EU-China-Safe project, the initiative will involve many key players--government agencies, research organizations and the food industry at large. All parties will focus on improving food legislation, food inspection and increasing access to information across both continents. State-of-the-art technologies including a virtual laboratory will create a unique space to share and demonstrate best practice. The use of innovative technologies will result in improved detection of adulteration of food products as well as increased traceability and transparency of global supply chains.

Queens University Belfast estimates that cases of food fraud are worth about $52 billion each year, globally.

The EU-China-Safe project consists of 33 partners, including 15 in the EU and 18 in China.

EU Partners:
Queen's University Belfast; Vysoka Skola Chemicko Cechnologicka V. Praze; Bundesinstitut Fuer Risikobewertung; Agriculture and Food Development Authority; University College Dublin; Wageningen University; Joint Research Centre – European Commission; Fundacion Azti - Azti Fundazioa; Nofima As; Advanced Research Cryptography Limited; Jochen Kleboth; Euroquality Sarl; Fera Science Limited; Cranswick Country Foods Plc; Nestec SA.

China Partners:
China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment; Chinese Academy of Inspection & Quarantine; Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control; Jiangsu Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau; Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau of The People's Republic of China; China Meat Research Center; China National Research Institute of Food and Fermentation Industries SOE; China Agricultural University; Tianjin University of Science and Technology; Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences; Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University, Zhejiang; Ningbo Academy of Inspection and Quarantine Comprehensive Service Center for Technical Trade Measures; United States Pharmacopeia Standard R&D and Technical Service (Shanghai) Co Ltd; Danone Asia-Pacific Management Co Ltd; Nestle R&D China Ltd; Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co. Ltd; Jiangsu Yurun Meat Foods Co Ltd; The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

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