Food traceability, a key asset for EU competitiveness

ENEA, in the forefront on the issue of food safety and quality, organized the international meeting “How traceability can unlock the potential of the agrifood sector in the EU” together with Italian Permanent Representation to the EU, in Bruxelles.

Traceability is a tool to convey products’ information as well as a guarantee to consumers as it allows, in case of any safety related problem, to trace back along the supply chain from the finished product to the raw material. Furthermore, it represents a key element for competitiveness; it acts as a lever to maintain the integrity of the supply chain and boosts the production and distribution of products whose value increases according to quality and origins of raw materials.

The topic has been addressed at the workshop “How traceability can unlock the potential of the agrifood sector in the EU” organized in Bruxelles by ENEA together with the Italian Permanent Representation to the EU and with the support of Banca Monte Paschi Belgio, Rai Com, Consenso and BXL Europe. At the presence of the MEP Paolo De Castro, the EXPO Commissioner General Bruno Pasquino, and the Deputy Permanent Representative Giovanni Pugliese, the event has been an opportunity to discuss and provide an overview of current and future scenarios of traceability in Europe. A comprehensive set of speakers representing all involved stakeholders (European Parliament, European Commission, Industry and Research representatives) debated on the topic analyzing it from different perspective angles.

ENEA is in the forefront on the issue of food safety and quality through the development of new diagnostic methods to ensure origin, authenticity and healthiness of raw materials and products and to prevent contamination along the food chain. Among the RTOs’ representatives, Massimo Iannetta and Giovanna Zappa from ENEA gave an overview about the role and importance of traceability in Europe for the agri-food industries and provide some best practices of research and innovation activities where ENEA is strongly involved.

Among the speakers are worth to mention representatives from the European Commission such as Michael Erhart - DG AGRI, Patrik Kolar - DG RTD and Tim Gumbel - DG SANTE. About 100 participants assisted to the workshop that provided all attendees with significant inputs and encouraged more links and collaboration among the considered actors.

For further information:

Massimo Busuoli, ENEA European Union and International Bodies Unit, massimo.busuoli@enea.it

Valerio Abbadessa, ENEA European Union and International Bodies Unit, valerio.abbadessa@enea.it