Italian flavour for meetings

The EHEDG is as busy as ever with a meeting in Parma, Italy and plans for a conference in November, as well as numerous meetings throughout the year. On top of this, the organisation needs a new secretariat to organise all these dates. Read more about the group’s activities this quarter.

Italian kick-off in Parma

Home to the European Food Safety Agency, Parma could not be a better place to host the Italian regional section. This was evident at the kick-off meeting in March, which gathered together important local players in the food and food equipment industry, backed up by the University of Parma and SSICA, a public institution promoting technological progress in the food sector. Ing. Giampaolo Betta and Prof. Roberto Massini of the Food Science and Technology section of the University’s Department of Industrial Engineering spearheaded the local initiative. They were supported by professors specialising in Industrial Mechanical Plants, Equipment Construction, Mechanics applied to Equipment, Food Microbiology, and Hygiene and Sanitation. From the local food companies, Barilla, Parmacotto, Parmalat and Sangemini were represented. Equipment manufacturers FMC, NIRO Soavi, PNR Italia and Procomac (all international corporate members), were joined by CFT Rossi & Catelli. The regional secretary, Ing Betta announced plans to hold an introductory seminar later this year. Work on translating key guideline documents (Doc 2 and 8) is underway. The birth of the Italian section marks a significant step in achieving our goals on a European scale.

EFSA and EHEDG

In Parma, Dr Herman Koëter, Executive Deputy Director and Director of Science spoke to the Executive Committee about the work of EFSA. It is the keystone of EU risk assessment with regard to feed and food safety. He stressed the independence of EFSA’s scientific activities from the European Commission and member states and its commitment to transparency in the selection of experts and work methods. There are currently nine panels charged with investigating questions on existing and emerging risks submitted by the general public. The panels provide scientific opinions, guidance and advice that eventually support changes in legislation. Dr Koëter pointed to the need, when conducting risk analysis, to separate the issue of risk assessment from that of risk management and acknowledged EFSA’s critical role, shared with member states, in risk communication. He conceded that timeliness in drafting opinions is sometimes a problem as scientific data may not be directly available and/or comparable and methods of analysis are time-consuming.

In her talk on “Risk Assessment of Biological Hazards in the EU”, Dr Marta Hugas complimented Dr Koëter’s talk by zooming in on the work of the BIOHAZ panel, which she chairs. Typically, their work is triggered by questions raised due to incidents related to food-borne diseases. Their approach follows the principles of risk assessment and the process is illustrated in the slide below. Key elements are the discussion of the problem at a plenary meeting, the assignment of risk assessment and involvement of shareholders, and public consultation prior to adoption of the scientific opinion. Their expertise includes food hygiene, food technology, microbiology, virology, zoonoses and animal health. She cited data collection projects, like the monitoring of zoonoses. This includes baseline survey studies collecting harmonised data in the 25 countries and the harmonisation of monitoring schemes across the EU. Among the recently released opinions are the advantages and disadvantages of anti-microbials and vaccines for the control of salmonella in the poultry industry, and the microbiological risks in infant formulae. An opinion on “Biological Hazards on microbiological criteria and targets based on risk analysis” was adopted on March 7. The full text is available on the website: www.efsa.europa.eu .

The two EFSA presentations are on www.ehedg.org

Strategy review

Training courses will continue to be developed for the regional groups, encouraging local qualified trainers to join the pool.

A new Editorial Board to review draft guidelines and articles for the press will be set up in an effort to improve accessibility of the documents, encourage regional input and to harmonise EHEDG authorised publications. The international and regional websites will be integrated into one site, providing links to regional sites, which will continue to feature local news and activities. Member-only access to discussion forums and guideline sales in PDF format are foreseen. The new site will hopefully take off later this year.

Students welcome at Lisbon Conference 14-16 Nov.

The EFFoST-EHEDG joint conference on “Food – new options for the industry” invites food science, engineering and technology students to participate in the event by submitting posters that present their research achievements while at university. Places are open to BSc or MSc students at a European University or College. The five best posters will be selected and authors will be awarded a certificate and cash prize. More info on www.effost-ehedg-conf.elsevier.com.

Secretariat vacancy

EHEDG is looking for a Secretariat Administrator, reporting to the Executive Committee. The job consists of the administration of a growing European membership organisation dealing with the publication of guidelines and training in hygienic engineering of components, equipment, processes and installations in the food industry. Coordination of communications with the Executive Committee, regional sections and subgroups is an important aspect. The secretariat also handles product certification files and assists in organising meetings and events. Duties include maintaining the databases and the website, processing membership applications and answering inquiries. This function could be home-based or hosted in the office of one of our member associations. More information on www.ehedg.org