During the Ri.MED Symposium 2024, held recently in Palermo (Italy) Microbiomepost conducted an exclusive interview with Konstantinos Paraskevopoulos (European Food Security Autority, EFSA).
The EFSA expert underscores the importance of microbiome data in assessing the safety of food and feed products across the agri-food chain. EFSA is working to incorporate microbiome information into the risk assessment of chemical compounds in food, recognizing the microbiome’s ubiquitous presence in soil, plants, food products, and living organisms.
Given that microbiomes can influence food safety at multiple levels, EFSA is actively addressing data gaps and methodological challenges. To this end, the agency has initiated exploratory projects aimed at building a robust framework for microbiome integration in food safety assessments. Collaborative efforts with EU partners are essential to advance knowledge, refine methodologies, and ultimately enhance the precision of EFSA’s risk assessment processes, ensuring safer food systems for Europe.
