On the World Food Safety Day on June 7, 2022, the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, the Italian Embassy in China and the Italian Ministry of Health jointly hosted the China-Italy Food Safety Science and Technology Seminar. Chinese Vice Minister of Science and Technology Zhang Guangjun, Italian Undersecretary of Health Andrea Costa, and Italian Ambassador to China Luca Ferrari addressed the seminar.
In his speech, Vice Minister Zhang Guangjun said that food safety is an important issue vital for the survival and development of mankind. China always sees Italy as an important partner in science, technology and innovation, and the two countries have long maintained a close relationship of scientific and technological cooperation, and worked together to promote scientific and technological cooperation in priority areas such as food safety. It is hoped that the seminar will build a platform for exchanges and cooperation between experts in the field of food safety from both countries, leverage the important role of science and technology in supporting food safety and people‘s health, and contribute to the well-being of humanity.
In his speech, Undersecretary Andrea Costa said that in order to achieve the global health goals of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, interdisciplinary collaboration among countries is needed, and it is important to promote science, technology and innovation cooperation in this field. Italy is ready to work with China to support closer exchanges and cooperation between scientists from both countries and play an active role in addressing global challenges in the field of food safety.
Ambassador Luca Ferrari said that all governments in the world need to attach importance to food safety. Science, technology and innovation is an important way to address the challenge. The Italian Embassy in China will continue to promote science, technology and innovation cooperation between the two countries in the field of food safety and facilitate the sharing of best practices in policies, systems, methods, tools and other aspects.
Li Peiwu, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and researcher at the Oil Crops Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences; Chen Ying, Vice President, Chief Engineer and researcher at the Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine; Wu Yongning, Chief Technical Officer of the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment and head of WHO Collaborating Center of Food Contamination Monitoring (China); Romano Zilli, Director of the Research and Innovation Office of the Institute for Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Food Safety Lazio and Tuscany Regions; Beniamino Cenci Goga, member of the External Review Working Group of the European Food Safety Authority and professor at the University of Perugia; and other Chinese and Italian experts made keynote presentations. Experts and scholars from relevant research institutions and universities of the two countries attended the seminar online.
