Navigation und Service

Risk assessment: Essential ingredient for greater food safety

33/2024, 18.11.2024

BfR organises international symposium in Costa Rica

Pineapples from Costa Rica or fruit juices from Brazil­ – Latin America and the Caribbean are among the most important import countries for the European Union. International cooperation is needed to strengthen food safety and consumer health protection in both regions. The third Latin American and Caribbean Risk Assessment Symposium (LARAS) will take place from 10 to 12 December 2024. Representatives of European and Latin American food safety authorities will come together at the University of Costa Rica in San José to discuss current developments in risk assessment in the food sector. Under the motto “Risk assessment: the essential ingredient for food safety”, the symposium aims to identify new approaches and effective cooperation strategies for food safety in Latin America and the Caribbean. “Many Latin American countries are heavily dependent on the production and export of agricultural commodities. Therefore, food safety plays a special role for them,” says Professor Matthias Greiner, Vice President of the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). The symposium is also intended to facilitate closer networking between international stakeholders and thus contribute to the promotion of risk assessment.

Together with the University of Costa Rica and the Costa Rican Ministry of Economy, Industry and Trade, the BfR is organising this year's LARAS. Over the course of three days, speakers from over ten countries will give presentations on various topics relating to risk assessment and food safety. The focus will be on risk analysis in the food sector, exposure studies and risk communication.

In addition to the diverse international contributions, the BfR is also organising workshops on chemical risk analysis and risk communication. Participation in LARAS is possible on site and online. The symposium will be held in Spanish and English.

Cooperation partners of this year's LARAS are the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the International Regional Organisation for Plant and Animal Health (OIRSA), the Spanish Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and the 2030 Agenda, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA), the Chilean Food Safety and Quality Authority (ACHIPIA), the Portuguese Food Safety and Economy Authority (ASAE), the Uruguayan Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries and the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO).

The first LARAS took place in 2019 on the initiative of the Uruguayan Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP) and the BfR. The aim of the current symposium is to contribute to a new approach to food safety based on mutual trust, cooperation, multidisciplinary and modern science. In addition, LARAS aims to strengthen the Latin American and Caribbean risk assessment community by creating opportunities for collaboration in order to sustainably improve national and regional risk analysis structures.

Further information on the event and registration for online participation can be found on the LARAS website: https://laras2024.ucr.ac.cr/en.

Up