Europe-funded food safety initiatives are now in full swing, with a particular focus on enhancing food safety standards in Africa. One prominent project, known as FS4Africa, aims to address various challenges such as mycotoxin contamination in a wide range of food crops, pesticide residues, microbial contamination, and food adulteration. The primary objective is to enhance food safety systems across Africa, especially within the informal sector, by developing and implementing relevant policies.
This project, backed by nearly €5 million ($5.4 million) from Horizon Europe, is led by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Nigeria and is scheduled to run until December 2027. Collaborating partners include renowned institutions like Wageningen University, the University of Pretoria, the African Union Development Agency, Foodscale Hub, Innovation Technology Cluster, and Bayer.
Another key initiative focuses on addressing food safety practices and mycotoxin contamination throughout the food supply chain, from production to consumption. The UP-RISE EU-African Union project will involve fieldwork in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa, targeting fermented food products based on maize, millet, sorghum, or milk. These efforts will be implemented in 10 SMEs located in the specified member states.
Efforts under this project aim to enhance the regulatory framework concerning mycotoxins in both formal and informal sectors, provide early warning systems to prevent contamination, combat food loss, and improve overall food safety standards through innovative mycotoxin reduction solutions. With a substantial funding of over €5 million ($5.4 million) from the EU, this project, led by Ghent University, is expected to continue until December 2027, with collaboration from partners such as the National Research Council (CNR), the University of Nairobi, Women in Africa, ADS Insight, and the Université de Montpellier.
Additionally, there is a project titled CATALYSE, which aims to enhance knowledge sharing and promote innovative solutions along the food value chain. It seeks to facilitate communication among key stakeholders such as end-users, innovators, practitioners, trainers, and regulators to address practical needs effectively. The partners involved will provide education and training on food safety, support start-ups and SMEs in the food industry, and make critical information on food safety practices accessible through an open access platform. This project, supported by under €2 million ($2.1 million) in funding and led by Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, is slated to run until December 2026 in collaboration with partners like Nofima, EFFoST, Ruokavirasto, FoodDrinkEurope, and ANSES.
Lastly, the MYCOBEANS project focuses on exploring emerging risks associated with mycotoxins in legumes used as alternative plant protein sources. This project, spearheaded by the University of Parma and involving partners like Barilla and R-Biopharm, aims to introduce innovative approaches in mycotoxin diagnostics, toxicological evaluations, and biotechnological mitigation strategies along the plant protein supply chain. Collaborating institutions include Queen’s University Belfast, Lynn’s Country Foods, and the National Science and Technology Development Agency in Thailand.