Farming innovation and Food safety

An agricultural knowledge system has been developed to facilitate dialogue between agricultural practice and research in the region of Emilia-Romagna. The system develops based on a cyclic structure, pursuing production innovation through an intersectoral approach capable of integrating the entire innovation chain, both on the regional territory and at an international level.

Thanks to specific coordination tools, the agricultural knowledge system produces systemic knowledge, facilitating and constantly fuelling dialogue between the main stakeholders in the agriculture sector, with increasing focus on product quality, consumer health and environmental protection.

Food safety

Food safety is a core area of public health policy and is implemented by monitoring foods of animal and vegetable origin from farm to fork.

Both EU and Italian legislation place the primary responsibility on the food industry, which is directly responsible for the safety of the foods it produces. Quality control activities cover various functional areas, including health and safety monitoring of the production of foods of animal origin and related products, starting with the monitoring of slaughtering operations through to pre- and post-mortem inspections, processing, distribution and serving of foods of animal origin.

One key focus of these monitoring activities is products exported to non-EU states.

There are a great number of mutual opportunities and challenges: in animal health and welfare, with checks on animal products and foods of animal and non-animal origin, through checks on phytosanitary products, analyses of preparations and monitoring for residues in plant and animal materials.

In most of our region's PDO and PGI products (meat and dairy produce), the microbiological threat is checked starting with raw materials, with the requirements for specific quality and health and safety characteristics and lengthy curing or ripening processes.