FOODSAFETY4EU is a Project focused to design, develop and release a multi-stakeholder platform for the future European Food Safety System (FSS), by structuring a participatory process, which sustains a responsive and adaptive community of FSS actors. The platform enables the FSS actors to access resources and data efficiently, synchronize food safety research strategies, share and exchange scientific knowledge and contributions for the future EU FSS. It boosts interactive cooperation within the system and with the civil society for enhancing public confidence through dedicated tools. A European Food Safety Forum was set up to officially consolidate the participatory process and guarantee the long term science-policy-society interface. New digital tools, co-designed strategies and communication models support Food Safety Authorities (FSAs), EU Agencies, policy makers, scientists and civil society in a coordinated approach, thus contributing to strengthen the EU approach to risk assessment & communication.

A participatory process on 4 levels is applied, inluding 1) Food Safety Hubs; 2) FSOLabs; 3) Digital tools; 4) FOODSAFETY4EU long term interface. 1) Food Safety Hubs - A first level of interaction between meso- and micro- level actors to share a homogeneous approach is represented by 4 Food Safety hubs in 4 defined EU areas (fig. 3). These 4 areas face quite similar issues in the local food safety systems, and have different food production chains, market dynamics and innovation/technological levels: 1) Northern area (Nordic/Baltic countries); 2) Western area (West and some EU central countries); 3) Eastern area (Adriatic sea and Balkan countries); 4) Southern area (Mediterranean countries).

Food Safety Operational Labs - the second layer of the participatory process includes the organization of 4 social labs, named “Food Safety Operational Labs” (FSOLab), in which FSS actors from micro, meso and macro level interact. Digital tools – A third layer of interaction is realized through the implementation of digital tools (fig. 6), constituted by an interlinked collection of Apps enabling: i) the interaction among the different actors from the macro-, meso- and micro- level within the FSS FOODSAFETY4EU long term interface - The fourth level of interaction among the FSS actors is realized by consolidating the participatory and networking process - in order to propose our platform as interface
for long term science-policy-society cooperation for the EU Commission.