The recent listeriosis outbreak in South Africa has placed food safety top of the agenda. From 15 – 17 October 2018, food safety experts and scholars will gather at the St George’s Hotel, Pretoria, for the 2^nd International Conference for Food Safety and Security. Themed Next Generation Food Safety Technologies: Addressing Sustainable Development Goals, conference attendees will discuss pathways towards a safe food future for all.

“Food security and food safety are critical issues globally, and this Conference will allow world leaders in this field to engage in high level research conversations enabling South Africa to showcase excellence and innovation and thereby strengthening international collaboration,” says conference chair Professor Lise Korsten of the University of Pretoria, and co-director of the Centre of Excellence in Food Security (CoE).

The world’s biggest proportion of hungry, malnourished and poor live in developing countries. Therefore, indigenous knowledge, supported by innovation and technology is key to addressing the sustainable development goals in order to transform our world and create ‘The Future We Want’.

The Conference line-up includes an impressive cohort of students and early career researchers – funded through the CoE – who will showcase their research prowess alongside local, regional and international experts in the fields of food safety and security.

Topics on the agenda include food and health risk assessment, livestock infectious diseases and zoonoses, pesticides and chemical food safety, antimicrobial Resistance in the agro-ecosystem and current and emerging microbial foodborne pathogens and indicator systems.

It is expected that the conference will provide an avenue for the exchange of ideas among policy makers, scientists and various stakeholders on issues relating to food policy and regulation taking into account the implications and the legitimate expectations of consumers, i.e. safety, health and nutrition.

The conference is jointly hosted by the University of Pretoria; DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security, University of  Johannesburg,  Human Sciences Research Council, and the Agricultural Research Council in South Africa.