The agreement reflects a shared objective: to ensure that innovation supports competitiveness while maintaining the highest standards of food safety. Both institutions reaffirm their commitment to advancing robust regulatory science in order to protect public health in a context of rapid technological change and increasing complexity.
Under this renewed partnership, EFSA and FAO will promote science-based solutions aimed at building safer, more sustainable and resilient food systems. The collaboration aligns with the “One Health” approach, which recognises the interconnection between human, animal and ecosystem health.
The Memorandum covers priority areas such as plant and animal health risk management, sustainable agricultural practices, nutrition, as well as cross-cutting work on data, methodologies and scientific communication.
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The agreement also foresees strengthened cooperation on emerging issues, including novel foods, the use of artificial intelligence in food safety, and microbiome research.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, attended by Martin Selmayr, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Rome, EFSA’s Executive Director Nik Kriz highlighted the importance of the partnership. He expressed his pride in seeing the collaboration take shape and noted that combining expertise will better equip both organisations to address emerging challenges and reinforce safe, innovative and sustainable food systems, ultimately delivering tangible benefits for public health.
