Photo: Source: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/
SafeConsume will contribute to addressing societal challenges and sustainable development goals in relation to the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.
UN has established 17 global goals such as ending poverty and hunger, improving health and education, combating climate change, protecting oceans and forests, ensure sustainable consumption and production, foster innovation and making societies more sustainable.
The objectives of SafeConsume match several of the Sustainable development goals, such as:
Good health and wellbeing
SafeConsume will support human health through reducing foodborne illness and increasing consumers’ confidence and competence in responsible and safe food handling and consumption.
As Salmonella and Campylobacter are the two most important contributors to the spread of antibiotic resistance through food, strategies developed in SafeConsume will also substantially contribute to reducing the spread of antimicrobial resistance.
Education, responsible consumption and production
SafeConsume will increase resource efficiency through providing knowledge (education) and solutions (tools) for better food-handling practices, shelf-life preservation and food waste avoidance in European households.
Recent estimates reveal that 70% of the total food waste occurs at households’ level, and it is often related to food safety considerations. This food waste is a challenge with negative environmental effect on energy, water and raw materials.
SafeConsume will establish the right balance between food safety and food waste in European households through consumer knowledge and providing technical/communicative solutions for preventing food waste by food risk anxiety. By enabling consumers to adopt risk-reducing strategies and better food handling practices food waste will be reduced for more sustainable consumption of foods.
Foster sustainable innovations and societies
SafeConsume will develop more inclusive, innovative and reflective societies by linking different actors from the food chain, including consumers, health, education, environmental and food safety authorities, manufactures of goods, food producers, retailers and NGOs working towards a holistic “One Health” approach in a sustainable food chain.