2nd GHI World Congress on Global Food Safety and Security: Stepping up the Transition of the Global Food System for a Sustainable Future

We are sorry to inform you that we have had to postpone the GHI World Congress planned for March 2024 to the following year in 2025. This is a decision that we have not taken lightly.

We have received many relevant, interesting and high quality abstracts. However, we have also had feedback from many people who would have liked to attend but can no longer raise the funds due to inflationary costs in their countries. Others have contacted us to say that they are concerned about the continuing unrest across the world and are unable to commit to attend at this stage due to the rapidly changing situation.

The additional planning time in postponing the Congress will also give us an opportunity to set up sponsorship programmes to enable speakers from disadvantaged countries to attend in person. We feel it is very important to ensure a global perspective by having representation from many regions and countries.

Thank you for showing your interest in speaking at the GHI World Congress, we very much value your contribution and hope that we can find an alternative range of dates in 2025 that would be convenient for you. The 2025 GHI World Congress will also be hybrid (on-line and in-person) and held at the Hilton Hotel, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The only difference will be the date. We will be in-touch with you again to find out your preferred 2025 dates as we would very much value your participation at the 2025 event.

Thank you for your understanding.

It is with great pleasure that the Global Harmonization Initiative (GHI) invites you to attend the 2nd GHI World Congress on Global Food Safety and Security, 18 – 20 March 2024, in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. This international Congress will explore the theme: Stepping up the Transition of the Global Food System to a Sustainable Future. There is a pressing need for resetting the not-fit-for-the-purpose world food systems that is supposed to provide nourishment, jobs, and economic opportunities. Hunger is on the rise, healthy diets are unaffordable for the world’s poorest people, and ~30% of food produced is wasted. Moreover, the global food system is unsustainable. Food systems are responsible for around a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, and have contributed to ~60% of the loss of biodiversity since the 1970s.

There is a need to move towards a more sustainable food system in which food is produced to adequately feed the current generations without compromising the economic, social and environmental foundations for future generations. A food system transition is required that will significantly change the way food is produced and consumed. This will change diets and food habits, whilst improving food safety, and the adequacy and security of the food chain. These topics are high on most national and global political agendas, encouraged by the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, and the Green Deal of the European Union. The GHI provides leadership by developing frameworks for global harmonisation among nations on aspects of food safety, food security and food quality.

In bringing together leading scientists, researchers and research scholars from academia and industry, policy makers and prominent decision makers from international organisations, activists and representatives from civil society from across the globe, GHI aims to advance the conversation about the important role of science in improving food security and safety through providing the foundation for meaningful legislation and regulation. Topics of interest that the Congress will explore include:

  • Innovations in food safety and security
  • Innovations in food safety training and education
  • Nutrition for sustainable and healthy diets
  • Consumers and sensory science
  • Sustainability of food systems
  • Security of food
  • Future foods
  • Food regulation of future foods
  • Transformation of future food systems and emerging food industries
  • Trends in health and nutrition including gut health
  • Personalised nutrition
  • Antimicrobial resistance
  • Food microbiology
  • Functional foods
  • Food nanotechnology

The issues of food safety and security, and the need for necessary food and diet transitions for a sustainable future are the focus of this 2nd GHI World Congress, which seeks to establish new directions in ensuring food safety and security of supply chains around the world.

The outcomes from this 2nd GHI World Congress will provide additional ways to improve the status of human health and help to eradicate hunger and malnutrition.

It is time to make changes. The members of GHI must help the world meet these needs using their collective scientific knowledge and technologies to provide the foundation for improvement of food safety and security for future generations. On behalf of the GHI membership, scientific and organising committees, we invite you to join us in March 2024 for this special scientific programme.

Dr. h.c. Huub Lelieveld, President, Global Harmonization Initiative

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