Scientific research food safety
The benefits
In short- High-quality scientific research
- Together with stakeholders and other knowledge institutions
- Identify emerging risks
- 'Safe by design' method
- Public-private cooperation projects
Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR) conducts high-quality scientific research to ensure food and feed safety now and in the long term. We carry out this research together with future stakeholders or users and often with other knowledge institutions. We develop new analytical and data-driven methods to detect substances, viruses and bacteria and look at their potentially harmful effects. We investigate and model how such substances and organisms spread along the production chain. Such research also has an international impact, for example in the pursuit of European harmonisation of analytical methods and standards.
Companies operating in the food production chain work with us when the company wants to be ready for future developments. These developments are typically prompted when a company wants to become more sustainable and, to do so, starts using new processes or new ingredients which has a potential impact on safety. In addition, companies want to identify emerging risks and take mitigating measures, for instance when rising water temperatures lead to new toxins in fish or shellfish. For companies developing or wanting to use new ingredients in their food product, we use a 'safe by design' method. We prefer to do this in public-private cooperation projects via top sectors.
We also conduct research with other national and international knowledge institutes, often in the form of European research projects. Companies can also join these. In these projects, we often focus on deepening our technical knowledge linked to one or more practical applications.
Three research themes
We are actively working on three programmes in which global challenges (climate change, biodiversity loss and sustainable proteins) have an impact on the safety of food and animal feed.
Discover our research areas and collaboration opportunities
We develop new cell and enzyme assays and rapid tests based on antibodies. We apply these internally, e.g. for screening purposes and toxicity determinations. We are also active in further development and validation for use by third parties.
We investigate which substances pose a toxicological hazard to humans and animals, from which concentrations and via which mechanisms of action. The starting point is to conduct this research without using laboratory animals. We are therefore also working on the development of non-animal test methods.
We are developing tools to predict and prioritise food safety hazards in all kinds of different food systems. Key drivers for change focus on circular economy, new protein sources and climate change.
We use data science and artificial intelligence to investigate food safety hazards from big data. We also use data science to automate our work and make it more robust.
Get inspired
Get in touch with our expert
If you are interested in collaboration on innovative research projects or would like further details about our services, please contact us.
dr.ing. BJA (Bjorn) Berendsen
Program Manager Statutory Tasks Food Safety Policy - Senior Researcher
