VIDEO | 60% of Italians have faith in science and technology

The event 'Food safety is science' was presented at the Chamber of Deputies, promoted and organized by the CL.A.N National Agrifood Cluster

ROME – On the occasion of World Food Security Day, proclaimed on 7 June by the United Nations General Assembly, today in the Chamber of Deputies the event 'Food safety is science' was presented, promoted and organized by the CL.A.N National Agrifood Cluster.with the aim of increasing awareness and the importance that food safety has for citizens, illustrating the methodological progress, processes and future scenarios of food safety.'

It is with great pleasure that I take this opportunity to greet President Mascarino and all of you and to underline, on behalf of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the entire Government, our closeness to organizations like yours, which play a crucial role in the agri-food sector.Our commitment is to support and promote the work of organizations that, with dedication and competence, contribute to food safety, also through innovation and the creation of new skills.We are certain that thanks to your collaboration and our support, we will be able to build a safer and more prosperous future for Italian agri-food.

This is what the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sustainability and Forestry, Francesco Lollobrigida, declared in a greeting message sent to the organizers on the occasion of the opening of the works. For Paolo Mascarino, President of the National Agrifood Cluster CL.A.N.and Federalimentare:'From today's event, the data that clearly emerges is that for Italians, science, technology and innovation are the solutions to counteract the risks linked to food safety.

This is a fact that comforts us because the role we play in research and innovation is perceived as an indicator of quality and trust towards the sector, which represents an undisputed value for guaranteeing consumers safe, good and well-made food. event, following the UN General Assembly resolution which 'invites all authorities, industry, consumers, relevant international organisations, NGOs and academia to participate in activities to promote food safety at all levels ' asked the Piepoli Institute to question Italian citizens on what their level of trust was in science, technological progress and the food industry and what were the perceived risks for achieving food security which for the United Nations represents one of the sustainable development goals that UN member states are called upon to achieve by 2030.

60% of the Italians interviewed have faith in scientific and technological progress and the largest portion belongs to young people between 18 and 34 who represent 75% of the overall aggregate data.The food industry, thanks to its production process, also plays a very important role in consolidating this positive 'feeling' and young people are those who express it most.For 80% there is food labelling, followed by quality certification (79%) and transparency (78%).Observing the overall aggregate data aimed at the industry, the population's trust is equal to 71%. Scientific research has made inroads among consumers.

In fact, 78% of those interviewed declare that they know one or more applications on the subject.25% identify it with intelligent food labelling, 21% with food preservation, while 20% identify it with precision agriculture and artificial intelligence.Science is then perceived as an advantage.In fact, for 35%, thanks to innovation there is greater food conservation, for 32% it increases productivity and for 28% food waste is reduced.Without the use of technologies applied to the food sector, however, for 31% of those interviewed the greatest risks could concern the loss of authenticity of some products, for 25% employment levels would be compromised, while for 27% it could increase the use of GMOs. For Italians the range of perceived food risks is wide, ranging between all three areas of food risks (biological, chemical and physical) which include antibiotics or hormones but also concerns linked to food preserved in an incorrect or expired and in the presence of GMOs (20%).

The data referring to the presence of foreign bodies (micro-plastics) are lower for 18%;food coming from uncontrolled countries 17%, while for 16% the risks are linked to the presence of viruses or bacteria.TV and the Internet are the most accredited sources and also those considered among the most reliable when it comes to topics related to food safety.In fact, for 59% of Italians, television is the most reliable and credible means of information, followed by the Internet for 19%.Newspapers, press, social media and influencers, on the other hand, are the least reliable and are judged at 14%, 6% and 1% respectively.Also with regards to dissemination, TV is the most popular media for 62% of Italians, followed by the Internet at 38% and the press at 23%.Giacomo Vigna, Directorate General for Industrial Policy, Reconversion and Industrial Crisis, Innovation, SMEs and Made in Italy of the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy, declared:'Food safety, in its various forms, also affects the food industry which knows how to play a fundamental role in this context.

It is an industry that, thanks to science, manages to keep products alive for longer, guaranteeing internal needs and exports.Mimit supports the entire agri-food industry with great pleasure and passion and pays close attention to consumers'. For Prof.Emanuele Marconi, President of CTS National Agrifood Cluster CL.A.N and Director of CREA:'The process applied to food guarantees food safety, availability and access to food, nutritional adequacy, sensorial acceptability, waste reduction in a context of circular economy and environmental, ethical, social and cultural sustainability.

Research and technological innovation in the food sector are in fact aimed at the continuous improvement of food safety and quality through the reduction of thermal and mechanical damage, chemical and biological contamination and the use of chemical means and additives and technological aids '.Francesco Cubadda, Coordinator of the LNR Nanomaterials and EFSA expert - National Institute of Health:'Ensuring food safety in a constantly changing global and production context is a difficult challenge.

Europe today enjoys the highest standards in terms of food safety:to ensure that this continues to be true in the future, commitment is required on many fronts.In terms of knowledge and scientific approaches to protect human health, the continuous methodological progress in food safety risk assessment demonstrates that the tools are up to the challenge.For Claudia Zoani,

Infrastructure Coordinator METROFOOD.IT – ENEA:'The development of sustainable agri-food products, as well as the promotion of healthy diets, involves food safety.And scientific research plays a fundamental role every day in increasing our knowledge on food safety:the activity of METROFOOD.IT fits into this context, the national research infrastructure to support agri-food systems financed under the PNRR and coordinated by ENEA, which presents itself as an interface between research and innovation, industrial actors and consumers, implementing technological transfer actions, so as to push the development of knowledge and skills to support agri-food.According to Giorgio Donegani, Spokesperson for the National Council of the Order of Food Technologists:'What emerges, as an extremely positive fact, is the structural dimension in which the approach to food safety in our country is located.A dimension in which scientific research, the most advanced control methodologies, the most innovative production and conservation techniques, can express their maximum potential thanks to effective coordination and support at an institutional level to offer maximum protection of consumers and excellence of our entire agri-food system'.