The role of research in the future of the agro-food sector

In the agro-food industry,in line with the European Commission’s White Paper on Food Safety,it is now firmly acknowledged that quality must be planned and developed through- out the food production chain, irrespective of whether the food is of plant or animal origin. Food safety depends on all operators in the food sector, specifically with regard to foods of animal origin,where safety begins with animal nutrition and,even before that,in the “field”. The objective of food safety must be viewed in the context of a dynamic situation which is the result of advances in knowledge,the development of investigative tools and the results sought in terms of guarantees to be provided to consumers. With respect to food of animal origin, present-day consumers are concerned about a series of problems which,apart from intrinsic food safety issues,ultimately involve a whole set of aspects typical of the productive system.These include worker protection,environmen- tal safeguards and,today,even animal welfare,though the possibility of identifying which foods are obtained with “animal-friendly”methods is still hardly present in many countries, given current labelling practices.