Producing Healthy and Safe Foods

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Demographic change, the increase in nutrition-related diseases, as well as changing lifestyles and circumstances are some of the central social and scientific challenges of our times. The development of consumer-oriented product and process innovations for healthy, high-quality, affordable and safe foodstuffs is supported by the BMBF through the action area "Producing healthy and safe foods" within the National Research Strategy BioEconomy 2030. A healthy diet presupposes a corresponding availability of foodstuffs. In the area of agricultural production, efforts are underway to optimise the quality of plant and animal products. The objective is to secure and further develop the health effects, quality and safety of foodstuffs for all consumers.

Pollinators play a central role in the production of our foodstuffs, and thus research into the health of bees and bumblebees is also being funded. Copyright: Thinkstock A prerequisite for healthy foodstuffs is healthy animals. To this end, the BMBF has established a funding priority in the research area "Animal breeding and animal health" Animal health research will be provided with funding to investigate the causes, prevention and control of animal diseases. Research efforts into the sustainable production of animal-based foodstuffs, the minimization of the use of medicines, the optimization of animal hygiene measures as well as increasing infection resistance through modern concepts and innovative breeding methods, are all targeted for support. Efficient methods for the monitoring of animal diseases, measures to prevent the introduction of diseases, and new vaccines and alternatives to antibiotics for animals are being developed through the newEMIDA research initiative (Emerging and Major Infectious Diseases of Animals) as a supplementary European measure within the national funding initiative FUGATO (Functional Genome Analysis in Animal Organisms).

There is also a significant need for research in the area of process optimization along the food manufacturing chain. The support of and cooperation between various fields of research such as nanotechnology and biotechnology are essential to ensure the safety and quality of foods of animal and vegetable origin. Here, an emphasis is placed on research in the area of traceability systems for the hygienic quality, safety and shelf life of foods, as well as on the procedural improvement of food handling and processing.

Research provides our knowledge base for healthy and safe foods, and thereby contributes to our health, our well-being and our productive efficiency. The BMBF is funding the action area "Producing healthy and safe foods" with the objective of ensuring high-quality and safe foodstuffs from the field and farmyard, all the way up to the dinner plate.