The DEFENSEFOOD consortium successfully conducted its first General Assembly, held virtually on 26 March 2026. Project partners and members of the Ethics Advisory Board gathered to review the project’s progress, discuss upcoming activities, and align the next steps required to support DEFENSEFOOD’s long-term impact on food safety, food security, and the overall resilience of the food supply chain.
The meeting opened with remarks from SCJS, the project coordinator, Charles Rimmer, followed by a comprehensive project update delivered by Ákos Bernard Jóźwiak, the Scientific Coordinator (SYREON), setting the stage for the work package discussions that followed.
Members of the Ethics Advisory Board also joined the meeting for the first time, introduced themselves to the consortium, and presented their overall role within DEFENSEFOOD. The discussion provided an overview of how the Board will support the project through ethical guidance, activity review, and transparent decision-making processes throughout the project lifecycle.
During the General Assembly, Work Package leaders from SYREON, RIVM, WR, UniBw M, UBUNTOO, RFF, SCJS and other consortium partners presented progress, results, technical advancements and future priorities across WP1-WP7. The discussions connected scientific development, policy relevance, operational needs and scaling directions, ensuring that the consortium remains aligned around both technical excellence and real-world uptake.
The meeting also included an overview of dissemination, communication and stakeholder engagement activities, with partners reviewing recent progress and upcoming actions to strengthen DEFENSEFOOD’s visibility and stakeholder involvement.
The DEFENSEFOOD consortium is now moving into a phase of intensified dissemination and stakeholder engagement, with a focus on its key outputs, digital tools, and knowledge platforms, to ensure a lasting impact on food safety and resilience across the food supply chain.
