Feed quality & safety: An academia/research perspective

The EU has among the highest food and feed safety standards in the world to protect consumers, animals, plants and the environment. Despite this, food and feed safety incidents are reported every year when products or ingredients in food and feed have failed to meet these standards. In light of this it has been consolidated the idea that feed and food are the two sides of the same medal. As a result, farmers, nutritionists, industry, academia and governments have been forced to pay serious attention to animal feedstuff production processes, thereby acknowledging that animal feed safety is an essential prerequisite for human food safety. In this context it is essential to integrate knowledge on feed quality, safety and feed supply. Consequently, the use of new/alternative/innovative/novel sources of energy and protein in animal diets, which is expected to conform to adequate quality, traceability, environmental sustainability and safety standards, is an emerging issue in livestock production system. In light of these aspects, the presentation will provide a brief overview of the potential contribution of academia.