Food safety: Mairead McGuinness' reflections

Food safety: Mairead McGuinness' reflections, published in June 2015 on International Communication Summit

"Talking about food safety means addressing also the theme of political stability.” According to Mairead McGuinness, Vice-President of the European Parliament in charge of information and communication policies, Expo2015 represents an opportunity to share more far-reaching reflections on a global scale. Interviewed on the occasion of a conference on the theme, held at the beginning of May in Milan, McGuinness recalled how cross-party support, expressed by the European Parliament on food safety, is the result of a difficult but not impossible cooperation.

“Many of the differences we find between the European cultures related to food, share a common origin and this is the key to find the answers we need”, she underlined. Answers to the questions imposed by a complex scenery, constantly and quickly evolving. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), for instance, promoted at the beginning of the 50s to feed the European population tested by war “nowadays is no longer a product policy, it’s about the environment, the territorial balance, people and food”.

Implementing the research outcomes, promoting agriculture among the new generations, fostering a proper dialogue with citizens concerning the meaning of a healthy lifestyle are all decisive actions to be taken, according to McGuinness. “The message for the world development, Europe included, is a mix of interwoven elements: agriculture, food, health and energy, in view of future changes related to the inadequacy of natural resources. These are the challenges we’ll be called upon to tackle.”

See more here.