What opportunities and threats to a safe and trustworthy food system are emerging, for example new technologies, social change, new legislation, or changes to the labour market, and what sources of intelligence, scientific methods and foresight can help FSA anticipate them?

Background

The 21st Century food system is characterised by its complexity and innovation. The emergence of COVID-19 and the subsequent pandemic put immense strain on the global food system and tested its resilience. It highlighted that, in this interconnected and fast-moving world, we need access to the best data, intelligence and horizon scanning to understand changes in the system, the impact of these, and how they create vulnerabilities.

As a modern and accountable regulator the we must innovate and anticipate the impact of changes as well as make the most of new opportunities to regulate more effectively and efficiently. This includes adopting technological advances, digital tools and data analytics. It is also about using social research to gain a greater insight into the behaviour of consumers and the food businesses that supply them, to help ensure effective implementation.

Global events, new consumer trends, changing business practices, and food innovation can all create new risks and opportunities. In this area, we need research and evidence to understand the potential for disruption in our food system and the impact of change. We need to be able to identify new and emerging food technologies and be prepared for the opportunities and challenges arising from these novel foods and processes.

The overarching aim of this research priority is to ensure the FSA can remain at the cutting-edge when developing and implementing food regulations, can respond to emerging challenges and opportunities in a timely and effective.