“We provide people in Hungary with safe and high quality foodstuffs”
Hungalimentaria, a conference and exhibition of great traditions, took place again
Prominent representatives of Hungary's food safety sector emphasised the importance of testing laboratories and strategic thinking from the aspects of food safety, the elaboration and adoption of standards, the circular economy and coordinated problem management, for the 14th time this year, at the Hungalimentaria conference and exhibition organised by the National Food Chain Safety Office (Nébih) and Eurofins Analytical Services independent laboratory, with agricultural minister Dr. István Nagy as patron of the event.
The conference was opened by Dr. Beáta Olga Felkai, deputy state secretary in charge of food chain supervision, of the Ministry of Agriculture, who said that in a continuously changing world the work of laboratories is reliable foundation when it comes to the development of standards, for programmes aimed at providing information for, and at educating, increasingly conscious consumers, or for the operation of the High Quality Food (KMÉ) trademark system.
Dr. Beáta Felkai pointed out that we are facing numerous challenges in food safety, as for instance crop protection products, packaging materials, marking, the fight against food adulteration, animal protection, laboratory developments, logistics, exports and imports, or current issues relating to energy, all necessitate strategic thinking and action. The aim is to provide people living in Hungary with safe, high quality and preferably Hungarian foodstuffs, the deputy state secretary emphasised.
“While back in 2012, when Nébih was launched we started with the motto From the Farm to the Fork, how with our Without leftovers campaign we wish to draw attention to agricultural soil again in the spirit of circular economy, in adaptation to the changing processes – said Dr. Márton Oravecz, president of the National Food Chain Safety Office. In his welcoming address he emphasised the role of laboratory tests and their contribution to the efforts of authorities and businesses as well regarding compliance with limit values and decision making on a variety of subjects.
“Hungalimentaria’s objective is to bring scientific and practical aspects of analytical chemistry, microbiology and molecular biology as well as topical matters of the legal regulations regarding foodstuffs closer to laboratories performing tests of foodstuffs and feeds as well as decision makers and the participants of the food industry – said Dr. László Zanathy, Managing Director of Eurofins Analytical Services Hungary Kft., independent laboratory, organiser of the event in cooperation with Nébih.
A number of particularly important areas, including the testing of allergens in foodstuffs, the newly introduced meat substitute food products or antibiotic-resistant bacteria, pose a constant challenge and tasks for independent laboratories such as the international market leader Eurofins group.
During the plenary presentations of the conference and exhibition Dr. József Baranyi (of the Debrecen University) drew attention to the importance of Big Data, emphasising that smart analysis of an immense – and exponentially growing – amount of data has become and indispensable requirement. In his analysis Tamás Éder (Bonafarm) noted among other things that export has been pulling the growth of the food industry in recent years and that the share of domestic products in the consumer basket has increased, however, the participatns of the sector are about to face numerous challenges in the near future of which the dramatic price increase is only one. Melinda Kovács (of the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences) discussed the integrated and unifying approach referred to as “One Health”, the aim of which is uniform management of the health of the ecosystems of humans, animals and health sciences, through cooperation among multiple disciplines because our problems have also become global, unfortunately.
Again, true to the established traditions, nearly 60 presentations were delivered in eight different sections during the two days of the 2023 Hungalimentaria, which was jointly organised by the National Food Chain Safety Office (Nébih) and Eurofins Analytical Services Hungary Kft. independent laboratory, legal successor of Wessling Hungary Kft. a company of a more than 30 year professional history. The programme comprised the widest possible variety of subjects, including the adulteration of dairy products, changes in legislation on drinking water and foodstuffs, compounds leaching from packaging materials, GMOs, the testing of mycotoxins, alternative protein sources, prohibited substances in weight loss products and in male potency enhancers, toxic substances of plant origin in foodstuffs, the importance of official controlling and inspection, the role of sample taking, the definition of probiotics, carbon footprint analysis along the food supply chain, digital identification for lifelong tracking of packaging, methods of testing of disinfectants used in the food chain. Visitors could also watch presentations on public catering and nutrition-health.