EU-China-Safe comprised actors from public and private organizations, who had worked together to deliver a convergence of standards and practices between the EU and China, contribute to the development of international legislation, combat food fraud, and make food safer. A wide range of technical, societal and economic assessments were carried out, and a number of feasibility studies have been developed to support equivalency of results. Through twinning activities as well as establishing the EU-China (virtual) Reference Laboratory 2020 (RL2020) EU-China-Safe was able to identify, implement and showcase best practice. The project was able to demonstrate effective enhancements for supply chain management and security.
Data harmonization and visualization - has documented data collection, methods, procedures, sharing and archiving.
Food transparency and traceability - has explored various traceability techniques and technologies of several products moving between the EU and China, through two approaches: (a) DNA-based traceability and blockchain technology to provide provable provenance (b) Detection of inconsistencies in recorded claims by undertaking value chain mapping and analysis towards establishing the veracity of the claims for traceability systems.
Food authenticity - has dealt with bilateral knowledge transfer and implementation of methods to combat food fraud. It concerned detection methods for wine, dairy products, processed meats, organic fruits and vegetables products, and spices. State-of-the-art laboratory-based confirmatory methods and novel, portable on-site screening methods have been implemented.
Food safety - aimed at licensing, regulations, and innovative testing methods that might impact international trade. This work progressed through (a) A method for the analysis of chlorate residues in milk products. (b) A methodology for the analysis of the bound residues of eight banned nitrofurans, (including four new compounds). (c) An analytical test method for the analysis of antiviral drug residues in poultry muscle. (d) A multianalyte enzyme inhibition screening method for pesticide residues.
Building confidence and facilitating trade - has identified communication needs, expectations, perceived barriers, and facilitators to building trust and confidence, and on consumer views. Methods for file transfer and storage for the establishment of the RL2020 have been established. Work on case studies to examine the economic impact of food incidents has been performed, and two exercises have been made.
A dissemination and communication plan, as well as a training program for consortium members, external scientists and stakeholders were successfully implemented and delivered using various tools.
