Project description
Safety information about novel foods in Europe
Europeans are developing an appetite for novel foods such as edible insects and cultivated meat. With the continued expansion of the market for these products, there is an increasing need to educate consumers on the possible risks involved in the process. However, data concerning regulated and unregulated contaminants in novel foods is not plentiful. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the PUREFOOD project aims to solve this challenge through screening for various contaminants including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, pesticides, microplastics and other organic pollutants. Such data could be used to establish factors affecting food safety and to evaluate human health risks of consuming novel foods.
Objective
The EU market for novel foods is expanding rapidly, with current products including novel plant-based alternatives, edible insects, mycoproteins, 3D-printed foods, algae-based foods, and edible packaging. Looking ahead, more novel foods are expected to enter the EU market, such as cultivated meat, single-cell proteins, and precision-fermentation dairy proteins.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) assesses certain contaminants in novel foods under Regulation (EU) 2015/2283, e.g. persistent organic pollutants (POPs), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and potentially toxic elements (PTEs).
However, comprehensive studies across multiple novel foods and broader range of regulated and emerging contaminants (RECs) are lacking in Europe. As the EU is preparing for the market entry of more novel foods, there is a narrow window of opportunity to ensure food safety.
Overall, the current knowledge of RECs in novel foods remains scarce. The 24-month PUREFOOD project aims to promote more equitable and effective regulation of food safety across Europe by screening a broad range of RECs in novel foods that are already approved or expected in the EU.
To achieve this goal, PUREFOOD will comprise three research work packages (WPs):
WP1 will collect up-to-date data on the import, production, and consumption of novel foods in the EU;
WP2 will focus on sampling and analysing both existing and emerging novel foods in the EU, for a broad range of RECs, e.g. brominated flame retardants (BFRs), organophosphate esters (OPEs), plasticisers, currently used pesticides (CUPs), chlorinated paraffins (CPs), PFAS, PTEs, and microplastics (MPs);
WP3 will identify factors influencing novel food contamination and evaluate associated human health risks.
PUREFOOD will expand my analytical capacity, shape my project management ability, and improve my communication skills. Its results are highly relevant to EFSA and will also benefit the research of the host and secondment groups.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- agricultural sciences animal and dairy science dairy
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- engineering and technology other engineering and technologies food technology food safety
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences environmental sciences pollution
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology entomology
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
2000 Antwerpen
Belgium
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.