A Food Defense Plan Builder is more than just a compliance tool. it’s a practical resource that helps organizations protect food products from intentional contamination while strengthening food safety culture.

But how can we use it in our daily work life?

• Identify vulnerabilities:…

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Adrián Valdeolmillos López is Chief Growth Officer at URAPHEX. His career has taken him across the entire innovation value chain, from R&D and technology transfer to startup acceleration, strategy, investment and business growth. Through experience across different stages of inn…

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Vladimir Surčinski is Vice President & CEO of ENFIT – International Association – Supply Chain Safety. His career in food safety has been shaped by extensive experience as an auditor, trainer and industry leader. Through more than 1,350 food safety audits, training activities and invol…

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Hein Timmerman is Global Sector Specialist Food & Beverage at Diversey, A Solenis Company and President of EHEDG. Throughout his career, he has worked with leading global food and beverage manufacturers to improve food safety, cleaning performance and hygienic process design. His experience started…

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Rui Sousa Magalhães is a Biotechnology Researcher at Universidade Católica Portuguesa, CBQF. He has a background in Biochemistry, followed by specialised training in Microbiology and a PhD in Biotechnology. Throughout his academic and research career, Rui has focused on food safety, pa…

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I created this guide to Ukrainian cheeses that have been recognized at the international World Cheese Awards and the national ProCheese A…

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Applications are now open for the 42nd Cycle of the PhD Programme in Agrisystem at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.

This is an exciting opportunity for graduates and early-career researchers who want to contribu

te to cutting-edge research on agriculture, food systems,…

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Applications are now open for the 42nd Cycle of the PhD Programme in Agrisystem at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.

This is an exciting opportunity for graduates and early-career researchers who want to contribu

te to cutting-edge research on agriculture, food systems,…

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In a new publication within the scope of the MICROORC project, researchers investigated the relationship between microbial development and consumers odour-based decisions to accept or discard industrially packed chicken breasts…

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Find the monthly updates here: Early detection for food safety

In this June edition, you can read about:

• The spread of antimicrobial resistance genes in Salmonella is accelerated by climate…

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In this edition of the CATALYSE “Meet the Expert” series, we speak with Roy Kirby, Partner at FoodSaferm. 

Roy has more than 30 years of experience across multinational corporations, academia and regulatory agencies, with a consistent focus on protecting consumers. As Chief Food Safety Officer at Mondelēz International, he led global, mult…

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In this edition of the CATALYSE “Meet the Expert” series, we speak with Ines Colle, R&D Manager Food Product Performance at Flanders’ FOOD. 

Ines combines a strong scientific background with practical industry experience. She trained as a bioengineer in food technology at KU Leuven, where she also completed a PhD on the bioavailability of lycop…

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In this edition of the CATALYSE “Meet the Expert” series, we speak with Mathilde Guichet, Quality & Regulatory Compliance Coordinator at Plantacorp GmbH. 

Mathilde graduated from INP Bretagne with a degree in Microbiology and Quality Engineering. She began her career in Germany at a novel food startup, where she worked on regulatory affairs and hel…

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In this edition of the CATALYSE “Meet the Expert” series, we speak with Iñigo Echeverría, Chief Executive Officer at Ozonium. 

Iñigo has long been interested in entrepreneurship, with his first company also linked to the food and beverage sector. During the COVID-19 pandemic, that business faced major challenges as sales became difficult and hospit…

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In this edition of the CATALYSE “Meet the Expert” series, we speak with Georgios- Ioannis Nychas, Emeritus Professor at the Agricultural University of Athens. 

His interest in food microbiology began during his university studies, where he was first introduced to microbiology and the complexity of microbial systems. This early experience shaped his…

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In this edition of the CATALYSE “Meet the Expert” series, we speak with Yelco Gonzalez, Founder and CEO of AuditQ. 

Yelco’s background is in software quality and testing, where he experienced the burden of audit preparation first-hand as a quality manager. Even in a digital environment, preparing for two audits per year was already a signi…

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In this edition of the CATALYSE “Meet the Expert” series, we speak with Ueli von Ah, Research Group Leader Biotechnology at Agroscope. 

Ueli studied food science at ETH Zurich before completing a PhD in food biotechnology. After a postdoctoral position in clinical microbiology, he joined Agroscope, where he first worked in fermentation tec…

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In this edition of the CATALYSE “Meet the Expert” series, we speak with Dr. Nicole Lenz-Ajuh, Deputy Research Group Leader at Agroscope. 

Nicole works in the Risk Assessment and Risk Mitigation group at Agroscope, where her focus is on biological hazards in the food chain, particularly viral hazards. A key part of her current work is the pla…

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In this edition of the CATALYSE “Meet the Expert” series, we speak with Dr. Richa Chauhan, Founder and CEO of Flexinat GmbH. 

Dr. Chauhan holds a PhD in spectroscopy from the University of Basel and spent 15 years as a laser engineer in Zurich, developing strong expertise in optical systems and photonic instrumentation. Over time, she became inc…

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In this edition of the CATALYSE “Meet the Expert” series, we speak with Ward Van Durme, Co-Founder at Tracena. 

Ward has worked in promising Ghent-based tech startups since college, building digital processes that support real businesses and can adapt quickly when needed. His connection to the food sector, however, started much earlier. For mor…

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In this edition of the CATALYSE “Meet the Expert” series, we speak with Kerstin Pasch, Head of DIL Networks at DIL Deutsches Institut für Lebensmitteltechnik, the German Institute of Food Technologies. 

Kerstin has worked in European food research for more than 20 years. She began her career as a representative of two German industry asso…

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In this edition of the CATALYSE “Meet the Expert” series, we speak with Marta Hugas, independent expert and former Chief Scientist at EFSA. 

Marta is a food microbiologist with many years of experience in risk assessment and risk communication. She spent the first 20 years of her career as a food safety scientist at IRTA in Catalonia, Spain. She…

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In this edition of the CATALYSE “Meet the Expert” series, we speak with Dr. rer. nat. Daniel Kümin, Head of Biosafety at Agroscope. 

Daniel’s interest in biosafety began early, sparked by a childhood fascination with people working in protective suits. This curiosity eventually led him to study biotechnology and molecular biology, with a specia…

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In this edition of the CATALYSE “Meet the Expert” series, we speak with Dr. Sylvia Pfaff, Managing Director at FIS Europe. 

Dr. Pfaff studied Food Chemistry in Hamburg and has worked as a consultant for the food industry since 1996. Her expertise covers food safety and quality management, allergen management, hygiene, and packaging. Over the yea…

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In this edition of the CATALYSE “Meet the Expert” series, we speak with Quivin Legler-Pabalate, Production & Quality Manager at Artisan Roasters AG. 

Quivin’s career began in microbiology, a field that has been a long-standing interest throughout his professional journey. After completing a biology degree, he started as a microbiologist in the P…

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In this edition of the CATALYSE “Meet the Expert” series, we speak with Alessio D’Antino, Founding Partner and CEO of Forward Fooding. 

Alessio began his career at Diageo before moving into the startup world in Silicon Valley, where he became convinced that food and technology were beginning to converge in new and meaningful ways. He first launc…

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In this edition of the CATALYSE “Meet the Expert” series, we speak with Peter van Bladeren, Consultant at PVB Conseils Innovation and member of the Académie Française des Technologies. 

Peter’s career began in organic chemistry and toxicology at the University of Leiden, where he completed his PhD in 1981. After research fellowships at the Nationa…

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Food safety relies not only on scientific innovation but also on regulatory frameworks that allow businesses to respond effectively to emerging challenges. In this edition of Meet the Experts Behind CATALYSE, we speak with Gianpaolo Rando, inventor, molecular biologist, entrepreneur, and CEO of SwissDeCode. 

For more than a decade, Gianpaolo has…

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A successful food system depends on understanding the connections between animal health, nutrition, food quality, and sustainability. In this edition of Meet the Experts Behind CATALYSE, we speak with Teresa G. Valencak, Priv.Doz. Dr. at the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), Competence Center for the Food Chain. 

An animal…

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Understanding and controlling microorganisms remains one of the most important aspects of food safety. Through research, monitoring, and collaboration with industry, food microbiologists help identify risks and develop practical solutions that protect both consumers and food products. In this edition of Meet the Experts Behind CATALYSE, we speak…

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A successful food safety system relies not only on scientific excellence but also on effective communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. In this edition of Meet the Experts Behind CATALYSE, we speak with Corinne Danan, Head of the Salmonella and Listeria Unit at ANSES Food Safety Laboratory. The laboratory holds national and European…

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