July 21, 2009
Crown Research Institute ESR and the Chinese Cereals and Oils Association (CCOA) are collaborating on food safety research and development with a focus on detecting food hazards in the food chain.
CCOA is the national scientific and technical organization for the cereals and oils industry, and a member of the Chinese Association for Science and Technology (CAST).
ESR Food Programme leader, Dr Stephen On, said the collaboration would initially focus on particular hazard areas such as mycotoxins.
Mycotoxins are substances produced by moulds that contaminate agricultural produce such as grains and cereals either before harvest or under post-harvest conditions. Eating mycotoxin-contaminated produce is related to several acute and chronic diseases in humans as well as in animals.
"Both parties are keen to share information and data on the prevalence of different mycotoxins and also the scientific methodologies and protocols for detecting them," Dr On said.
"Mycotoxins are a focal point for our collaboration that will also encompass, in time, other food safety issues relevant to both nations. Food is a central part of the Chinese and New Zealand economies and our bilateral cooperation will help address some of the food safety challenges that we face. The globalisation of food make it essential for countries to work together to protect public and economic health.
"We are really excited by the opportunities in joint research and collaborations this will bring, and in opportunities for staff exchanges, and training. We feel the agreement reflects well upon the strong messages from Prime Minister John Key on the importance of bilateral cooperation for mutual benefit."
The collaboration is the result of ESR’s involvement in several European Community funded food safety projects including the MoniQA project. MoniQua stands for Monitoring and Quality Assurance in Food. It aims to standardise and harmonise rapid methods used worldwide for the detection of food-borne risks. ESR is the deputy leader of the microbiology and environmental contaminants streams.
- CCOA is a national scientific and technical organization for the cereals and oils industry, and a member of the Chinese Association for Science and Technology (CAST). CCOA has eleven divisions: Grain Storage, Foods, Rice Products, Breads, Oils and Fats, Feed, Information and Automation, Grain Transportation, Quality Inspection and Research, Corn Processing, and Marketing, with 7,700 individual members and 1098 corporate members. CCOA has a good relationship and cooperation with government departments, enterprises, research institutes, and universities.
- ESR is a New Zealand government owned Crown Research Institute (CRI) providing research and specialist science services to government organisations particularly in the areas of food safety, water management, communicable disease, population and environmental health surveillance, bioterrorism, biosecurity and forensic science.
- The formal Memorandum of Understanding between ESR and CCOA was signed in Christchurch yesterday.