On October 16, the Faculty of Biotechnology of Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Porto celebrated World Food Day and began its 40th anniversary celebrations with the conference "Food Safety: Perspectives and Prospects". The event brought together experts, alumni, and collaborators of the faculty to discuss how to ensure safe, nutritious, and accessible food for all in a world facing alarming challenges.
The conference started with a striking statistic: in 2023, around 2.33 billion people worldwide faced moderate or severe food insecurity, a number that has remained stable since the sharp increase caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Of these, about 860 million people go hungry every day. The problem is so significant that it must be addressed at every level of study and action, and no institution can remain indifferent.
"Over these 40 years, the Faculty of Biotechnology has been an example of innovation, excellent research, and the training of highly qualified professionals with high-impact activities", said Isabel Braga da Cruz, Pro-Rector of Universidade Católica Portuguesa. Paula Castro, Director of the Faculty of Biotechnology, reflected: "There are many reasons to be proud of in our 40-year history and the next 40 years will certainly be equally intense and transformative. We know that, in a world that is constantly changing as ours, many of our graduates will probably not work in their exact area. Even if there were no other reasons, this is enough to demonstrate that focusing on developing people with the capacity to continuously develop their skills, much more than pre-defined specialists, is the desirable strategy for the future". At the end of her speech, Paula Castro formally thanked Francisco Carvalho Guerra for being the visionary who made the Faculty of Biotechnology a distinguishing reality on the national stage.
The conference itself began with a keynote speech by Roy Kirby, an international expert in food safety. Kirby, who has an extensive international background in food safety, addressed key global issues in the field and emphasized the need for innovative and collaborative solutions. Following his contribution, a roundtable discussion on "Engineering and Food Safety in Portugal" took place, moderated by Tim Hogg (faculty member of ESB), with participation from Ana Veiga de Macedo (food engineer and food safety consultant), António Vicente (food engineer and representative of the Order of Engineers), Lilia Ahrné (food engineer and professor at the University of Copenhagen), and Nuno Soares (food engineer and author of "How to Sell Food Safety"). The focus was on solutions and practices to address the current challenges in the food sector.
Isabel Capeloa Gil, Rector of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, closed the event with a message about the future: "We are here to celebrate the next 40, 50, and 60 years of ESB. However, I want to highlight four essential characteristics of this faculty: vision, belief, hard work, and, finally, genius. The Faculty of Biotechnology has changed the paradigm of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, asserting itself and transforming the field of science".
With this event, the Faculty of Biotechnology reaffirms its commitment to continue promoting innovative and sustainable solutions to global challenges, preparing to face future demands and significantly contribute to the sustainable development of society, the country, and the planet.
