OM A111

The global food and feed trade is increasing steadily, the food chain is becoming more concentrated and health crises caused by food-borne outbreaks create human suffering, social alarm and lead to vast losses for the industry. The same trends are being felt in the Mediterranean basin and scientific exchanges and cooperation must be enhanced between its countries, that share borders and experience a rise in food safety concerns. SAMEFOOD (Safe Mediterranean Food Network, www.iamz.ciheam.org/samefood) is an open networking initiative, promoted since 2013 by the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza of the International Centre of Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (IAMZ-CIHEAM) with the objectives of strengthening scientific cooperation for food safety and enhancing a scientifically-based approach in food safety risk assessment and communication in the Mediterranean Basin countries. The "kick-off" scientific activity of SAMEFOOD was the International Workshop "Food Safety Challenges for Mediterranean Products", that was held in Zaragoza (Spain) on 10-11 June 2014, organized by IAMZ-CIHEAM with the participation of the European Food safety Authority. This volume of Options Méditerranéennes publishes the proceedings of the Workshop, and contains 13 full articles on the invited presentations as well as 10 Country Profiles that summarize the institutional and governing map of food safety risk management in Albania, France, Greece, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey.