Back to the Future. Sustainable Innovations for Ethical Food Production and Consumption

Between 11 and 14 September 2024  the EurSafe Congress welcomes you to Ede: the centre of Food Valley in the Netherlands. This conference is organised jointly by Utrecht University and Wageningen University and Research. EurSafe 2024 will focus on the ethics of novel food production and consumption scenarios. You can (still) submit your abstract for a presentation, poster or panel discussion. The submission deadline is 1 December 2023. 

In 1999 the first European congress on agricultural and food ethics in Wageningen showed the importance of international and interdisciplinary debate on the ethics of food security food safety, the impact on the environment, and the use of technology.

Almost 25 years later these topics are still on the agenda and even become more prominent. In a world that is coloured by climate change, global conflicts, energy and food crises, and post-Covid challenges, innovations and paradigm changes are needed to contribute to more sustainable food production and consumption. Next to technical challenges, sustainable innovations come with value assumptions, discussions on moral norms and the need for ethical decision making. Therefore, the ethics of agriculture, food, animals, and the environment is even more essential to study and discuss.

The EurSafe 2024 congress invites you to discuss sustainable innovations for ethical food production and consumption. This includes proposals to address the vulnerability of food systems, the environmental impact of food production, and long-term impact of climate change on food security and sovereignty. It also asks for reflection on the role of animals and technology in agriculture and food production. Themes include, but are not restricted to:

• Innovations in farming: e.g. vertical and urban farming, Smart farming and Agro-ecology and food forests;
• Novel technology in food production: e.g. cultured meat and dairy, biotechnology in food systems;
• Developments towards sustainable diets and consumption: e.g. locally sourced food, Slow food movement;
• Improvements in the food chain and ethical procurement of food: on the social and the environmental impact of a product from farm to fork:
• Climate justice, the reduction of emissions and waste, linking to food or consumption.

For each of these themes we invite contributions that address the ethical implications for animals, humans, and the environment and contributions that discuss the implications for the role of professionals, politics, and policy.

Next to the central conference themes, we also invite general contributions related to: 

• Veterinary and animal ethics
• Teaching ethics
• Aquaculture
• Intellectual property and patenting
• Pandemic preparedness
• Environmental ethics

We are working towards a diverse program of speakers and presentations. Again with different parallel sessions, in which you can engage in discussions about sustainable innovations for ethical food production and consumption. The conference will be preceded by pre-congress workshops on Wednesday September 11. We are planning to hold this congress  face-to-face.  

We invite you to submit an abstract for a presentation, poster or panel discussion via Oases. If you would like to organise a preconference workshop or special session, please mail us at Info@eursafe2024.org

Abstracts for peer review must not exceed 2,500 keystrokes including title, authors and addresses, and including spaces and punctuation. The title of your abstract can take up to 100 key strokes, including spaces. Abstracts must be written and presented in English. The submission deadline is 1 December 2023.