In celebration of World Food Safety Day with the theme "Science in Action", Hacettepe University Food Engineering students, alongside Codex Alimentarius Vice-Chairperson, Dr Betül Vazgeçer participated in an interactive event designed to highlight the critical importance of food safety.

The event began with students engaging in group activities to tackle real world food safety challenges through carefully designed case studies. These scenarios reflected pressing food safety issues, ranging from microbial contamination to chemical contamination, encouraging students to assess risks, propose critical control points (CCPs), and discuss regulatory frameworks.

During the workshop, students exchanged ideas as future food engineers, exploring innovative and practical solutions for managing food safety risks. Their discussions were enriched by Dr. Betül Vazgeçer, who actively engaged with student groups, offering expert insights on global and national food safety challenges, legal frameworks, and strategies for effective inter-agency communication.

The case studies provided a platform for participants to delve into diverse topics, such as raw egg risks, cross-contamination, process contaminants, botulinum risk, labelling issues, antibiotic resistance, and mycotoxins.

The event underscored the importance of integrating science, policy, and education to create safer food systems. Students left the event inspired to contribute to global food safety initiatives, while the interactive dialogue bridged the gap between academia and legislative expertise.

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World Food Safety Day 2025 news