Back to the future: Sustainable innovations for ethical food production and consumption by Mona F. Giersberg, Bernice Bovenkerk, Franck L.B. Meijboom ISBN 9789004715509, 9004715509 instant download

Back to the future: Sustainable innovations for ethical food production and consumption by Mona F. Giersberg, Bernice Bovenkerk, Franck L.B. Meijboom ISBN 9789004715509, 9004715509 instant download

Ede, The Netherlands

11 — 14 September 2024

This year we celebrate 25 years of EurSafe congresses. In 1999 the first European Congress on Agri- cultural and Food Ethics was organised in Wageningen. That event also marked the launch of the European Society for Agricultural and Food Ethics (EurSafe), which was officially founded in 2000. From the beginning, the aim of EurSafe was to stimulate an international academic and public debate on ethical issues in agriculture and food. Already from that first congress, the scope has also included the role and position of animals and environmental issues related to agriculture and food. And its approach has been interdisciplinary since 1999.
-
Looking at this volume of papers that have been submitted for the 18th Congress of the European Society for Agricultural and Food Ethics, I think it fair to say that we have developed a valuable tradition that still builds on the ideas behind the first congress. With “Sustainable innovations for ethical food production and consumption” as its main theme, the congress includes contributions from many disciplines, from scholars with a variety of international backgrounds and on a broad range of topics that include cultural dimensions of food innovation, human–animal relationships as well as the ethical issues of novel technologies.
-
But this congress is much more than a confirmation that the issues and the approach of 1999 are still relevant. Food and agriculture are still food for thought and still in need of ethical reflection and discussion. However, the world has changed since then. And this is reflected in the themes of the EurSafe congresses. The early meetings focused on issues of food security, safety and quality, and the role of (bio) technology. In later years this shifted to issues of sustainability, culture and the role of professionals. And in recent years, issues of food security and safety have returned to the agenda.