Photo of a male (Ivar Vågsholm, SLU) and a female (Sofia Boqvist, SLU) professor standing under a cherry tree in bloom outside the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
The professors from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences organizing the event: Sofia Boqvist, professor in veterinary public health, and Ivar Vågsholm, professor in food safety. Photo: Lisa Chröisty, SLU

SLU event: For Safe Food Inspection Today and Tomorrow

News published:  19/05/2026

How can we guarantee reliable food safety controls in everyday life and during crises? SLU is hosting “Nordic Network - Food Control Research” on June 4–5, where researchers from the Nordic and Baltic countries will meet with government agencies and the food industry.

The foundation of food safety is that consumers—you, me, and every member of our society—should be able to trust that the food sold in stores is safe to eat, says Sofia Boqvist, professor of veterinary public health.

She is one of two professors from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences organizing the event in early June. Four questions in particular will be in focus:

  1. Consumer safety
  2. Reduced food waste
  3. Sustainability in the food industry
  4. Food safety inspections, including from a crisis preparedness perspective 

Technology and research for safer food inspections

The issue of food safety in this context concerns the production of animal-derived products: food from pigs, cattle, poultry, and fish. Evidence-based knowledge is particularly important for evaluating and improving food control practices and procedures.

The main issue today is shifting the focus of food inspection from subjective (opinion-based) to objective (knowledge-based), where we aim to move away from subjective human judgment through technical solutions and standardized methods, explains Ivar Vågsholm, professor of food safety.

He also emphasizes the importance of being prepared.

We need to ensure that food safety inspections work both in everyday situations and in times of crisis, he says.

The event also aims to bring together younger and more experienced researchers to learn from one another, exchange experiences, and build a stronger network, as well as to identify gaps in research and questions that need to be addressed in the future.

“Together, we are strong”

Several Nordic and Baltic countries are relatively small in terms of their surface area. Working together is a key part of achieving success—together. The same applies to cooperation between different government agencies and producers.

We hope this will lead to closer and more effective collaboration, where we can benefit from each other’s discoveries so that we can apply the best practices across multiple countries, concludes Sofia Boqvist.

Facts: Nordic Network – Food Control Research

The network meeting will take place on June 4–5 at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Uppsala.

The meeting is being organized by researchers from universities in Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark. The group met for the first time in November at the University of Helsinki, and the meeting at SLU is the second and final meeting.

At SLU, the meeting is being organized by Sofia Boqvist, professor of veterinary public health, and Ivar Vågsholm, professor of food safety.

Participants include researchers as well as representatives from government agencies and the food industry.

The event is taking place within the framework of the Nordic Committee for Agricultural and Food Research (NKJ).

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