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EuroCigua project was presented as an activity at COP25

The EuroCigua project was presented as one of the activities selected in the COP25 Conference agenda. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) funded this project in order to assess the risk of ciguatera poisoning in Europe and it is coordinated by the Spanish Food Safety and Nutrition Agency (AESAN). It is an example of scientific cooperation in Europe to solve an emerging risk, which was a risk assess by a specific FAO/WHO working group on Ciguatera poisoning.

The presentation was included in a session on climate change and further explained the relation between emerging ciguatera poisoning in Europe and climate change.

Ciguatera is historically endemic syndrome of tropical and subtropical areas. However, in the last decade, cases were reported in Spain and Portugal. The emergence of this poisoning in Europe may be a consequence of how ocean warming affects food safety.

The main conclusions of the session were that ciguatera food poisoning (CFP) is a new endemic foodborne disease in the EU and seems to be a positive indicator of the effects of climate change in the food safety. Furthermore, more research and rapid detection techniques are needed and, finally, risk management measures need to be taken at European and global level.

Download the agenda

Download the presentation here