The topic of Emerging and Persistent Infectious Diseases (EPID) has been identified by participating governments and the private sector as a major priority for the Institute on Science for Global Policy (ISGP). Food Safety, Security,and Defense (FSSD) and Synthetic Biology (SB), as they relate to EPID, were also identified as priorities. Aspects of these topics were addressed at this invitation only ISGP conference, EPID: Focus on Antimicrobial Resistance.

Over the coming decades, environmental change has the potential to profoundly affect the availability, nutritional content, and safety of the world’s food supply. Predicting the environmental impact on food with respect to agricultural production, nutritional value, integrated global supply chain, the incorporation of genomic technology, and geographical security will require more complete scientific understanding of the extent and causes of environmental changes, and will require the use of innovative technological and scientific options.

“Food Safety, Security, and Defense: Focus on Food and the Environment” was organized by ISGP in cooperation with Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the David R. Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future.

Policy papers and debates addressed the effect of environmental changes on agricultural production, nutritional value of foods, integration of the global supply chain, incorporation of genomic technologies into food production, and geographic security. All ISGP conferences are conducted in “not-for-attribution” environments (Chatham House Rule).