EU's Mycotoxin Project "MyToolBox" helps in Serbia

Maize is growing fast on the Serbian fields for the MyToolBox project, thanks to proper and timely pest- and weed-control on the fields from Agrocentrum in Becej, Serbia.

 

MyToolBox - "Safe Food and Feed through an Integrated ToolBox for Mycotoxin Management" is a project which goes beyond the field-to-fork approach to reduce moulds and mycotoxins in the food and feed chains.

 

Despite huge research investments, prevention and control of these toxic secondary metabolites remains difficult and the agriculture and food industries continue to be vulnerable to problems of mycotoxin contamination. Hence, there is a pressing need to mobilise the wealth of knowledge that exists from the mycotoxin research in Europe and internationally conducted over the past 25-30 years and to perform cutting-edge research where knowledge gaps still exist. 

 

This knowledge needs to be integrated into practical and affordable tools that can be used by farmers and food processors along the chain in order to reduce the risk of mycotoxin contamination of crops, feed and food, to prevent losses and waste along the food chain, and to provide traceability information to the supply chain and consumers using mainstream Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

 

Existing knowledge combined with novel findings need to be adapted and integrated to provide the vehicle needed to practically implement this knowledge into tools for use along the chain: this is the mission of the MyToolBox project. The consideration of the entire chain soil - field - crop - food processing - waste management - alternative energy, to ensure food & feed security and safety within a sustainable economic approach, is a major motivation behind MyToolBox.