Workshop on" Beneficial and Deterimental Elements in Plants Entering into Food" under COST Action FA 0905

The main goal of the Cost Action is to increase the content of bioavailable minerals (iron, zinc, magnesium and selenium) in the consumable crop parts, and limit the entry of cadmium and arsenic in food/feed to safe standards to improve and protect human and animal health. To tackle this issue, a network of more than 330 participants from 34 COST and non-COST countries is engaged in the COST Action FA0905 with four complementary working Groups (WGs): WG1: Soil- plant interactions and physiology with an aim to deliver practical and basic knowledge of agro¬nomical and physiological technologies to enhan¬ce uptake and translocation of micro¬nutrients to edible food parts. WG2: Biological features in the relationship between plants and minerals with an ob jective to address the knowledge on biological and molecular mechanisms. WG3: Plant product processing with a goal to define the impact of processing on the nutritional quality of plant products. WG4: Human/animal nutrition with an objective to evalua te existing and to develop novel techniques to study the bioavailability of minerals in food crops to humans. Within COST Action FA0905, scientists work in several working groups to facilitate the exchange of information and ideas, stimulate the synergy among fellow researchers, institutions and countries, to address specific topics and to plan joint experimental work. This invaluable exercise is coupled with the exchange of young scientists between the different organisations from the participating coun tries, through Short-Term Scientific Missions (STMS) and training schools. The Working groups of COST Action FA0905 represent agronomy, plant biology, food processing and human and animal nutrition. They provide yield added value at all levels and ensure the excellence of European research and development on production and exploitation of sustainable, nutritious, safe and healthy food and feed, for better human and animal health.