Volume 39, no. 5, May 2026. The hidden threats on our plates: chemical contaminants in food. XIX Conference "Public administration activities on the control of plant protection products and their residues". On the hunt for proteins: the Istituto Superiore di Sanità guides to the discovering the world of proteins

Abstracts:

The hidden threats on our plates: chemical contaminants in food
 Chemical contaminants are substances not intentionally added to food or feed that may be present as a result of various stages of production, processing, transport, or following environmental contamination. While representing a potential risk to human and animal health, contaminant levels in food are strictly controlled and regulated at the European level. EU Regulation 2023/915 establishes maximum permissible levels for major contaminants in food, while the European Food Safety Authority provides scientific advice and conducts risk assessments for the protection of human and animal health. The Istituto Superiore di Sanità (National Institute of Health in Italy) Department of Food Safety is committed to researching, monitoring and producing information on chemical contaminants, promoting conscious food-consumption behaviors in order to reduce exposure to these substances.

XIX Conference "Public administration activities on the control of plant protection products and their residues"
The conference, organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, and now in its 19th year, is held annually to meet the need for updating and discussion, on issue relating to national and EU regulations on plant protection products., The conference in addition to the competent authority, which is the Ministry of Health andthe technical and scientific support of Istituto Superiore di Sanità (National Institute of health in Italy), involved the personnel affected at the national level: from the National Health Sanitary operators responsible for the control of plant protection products and their residues in food and the environment to representatives of the major companies that produce or market plant protection products on the national territory, up to private self-monitoring laboratories.

On the hunt for proteins: the Istituto Superiore di Sanità guides to the discovering the world of proteins
The article describes the training program presented by the MS unit of the proteomics area of the Core Facilities Technical-Scientific Service (FAST) at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (National Institute of Health in Italy) during the European Researchers' Night 2025, aimed at guiding citizens in the discovery of proteins and their functions. The purpose was to address seemingly simple questions related to the complex protein world: what they are, how they are made, how big they are, in which foods they are found, how they function, how they operate in our body, and how proteins are studied. The program was structured by creating playful activities suitable for primary and secondary school students: many children, but also several adults, enthusiastically participated in the activities presented, expanding their knowledge of the fascinating world of proteins.