From April 24th to 25th, 2025, the International SOLID Symposium took place, focusing on the theme: Prospects and Applications of FAIR Linked Data Spaces. The event provided an opportunity to showcase the FS4Africa project through a poster presentation and a lively three-hour discussion during the VODAN/FCI4Africa session on Interoperability. The session concentrated on developing a roadmap for connecting agriculture, food, and health systems towards a convergence economy.

Creating clarity in the “informal” food sector

The symposium offered valuable opportunities to explore and clarify the concept of the Mezzanine approach, presented by two FS4Africa partners from Wageningen: Wageningen Universiteit en Wageningen Research. Drawing on a systematic review of the literature, the project elaborated on what constitutes the informal sector, the theoretical foundations of informality, and the challenges and barriers it faces in transitioning to formality.

The studies and discussions brought forward interesting insights. The informal sector is often defined by what it lacks—such as formal registration, regulatory oversight, infrastructure, and knowledge—rather than by what it represents or offers to its participants. The insights also uncovered the challenges in the transition to formality, such as the cultural and social embeddedness of the informal sector, its low barriers to entry, and its agility.

The Mezzanine Approach

Die Mezzanine approach—a term inspired by the architectural concept of an intermediate floor between two main levels—serves as a metaphor for a hybrid or in-between method. It proposes a tailored food safety strategy that aligns with the characteristics of the informal sector, supporting its gradual transition toward semi-formality. The specific elements of this approach are currently being defined through ongoing surveys and use case studies.

Food Safety and Data

The SOLID symposium was dominated by themes and discussions on FAIR data, data spaces, privacy, interoperability, and technology—largely focusing on health data. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates “600 million – almost 1 in 10 people in the world – fall ill after eating contaminated food and 420,000 die every year”, which illustrates how food systems and health systems are closely intertwined.

As the informal sector is characterised by a lack of regulatory oversight and the lack of the necessary data, Dr. Ayalew Kassahun of Wageningen Universiteit stressed the importance of aggregated patient data from health facilities, which have relatively better digitalisation, to quantify food safety issues and enable timely interventions.

Food Convergence Initiative

During the session, the strong link between food and health systems was further highlighted, demonstrating the importance of the FCI (Food Convergence Innovation) approach adopted in FS4Africa en FCI4Africa. The session, organised by Dr. Laurette Dubé of McGill Universiteit en Dr. Fadel Ndiame of Food Systems Transformation Solutions, was also attended by panel discussants who are members of one or both projects, including Dr.ir. Gijs Kleter en Sabine Desczka of Wageningen Research, and Prof. Lise Korsten of the Universiteit van Pretoria. The session attracted distinguished presenters, discussants, and attendees with expertise in agriculture, food, health systems, and data sciences, showing both the value of the approach and the synergy among the relevant projects that were represented, along with VODAN Africa.

Overall, the symposium significantly contributed to FS4Africa’s mission to promote a holistic and inclusive approach to food safety.