Prof. Dr. Alie de Boer

Maastricht University

Alie de Boer is an Associate Professor at Maastricht University and founder of the Food Claims Research Centre. She conducts interdisciplinary research on how scientific evidence shapes food policy, safety, and sustainability legislation.

Presentation:
Circular foods need circular rules

Key Points:
• The presentation addresses food waste valorisation from a conceptual perspective, with a focus on regulatory considerations.
• It argues that circular food products require more circular regulatory approaches, as the current framework remains largely linear and organised in separate legal silos.
• Key legal challenges include the strict separation between food, feed, and waste categories, as well as ambiguous end-of-waste and by-product boundaries that create regulatory uncertainty.
• The contribution explores both side streams and waste streams, with an emphasis on valorisation back into foods or nutrients in line with the food waste hierarchy.
• Alongside the valorisation potential, food safety risks associated with upcycling food-related streams are considered through selected case examples.