Protecting the reputation of the food produced in the Mediterranean regions is economically important to producers and processors. A large number of the products granted official protected designations under the EU's quality assurance scheme come from Mediterranean countries.

"Food consumption is influenced by many factors, biological, sociological, psychological and economic, which is why food safety remains a priority, both at national and European level," EFSA said in promoting the conference.

The conference is being co-hosted by the European Food Safety Agency and the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies is also , (CIHEAM).

EFSA's officials will discuss the agency's role within the European food safety network and attempt to get more co-operation in place among participants in the supply chain.

EU's legislated quality assurance scheme classifies foods as protected designations of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), or traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG) products.

Italy, France, Spain and Portugal alone produce 83 per cent of PDO products and 76 per cent of PGI products.

The agricultural sector and the export of agrifood products to European markets are of particular strategic importance to countries in the south of the Mediterranean and promotion of product quality and regional identity are among the priorities of their agricultural policy, EFSA stated.

"While globalisation may threaten the development of typical products, it may also provide an opportunity not only for lesser known typical products but also for better known ones, which are likely to be produced in excess of domestic demand," EFSA stated.

There are more than 700 GI, PDO and PGI classified products in the EU, of which 50 per cent are cereals, fruit, vegetables and cheeses.

In Europe, the market for food products was close to €830 billion in 2005 and accounted for between 12 per cent to 25 per cent of household budgets depending on the country.

The market has low growth of between 1 per cent and 2 per cent annually, but when there are doubts about the quality of a product consumption falls, says EFSA.

In France, consumption of beef fell by 35 per cent at the time of the mad-cow scare and in 2006 demand for poultry fell by 30 per cent as a result of the avian flu scare, EFSA stated.