RAFA 2026: The 12th International Symposium on Recent Advances in Food Analysis

The RAFA organizers would like to invite food scientists from academia, as well as representatives of industry, national and international agencies, control authorities, governmental and commercial laboratories, to attend this event. The conference is chaired by Jana Pulkrabova, PhD, from the Department of Food Analysis and Nutrition, University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Czech Republic, and Stefan van Leeuwen, PhD, MSc, from Wageningen Food Safety Research, part of Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.

Since the first edition in 2003, RAFA has grown into a prestigious international event, attracting up to 850 participants from more than 60 countries. More than 50 sponsors, exhibitors, media, and supporting partners typically support RAFA.

RAFA 2026 will provide an overview of contemporary trends in analytical and bioanalytical strategies for food quality and safety control, and discuss challenges and novel approaches in food and natural products analysis. The following tentative recent and emerging issues will be addressed in the RAFA 2026 sessions:

(i) Substances of interest: alternative proteins; biologically active compounds; environmental contaminants; flavour and off-flavours; food additives, flavourings; food allergens; healthy nutrients and vitamins; metals and metalloids, including their speciation; micro- and nanoplastics in food; migrants from food packaging materials; mycotoxins, plant alkaloids and other natural toxins; pesticide and veterinary drug residues; per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances; process-induced contaminants; psychoactive and psychomodulation compounds.

(ii) Topics of interest: artificial intelligence in food analysis; exposomics and human biomonitoring; food authenticity, fraud, and forensics; food legislation requirements for food control; Illegal and natural food supplements; (multi)omics in food analysis; NAMs (new approach methodologies); next-generation effect-based analysis and bioassays; next-generation sequencing for food quality and safety; novel analytical approaches; QA/QC, chemometrics and big data handling; sensors and portable food analysis; sharing is caring: making tools and databases available for analytical food research; sustainability and green food analysis.

Satellite Events, Seminars, and Workshops
The conference programme will be accompanied by several satellite events focused on novel challenges, including, for example, workshops on “Vibrational Spectroscopy and Chemometrics,” and “Smart Data Handling and AI in Food Analysis.” An interactive seminar will cover “Step by Step Strategies for Fast Development of Smart Analytical Methods.” The EC Reference Laboratories Colloquium will include a workshop on “Experiences, Achievements, and Challenges Addressed by EU Reference Laboratories.” The Experts’ Summit, EU, and Beyond” will feature a joint session by AOAC International and ILSI Europe on “Harmonizing Methods and Managing Risk: A Food Industry Perspective.” Another workshop will provide an overview of “Opportunities to Collaborate Within a European Research and Innovation Area.”

Vendor Seminars and Exhibition
Leading companies will organize vendor seminars to introduce recent instrumentation and analytical strategies for advanced food quality and safety control. The exhibition will showcase state-of-the-art instrumentation, laboratory equipment, screening tests, standards/reference materials, and consumables used in food analysis.

Opportunities for Young Scientists
A platform will be provided for young scientists to present their scientific work. Typically, 20% of contributed oral presentations are assigned to the next generation of researchers. RAFA 2026 Student Travel Grants will be available. The best poster presentation(s) by a young scientist(s) will be awarded with the prestigious RAFA Poster Award and sponsored poster award(s).

Why Attend?
For delegates working in separation sciences, RAFA offers a particularly attractive combination of high-level scientific content, real-world analytical challenges, and a highly international audience from academia, industry, and regulatory laboratories. One of RAFA’s major strengths is its practical relevance, as it highlights analytical solutions for challenging sample matrices and emerging food safety issues.

Few conferences combine such a strong focus on practical applications with cutting-edge analytical science and a friendly international atmosphere. For chromatographers, RAFA 2026 offers much more than lectures—it offers ideas, solutions, networking opportunities, and inspiration. Anyone working with liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, or mass spectrometry in food and natural products analysis will find RAFA 2026 a highly worthwhile destination.

In summary, RAFA 2026 will again offer a high-quality scientific programme with top-level presentations followed by stimulating discussions, a series of satellite events, a state-of-the-art exhibition, and an attractive social programme. Scientific contributions will be presented by leading scientists through keynote lectures, and by contributed oral and poster presentations.

Further Information
Visit the website at www.rafa2026.eu.