Fellow Manal Ben Mahjoub (Morocco, 2022) was recently selected to participate in the EU-funded Better Training for Safer Food (BTSF) course on “Sampling and Analysis of Residues of Plant Protection Products,” held in Stuttgart, Germany. Implemented by NSF under the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA), the program convened global experts focused on strengthening food safety systems.
Through technical sessions and practical fieldwork, Manal gained expertise in pesticide residue analysis using LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS, method validation, and EU-aligned food control protocols. She also conducted real-time sampling with German inspectors and visited the Ritter Sport EL CACAO project as a case study in sustainable agriculture and pesticide management.
Learning directly from Dr. Michelangelo Anastassiades, developer of the QuEChERS method, and other experts at CVUA Stuttgart, she deepened her understanding of the intersection between science and policy. Manal now aims to apply this knowledge to support Morocco’s alignment with EU and Codex Alimentarius food safety standards.

