The European Expert Group Meeting on the International Standard for Shiology

On July 13th, the Expert Seminar on the International Standard “Shiology: Concept and Framework”, drafted under the leadership of the Beijing Shiology Research Institute, was successfully held via the Zoom platform. Hosted by the Organization for Trade Development and Standards Cooperation (ODCCN), the meeting gathered experts from China, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium, Belarus, Slovakia, and Italy online to conduct in-depth discussions on the improvement of the international standard "Shiology — Concepts and Frameworks". It aimed to pool global wisdom for promoting the systematization and standardization of international standards in the field of shiology.

The meeting was chaired by Mr. Yao Xin, Secretary-General of ODCCN. At the beginning of the meeting, Secretary-General Yao Xin elaborated on the core value and practical significance of the international standard "Shiology — Concepts and Frameworks". He pointed out that the formulation of this standard aims to build an interdisciplinary knowledge system integrating food, eaters, and shiance order, providing a unified conceptual reference and framework guidance for the sustainable development of global food systems. It plays an important foundational role in promoting exchanges and cooperation in the international shiology field.

Subsequently, Liu Jiping, a member of the drafting team, explained the handling of comments on the standard. She mentioned that on May 28th, ODCCN had organized an Asian expert group meeting on "Shiology — Concepts and Frameworks", focusing on the construction of the framework structure of the international standard for shiology. Experts put forward many constructive suggestions on key issues such as the overall framework design of the standard, the refinement and accuracy of concept definitions, the optimization of term classification, and the practicality of the standard system. The drafting team systematically sorted out, in-depth discussed, and targeted handled all the comments, laying a solid foundation for the discussions of this meeting.

During the expert discussion session, scholars from various countries, combining their own research fields and regional cultural backgrounds, put forward detailed and targeted opinions on the draft of "Shiology — Concepts and Frameworks", providing multiple perspectives for the optimization of the standard.

Professor Vesna Mrdalj from the University of Banja Luka in Bosnia and Herzegovina affirmed the originality and forward-looking of the standard, and pointed out that the standard should strengthen its connection with the UN Sustainable Development Goals（SDG） to provide practical guiding significance for the sustainable goals.

Professor Hossein Azadi from the University of Liège in Belgium focused on the systematicness and practicality of the standard. He suggested clarifying the application and positioning of shiology from micro, meso, and macro levels to enhance the practical guiding significance of the shiology standard.

Dr. Iulia, President from the Culture Association of Eastern Europe, emphasized that shiology research should be fully integrated with the cultural dimension. She pointed out that factors such as philosophy, religion, and heritage in various regions around the world have an important impact on dietary behaviors; different cultures have different perceptions of food. Both China's "Yin-Yang" concept and European dietary thoughts should be included in the international standard to enhance the cultural adaptability of the standard.

In addition, Professor Maryia Samakhavets from Polessky State University in Belarus, Professor Lubica Bartova from the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, and Professor Alessandra Guidi from the University of Pisa in Italy also expressed their opinions and put forward guiding suggestions for the improvement of the international standard for shiology.

The participating experts agreed that the formulation of the international standard "Shiology — Concepts and Frameworks" is a pioneering work, which needs to fully absorb global diverse wisdom and balance academic rigor and practical guidance.

The convening of this seminar injected new ideas and momentum into the refinement of the international standard “Shiology — Concepts and Frameworks” Moving forward, the drafting group will incorporate the feedback from this discussion to revise and improve the draft. Further seminars will be held in early September and early October to build broader consensus. The standard is scheduled to be officially released at the 5th World Shiology Forum in October 2025, aiming to promote the standardized development of Shiology worldwide.