Project description
Transforming the future of food systems
In a world grappling with escalating food waste, a silent crisis threatens the very foundation of our global food systems. Mountains of perishable goods are discarded, contributing to environmental degradation and economic losses. The urgency to find sustainable solutions is evident as we confront the dual challenges of meeting food demand and minimising waste. In this context, the EU-funded FOODGUARD project addresses the nexus of health, economics, and the environment. Specifically, its solutions aim to extend food shelf life, enhance safety monitoring, and accurately predict shelf life using cutting-edge tools. With pilot demonstrations in four countries, the project promises to minimise food loss, improve preservation methods, and foster transparency across the entire food value chain.
Objective
FOODGUARD aims to develop and demonstrate co-created solutions that will support innovations & advances based on microbiome, microbial activities & technology hubs to address food, health, economic and environmental challenges.The envisioned approach consists of a framework of toolsets & methodologies to provide sustainable solutions in food processing, packaging & across the food value chain to address food shelf-life increase & waste reduction in a holistic manner.The proposed solutions aim to (a) extend food shelf life with novel packaging/ biopreservation i.e. use of protective cultures/synthetic microbial consortia, recyclable films with natural antimicrobials or protective cultures;(b)monitor food quality/safety/shelf life with microbial indicators/molecular biomarkers used in smart packaging (TTIs, smart printed tags, no-invasive sensors)& (c) accurately predict food shelf life & improve traceability using predictive models, AI/ML, Internet of Things & tools like QR,NFR etc.; FOODGUARD toolbox components will be extensively evaluated in real life settings through four pilot demonstrations in 4 different countries with involvement of all relevant actors while covering diverse requirements and different food products. FOODGUARD outcomes target i) to minimize food loss and waste by shelf life extension and prediction,ii) to help the food industry to implement these preservation solutions as an alternative to chemical preservatives,iii)to deploy responsive policy for implementing these approaches as well as to engage consumers educated via tools/platforms, effectively improving awareness &trust in the food sector to(iv)increase traceability, providing real-time supply transparency that will improve the uptake of data-driven innovations in food systems, optimize resource efficiency (reducing food waste from farm to fork)(v)manage increased complexity in agri-food production & supply chain process, make it easier for consumers to adopt a healthy & safe food diet.
Fields of science
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-IA - HORIZON Innovation ActionsCoordinator
118 55 ATHINA
Greece
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Participants (19)
1253 Luxembourg
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5656 AE EINDHOVEN
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
14569 ATHENS
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
33180 Norena
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
00192 Roma
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37100 ALMYROU / MAGNISIAS
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07745 Jena
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15341 Agia Paraskevi
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29280 Plouzane
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29580 MALAGA
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10589 Berlin
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9000 Gent
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35012 FTHIOTIDA
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02150 Espoo
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9000 Gent
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3101 LIMASSOL
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
08860 Castelldefels
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
32100 LEIVADIA
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
29580 MALAGA
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Partners (1)
Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
MK40 4RZ BEDFORD
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.