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.
The main objective of FOODGUARD is to develop and demonstrate co-created innovations and applicable sustainable solutions in food processing and packaging based on microbiome (microbial networks and their interactions within the developed niche) in combination with advanced digital technologies to fight food loss/waste.FOODGUARD envisages the industrial application of certain microbiota and their theatre of activity, i.e. MICROBIOME, as well as tools to create the optimal conditions for the microbiome in food processing and food packaging configurations that (i) prevent microbial growth and thereby extend the shelf-life of high-value perishable foods like meat, fish, vegetables, and cheese; (ii) allow monitoring of food quality/safety/spoilage; and (iii) predict the microbial effect on the selected food systems, i.e. quality, safety, shelf-life.
These tools include (a) novel packaging with use of protective cultures and/or natural antimicrobials in the form of films (b) smart packaging with time temperature indicators and printed tags based on microbial activities/molecular biomarkers; and (c) Predictive Modelling, Data Science (ML, AI and advanced analytics), digital twins, deep learning, and distributed ledger technology (DLT) from data derived from microbial kinetics and spectral fingerprint acquired by sensors. At the same time, safety and sustainability assessments of tools, as well as validation, will be employed to ensure their uptake by relevant stakeholders for improved decision-making and policy.
