From the Fork to the Farm: Foods (including fish and shell fish), Health and Wellbeing
• Understanding consumer behaviour and their preferences as the fundamental factor in competitiveness of the food industry. Also, understanding the impact of food in health and wellbeing of European citizens. This work will be focused in consumer perception of, and attitude towards, food including traditional food; their understanding of social and cultural trends; and specification of determining factors in the choice of foods and consumers’ access to them. This research will address the development of data bases on food and nutrition related research.
• Understanding the dietary factors that are beneficial or harmful to health and also the specific needs and habits of population groups as the main controllable factor in development and reduction of the number of cases of diet-related diseases and disorders, such as obesity and allergies. This involves research of new dietary strategies, development and application of nutritional genomics and systems biology, and the study of interactions between nutritional, physiological and psychological functions. This, moreover, could lead to reformulating prepared foods and developing new foods and ingredients, diet foods and food alleged to have nutritional and healthy properties. Research on traditional, local and seasonal foods and diets will also be important for highlighting the effects of some foods and diets on health, and for preparing comprehensive guidelines on feeding.
• Optimizing innovation of the European food industry by integrating advanced technologies for traditional food production -including fermented foods-, transformation technologies adapted to reinforce functionality, food quality and nutritional value, through the incorporation of organoleptic aspects in food production, including new foods. Development and demonstration of eco-efficient and high-tech packaging and transformation systems; smart control applications; and more efficient valuation and management of sub-products, waste, water and energy. New research will also develop sustainable and innovative technologies for fodder, including formulations about its transformation in safe conditions, and for its quality control.
• Achieving chemical and microbiological safety and improving quality of food supply in Europe. This task involves understanding of the relations between microbial ecology and food safety; the development of methods and models addressing the integrity of food supply chains; new detection methods, traceability and its subsequent development; technologies and tools for evaluation, management and communication of risks –including emerging risks- and for an enhanced risk perception. Moreover, scientific methods will be included for comparative evaluation of food innocuousness.
• Protecting both human health and the environment through a better understanding of environmental impacts in food and fodder chains or these chains. For this, a study on food contaminants and their effects on health shall be carried out together with monitoring their effects on the environment; developing better tools and evaluation and management methods for the effects of global changes –particularly climate changes- on food chains and fodders; and the resistance of such chains to those changes. Quality and integrity of the food chain requires new models for analysing the product chain, and global concepts for management of the food chain, including consumer-related aspects.