08/03/2024Uncategorized

European Parliament, Brussels (BE), 20^th February 2024

In the middle of February, the European Food Forum held this event to discuss how digitalization is reshaping the agrifood value chain and explore the benefits and risks.

Digitalization is revolutionizing ways in which products are produced, processed, distributed, and purchased. This transformation brings with it a range of opportunities including increased efficiency, optiming use of resources and reducing waste. There are opportunities for greater connection between farmers and other actors in the value chain, leading to higher incomes and better livelihoods for farmers, and support for more sustainable farming practices, minimizing environmental impact. For citizens, there are apps to help with reservations and payments, access to additional information (e.g., QR codes). In contrast, however, digital skills are low in some sectors including farming and amongst older citizens. There are also concerns about privacy and security of information as well as the use artificial intelligence.

Thus, while the digitalization of the agrifood sector offers significant opportunities for improving efficiency andsustainability, it also presents challenges, not least in inclusivity. Navigating this digital transformation will require collaboration amongst stakeholders, investment in infrastructure and education, and a commitment to addressing issues of equity and privacy.

Speakers included:

Panel 1: Overview of the role and impact of the digitalization in the food environment

Giacomo Mattino’ HoU Food, Retail, Health DG Growth EU Commission: Transition pathway for a more resilient, sustainable and digital agri-food ecosystem:
Antonello Bonfante, Senior researcher ISAFOM di Portici (NA).
Heinz Flatnitzer, Head of Emissions Value Management, dsm-firmenich, Sustell™ Use of data to simplify the complexity of measuring, validating, and improving the environmental sustainability.
Claude Heyman – Aktina – Food scanner

Panel 2: Digitalisation in Food Consumption

Diego Viarengo – Giallo Zafferano – Gastronomy in the Internet
Pietro Paganini – “Food” The future of food with digitalization
Marco Pierani – Euroconsumers

08/03/2024Uncategorized

European parliament, Brussels (BE), 31^st January 2024

This event was held at the European Parliament to discuss implementation of green initiatives, sustainable practices, and moving forward with the “Farm to Fork Strategy”.

Nearly four years after the European Commission published this flagship strategy, and close to the 2024 European elections, farmers and other interest parties explored ecological transition in the agri-food sector, including sustainable use of pesticides, nature restoration, packaging waste, and sustainable food systems. Controversy around many of these topics, as well as their complexity, has hindered advancement with the “Farm to Fork Strategy, but so have external factors such as COVID-19, inflation, and the war in Ukraine.

Discussions at the European Food Forum highlighted a number of potential corrective measures, benefiting both farmers and consumers, which focused on clear dialogue, more innovations in economic, social, environmental, and food systems for greater sustainability, and protection of biodiversity.

‘Taking Stock of the Farm to Fork strategy: Reflecting, Rethinking, Rebuilding’ was carried out in collaboration with Europe Jacques Delors AISBL, one of the Jacques Delors family of think tanks created in early 2020.

Speakers included:

Farmers: Rūdolfs Pulkstenis, Vice President, European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA)
NGOs / Civil Society: Marta Messa, Secretary General Slow Food
Processors: Geert Maesmans, President, EU Specialty Food Ingredients
Retailers: Els Bedert, Director Product Policy & Sustainability, EuroCommerce
R&I: Adam Adamek, Director of Innovation, EIT Food

With special remarks from:

Els Bruggeman, Head Advocacy and Enforcement, Euroconsumers
Patrick Pagani, Lead Coodrdinator – Senior Policy Advisor, Copa Cogeca
Silvia Lofrese, Senior manager public affairs FoodDrinkEurope

Project Updates | February 2024

11/02/2024Uncategorized

ALLIANCE

We are preparing to conduct guided interviews with the tool providers, as part of the work on uses case scenarios and innovation management, which also includes consideration of market needs for the tools and potential exploitation pathways. One of the challenges we are facing is getting a better understanding of the frequency and types of fraud associated with quality labels. If we are going to propose solutions, we also have to be able to show not only how these tools can reduce the potential for fraud but also the likely benefits in terms of brand reputation, quality and safety, regulatory compliance, transparency, consumer confidence, and cost.

FishEUTrust

Consortium has been busy working on M18 reporting. During this Period, the project has mapped and analysed stakeholders, established the various living labs and drafted best practice and operational protocols, identified consumer expectation and key characteristics of consumer group(s), allowing these to be clustered in target countries, published SOPs for sampling, DNA extraction and processing of samples for NGS based metagenomics, validated nanostructured platforms for sensors and verified novel toolkit with sensors for detection pathogenic bacteria. The communication, dissemination and exploitation plan has been implemented with the launch of the project website and social media accounts as well as participation in a range of events. Finally, EuroFIR published the draft sex and gender plan (D9.3).

SWEET

The final project meeting and a dedicated session for stakeholder was held in Brussels on 17-18th January 2024, just as Brussels enjoyed its heaviest snow fall since 2013. Each of the WPs reported on their activities, and summaries were shared with the wider stakeholder group. Like FNS-Cloud, SWEET was presented at the 14th European Nutrition Conference #FENS2023 in Belgrade, Serbia, on 14-17th November. The team participated in conference educational workshops, interactive sessions and poster presentations on nutrition science research, and how sweetener and sweetness enhancers can help address important dietary-related health challenges Europe is facing. For more information about SWEET and key results visit the website.

ZERO Hidden Hunger

Zero_HiddenHunger_EU, a new multi-partner European consortium led by University College Cork (IE), has received nearly €10 million in funding for groundbreaking research into tackling micronutrient deficiency over the next four years. The kick-off meeting was hosted by EuroFIR, EUFIC, and EPHA in Brussels on 1st-2nd February. Micronutrient (MN) deficiency, a widespread form of malnutrition, poses significant challenges to human health and development across Europe. Recognising the urgency of this public health issue, Zero_HiddenHunger_EU is set to revolutionize understanding and response to MN deficiencies. The project will employ cutting-edge techniques, including high-throughput biomarker analysis and advanced data modelling, to generate credible evidence that will empower policymakers and food system actors to implement targeted interventions and eradicate MN deficiencies from Europe.

EFSA ALLERGENS

EuroFIR has finished screening more ca. 10 500 manuscripts from the original 138K articles, based on population and outcome. This has meant determining whether papers describe both the allergic population and the food protein(s), and if the food protein causes an allergic reaction based on IgE binding.

We are now securing copies of these papers so our partner – University of Surrey (UK) – can extract information about the population, their exposure to the allergen, prevalence of sensitisation, and outcomes. Then, this knowledge can be compiled to identify clinical relevant allergens and their relative severity.

EFSA EUOpenFood

The consortium is working on quality assessment of European FCDBs and identifying a strategy for filling missing values, amendments to the SSD2 and, importantly, whether there might be a better approach for mapping food composition datasets, and factors related to food composition data at the EU level. These will be finalised before Easter, and are essential for the final Phase 1 deliverable, draft guidance for collection, storage, and maintenance of the EU FCDB, which should be completed in August 2024.

New food items, new website features, and an editorial novelty are now available!

11/02/2024Uncategorized

The Food Composition Database for Epidemiological Studies in Italy (BDA) is a compilation-type database. Data on food composition come from pre-existing sources, such as national and international FCDBs, scientific articles, nutritional labels, industry and food laboratory analyses.

Following the compilation process, the BDA working group published a new version of the BDA in mid-2023. It now provides the energy (kcal and kJ) and nutrient composition (water, macronutrients, 13 minerals, 15 vitamins, 16 single and 5 total fatty acids, 18 amino acids, 6 sugars) for 1109 foods. In this version, the “Cereals and cereal products” food groups have been updated: “Cereals, flours, pasta, bread, crackers, rusks”, “Sweets, sugar, jams, ice creams”, and “Brioches, cookies, puddings, cakes” are the revised categories. To make the database more representative of the Italian diet, following the change in eating habits over time, 136 new foods were added. Some of the added foods are detailed below. In the cereal in grains group, buckwheat, quinoa (raw/cooked), emmer wheat (raw/cooked), couscous (dry/cooked), and 3 new rice types (venere, red, basmati) were added. Whit regard to bread and its substitutes, piadina (Italian flatbread), bread with raisins, pre-packaged sliced bread, azzimo (prepared without yeast), croutons, rice, corn and multigrain cakes, taralli (Italian savory rings snack) and pane carasau (Italian crunchy flatbread) were added. In the sweets group, new types of chocolate (dark with 70% cocoa, white with nuts, milk with puffed cereals) and new types of ice-cream (ice cream cookie, ice cream cone with chocolate and dairy cream, packaged coffee ice cream, packaged sorbet with liquorice) were added. Finally, mini tarts with jam/chocolate, muffins with blueberry/chocolate, krapfen with custard cream, apple pie, traditional Italian cakes (pastiera, pandoro, colomba) and new cookies (sandwich type, cookies with chocolate bar/chips, digestive type, and Italian traditional cookies such as cantucci and ricciarelli) were added to the sweet bakery group.

This update is also available as an editorial novelty entitled: “Food Composition Database for Epidemiological Studies in Italy. Compact edition”, edited by Patrizia Gnagnarella, Maria Parpinel and Simonetta Salvini, published by LibreriaUniversitaria.it in paper and e-book format (in Italian). The volume, in addition to the food composition tables, contains a chapter on dietary assessment tools, another on compilation methodology, and the last one on the definition of the food components included. The publication is in Italian, but in the appendix, you can find the list of foods and nutrients in English.

The website has been also updated. We have added several new features, like seeing the nutrient content by “Standard portion” (defined by the Italian Society of Human Nutrition – SINU; or as commercial/household units) and by “Self-selected portion”. In addition, the site will soon have a new design and layout.

The Branded Food and Beverage Composition Database post-food reformulation in Spain

11/02/2024Uncategorized

The newly released Spanish Food and Beverage Composition Tables, Tabula™, provide up-to-date information on the nutritional composition of over 6500 processed food products marketed in Spain, from both manufacturers’ and distributors’ brands, ensuring a representativeness of approximately 80% of the current Spanish market.

This new database addresses the need for an up-to-date overview of the current Spanish food market, following the recent implementation of a food reformulation initiative by the public Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN). Published with a commitment to be regularly updated, Tabula™ is designed to provide a trusted, scientifically rigorous resource for academic and research settings, as well as for decision-making in nutrition and public health policy.

Specifically, Tabula™ compiles information based on nutrition labelling, in accordance with Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011. For each product, it provides information on the legal and trade name, brand, list of ingredients and allergens, and mandatory and voluntary nutritional declaration. Where applicable, it also includes nutritional claims referring to products’ content of total and saturated fat, sugar, and salt, according to Regulation (EC) No. 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods. Furthermore, in order to facilitate the exchange of information on food composition and to enable the database to be used as a national and international reference source, all products included in Tabula™ have been categorized according to the European Food Information Resource (EuroFIR) food classification and the World Health Organization (WHO) Nutrient Profile Model (NPM 2023) for the European Region.

Tabula™ is developed by the Research Group of Excellence “Nutrition for Life (N4L)”, jointly with CEU Food and Society Institute of CEU San Pablo University (Madrid), under the direction of Professor Gregorio Varela Moreiras.

Tabula™ is now publicly available on the website of the CEU Food and Society Institute.

The “Little hand and portion game” booklet helps youngsters assess their dietary needs using their hands.

31/01/2024Uncategorized

From an early age, it is vital to develop good eating habits. When children understand what is important to eat, there is a good chance that the right reflexes will last into adulthood.

Nubel has developed a new tool for children aged between 3 and 12: “Little hand and portion game”. The tool is only available in french and dutch.

Through the colorful pages of this booklet, children discover the foods and nutritional recommendations for their age. They can understand the size of a portion and evaluate it using their hands. Palm, fist, fingers… all become reference points. For example, when we talk about a portion of meat, it corresponds to the palm of the hand.

“Little hand and portion game” is extremely easy to use and evolves with age. Children’s hands grow with each birthday, as do their needs.

By following the recommendations translated into portions with hands, you can ensure that your child’s macro- and micro-nutrient intake is optimal and adapted to their development and growth.

The tool is designed for both children and parents who supervise meals. It also contains practical advice and the composition of a balanced lunchbox.

For more information or to download “jeu de petits mains, jeu de portion“: and “Kinderhand- en portiespel“

New edition of NEVO with updated data on meat and dairy substitutes

05/12/2023Uncategorized

The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) published a new edition of the Dutch Food Composition Database (NEVO). It contains compositional data for over 2300 foods and more than 130 nutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, fats and fatty acids, vitamins and minerals). In this edition of NEVO-online, the food group “Meat substitutes and dairy substitutes” is updated.

The composition of 33 foods from this group, such as vegetarian burgers, vegetarian luncheon meat sausage and almond drink, was analysed in a laboratory. The other foods in this group were updated with information from literature and label data. More than 100 new foods have been added to other food groups in NEVO-online, largely based on the Food Consumption Survey (VCP), which shows which foods are important in the Dutch diet.

Bread name changes

The names of bread and bread products are adapted to the amended Commodities Act Decree on Flour and Bread. From 1 July 2022, it is mandatory to designate loaves of bread according to this legislation. The names now start with the main type of grain and include the mention white, brown or whole grain. For example, the old name ‘Bread currant-‘ is changed to Wheat currant bread white. Users of NEVO-online can still search for the ‘old’ bread names.

Niacin equivalents, tryptophan and vitamin D2

NEVO-online now also contains data on 3 new nutrients: niacin equivalents, tryptophan and vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol). The body can produce niacin (vitamin B3) from the amino acid tryptophan. Niacin equivalents (niacin + tryptophan/60) are calculated if both niacin and tryptophan levels are present. By adding vitamin D2, all components of vitamin D are now available.

About NEVO-online

NEVO-online is an important resource for anyone involved in food composition, dietary advice, nutrition education or research. It is possible to download the dataset from NEVO-online. In addition to nutritional values, it also contains information on references and the available recipes. Background information for NEVO-online is available at this webpage and includes, for instance a list of newly added foods, removed foods, and nutrient definitions.

Project Updates | December 2023

30/11/2023Uncategorized

Project updates covering July to December 2023:

EUOpenFood (EFSA FCDB)

Partners have been busy finalising D1.1 “Search protocol, execution, organisation of the results, and future use” and D1.2 2 “Methodology for the evaluation of data from national FCDBs including quality criteria, minimum requirements, and summary indicators”. EuroFIR and CAPNUTRA have extracted data from Mintel GNPD and converted these to a format compatible with FoodEXplorer as well as partly matching fields (automatically and manually) with the EuroFIR component thesauri, with the EFSA SSD2 Chemical Parameter Catalogue, and FoodEX2. Results were discussed with EFSA in September, and the next official meeting will be in December to discuss D1.3-1.5. These deliverables consider the quality of values and the 16 EU FCDBs in the project, mapping of EFSA SSD2 Chemical Parameter Catalogue to EuroFIR component thesauri and FoodEX2, and yield factors quality criteria, respectively.

EFSA ALLERGENS

EuroFIR continues to work through the references captured by a comprehensive literature search. This retrieved more than 138K articles, and we have almost completed the first screening based on inclusion/exclusion criteria, just ca. 28K to go …

In the meantime, our partner – University of Surrey (UK) has been examining in silico tools and in vitro and/or in vivo methods for assessing allergenicity of food proteins. Any shortcomings and capacity to accurately distinguish between known allergens and known non-allergenic proteins are being documented and assessment criteria being developed, building on quality criteria that have been published previously.