ALLIANCE

After successfully submitting a deliverable (D4.1) on ALLIANCE uses cases at the end of April, we have been focused on reporting and preparations for the M18 review. On 1st July ALLIANCE partners conduced successful review meeting. EuroFIR has provided overviews for activities related to use case planning and preparation (T4.1) and innovation management, market analysis and commercial roadmap (T5.1), summarising progress, significant results, challenges, and the next steps. The next ALLIANCE consortium meeting will take place end September / beginning October in Asturias (ES). Currently, EuroFIR is working on the report describing the use cases in detail, which is not due until the end of the project but we believe it is needed 6-12 months earlier, i.e., November 2024. 

FishEUTrust

In the past months, EuroFIR has been working with BELIT (RS) on definition and elaboration of digital methods and business models to improve trust and efficiency in seafood value chains (D3.3), which includes a business model for the FishEUTrust platform and business models for the various digital methods being developed by the consortium. Separately, we have considered upgrade of existing solutions (D7.2), coordinated by DIGITALSMART, which includes linking the SEAFOOD^TOMORROW benchmark tool to the FishEUTrust platform. The aim of the latter is to channel information from FishEUTrust and other sources to two key actors, specifically food businesses and consumers, which will support transparency and authenticity and build trust along the European fish supply chain. 

EUOpenFood

Following a face-to-face meeting with EFSA in May (Parma, IT), project partners have been busy working on draft versions of three deliverables. D1.3 describe quality assessment of (16) European FCDBs and identifies strategy for filling missing values whilst D1.5 considers factors (e.g., yield and retention) essential for accurate food composition data, respectively, and these were accepted in June. Amendments to the SSD2 business rules, and, importantly, whether there might be a better approach for mapping food composition datasets are still being discussed but the final report will submitted in July. Partners have also outlined the next and final report for Phase 1 (D1.6) that will provide guidelines for collection, storage, and maintenance of the EU FCDB and is due at the end September.

Zero Hidden Hunger EU

After the initial collection of information on digital objects (data, code, databases, etc.) expected to come in and out of the project, and presenting the data management process to the consortium at workshop in May, EuroFIR finalised the first data management plan for Zero Hidden Hunger EU in June 2024 (D9.1). As Task 9.1 leader, EuroFIR is responsible for developing, sharing, and updating the project data management plan, as well as elaborating exploitation pathways for key results and other outputs. Additional information will be added to the data management plan as the project progresses, based on outcomes from a series of online meetings with providers that will start in September 2024. EuroFIR also took Zero Hidden Hunger to the Nutrition Society Congress 2024 in Belfast (2-5th July) with presentations by Siân Astley, Máiréad Kiely (UCC) and Sander Biesbroek (WUR, NL).

Both the project website and the micronutrient nutrition helix are now live. 

As WASTELESS has come to its first reporting period, EuroFIR has been busy reporting on data collection, management and integration (WP4), supporting exploitation of common EU FLW streams – FoodWasteEXplorer (T5.5), and gender equity. The review meeting will be in early September 2024.

On 17-18^th June, WASTELESS and its sister project FOLOU hosted a dynamic webinar: “Current developments in food loss and waste reduction”.  The webinar brought together experts in the field of food loss and waste to discuss the current status and latest developments in four related topics: policies, tools, practices, and valorisation. Each session brought invaluable insights into shaping a more resilient and resourceful food ecosystem. The sessions of the webinar are all available on the WASTELESS YouTube channel.

Session 1 Current policies and regulatory strategies for FLW monitoring at EU level
Session 2 Digital tools and methodologies to measure FLW
Session 3 Innovative practices to use FLW
Session 4 Valorisation strategies to reduce FLW 

3^rd Newsletter is out! Check it out here if you’d like to learn in more detail what the project has been up to.

You can also read the first edition here and the second edition here.

WATSON

While the consortium is busy preparing for M18 (August 2024) deliverables (10), EuroFIR has intensified engagement to support development of use case scenarios considering the reduction of fraud around wine, honey, olive oil, meat, dairy, and white fish products. Whilst the use case leaders are finalising pilot implementation protocols, EuroFIR has started exploring data privacy and legal requirements with DBC Europe as well as collecting letters of interest from public food safety authorities in Europe who will be invited to demonstration campaigns as part of the validation process.

In the past months, and whilst many have been involved in the Period 1 review, EuroFIR has focused on developing infographics for each of the case studies. We are working with those leading dissemination and communication as well as the use case leaders to deliver visual representations and short descriptions of the work and goals. This is because explaining the data economy – how data add monetary value to the food sector – is difficult and each scenario complex and often unique. Once these have been reviewed, we will share them with on our social media and amongst Members and Clients. On 1st-2nd July, Data4Food2030 also hosted a two-day workshop in Mallorca (ES) focused on the case studies, and discussions included current status, how monitoring systems can be improved, contribution of the data economy for food systems to the upcoming common European data space, how we move from trends to key data value propositions, and future steps for data sharing as well as communication activities and exploitation pathways. The next consortium-wide meeting will be in October.