A FUSILLI project booth was set up by Tecnoalimenti during the CIBUS TEC fair in Parma, one of the most innovative food and beverage technology exhibitions, from 24th to 27th October.
The event discussed different significant issues within the food industry with the stakeholders at the event, with discussion points encompassing matters concerning environmental, economic and social sustainability. For example, as a means of improving environmental sustainability, a special emphasis was placed on strategies to reduce food waste throughout the supply chain.
Reduction of food waste is also an issue that FUSILLI is tackling, by developing of innovative solutions in its Living Labs. One of such ideas is Tecnoalimenti’s Urban Food Processing Hub concept, which was presented to the public in this event. This concept aims to address the issue of potential food surplus resulting from summer urban gardening by processing excess produce. The processed goods can then be shared with the public or used in local canteens. Additionally, the Hub can be used to process fruits and vegetables that may not meet conventional market standards but are still safe to eat. These include produce that may be the wrong size or shape and thus doesn’t comply with market requirements. It can also deal with surplus food from city markets, cafeterias or big shops which do not end up purchased by the consumer.
During the event, a list of some of FUSILLI’s promising results were presented to the audience in the form of a ranking survey. This was done in order to promote the results, gather feedback, and to evaluate them from the food industry’s perspectives. The presented results were the following:
- FUSILLI Social Game – an app promoting sustainable food behaviour through gamification
- AZOKA, THE ONLINE MARKETPLACE FOR LOCAL FARMERS – a platform from a spanish supermarket chain, connecting consumers with local farmers to enable purchase of local produce
- QR CODE BASED APP – a tool for food traceability offering an immersive experience of the food journey from farm to fork
- FUSILLI URBAN FOOD PROCESSING HUB – turns surplus summer overproduction from urban gardens or market reject produce into processed products for consumers or municipal canteens.
- CIRCULAR COMPOST-BASED URBAN FARMING – no-till urban gardening using bioactive compost which improves soil quality, conserves water and supports biodiversity.
The respondents to the survey, both young people and food professionals, showed interest in all the topics covered, confirming that sustainability in its various forms is always great interest and that different approaches to enhancing it are always appreciated.
Visitors to Tecnoalimenti's stand presenting FUSILLI
