In total, 9 special sessions will be hosted during the conference. Most of these sessions are linked to initiatives in the EU’s research and innovation program ‘Horizon 2020’ and / or focus on specific advancements in food research and industry.

 

Startups and innovation in the food industry: RisingFoodStars

This session is dedicated to the RisingFoodStars, an association of high potential start-ups, and will explore how the complementary competences of start-ups lined up along the food supply chain bring unprecedented value in terms of cutting-edge technologies, innovative business models and the diversity in innovation cultures.

 

Food Engineering: new horizons

This session will include three presentations by esteemed European food engineers: Professor Emeritus Sam Saguy, Professor Petros Taokis and Professor Peter Fryer. This part of the conference program will explore state of the art insights, methods and technologies in food engineering and how this domain could contribute to better, more sustainable and healthier food in the future.

 

SUSFOOD: transnational research for sustainable food systems

SUSFOOD is an EU-funded research program which aims to foster research and innovation in the field of sustainable food systems through enhanced cooperation and coordination between EU member and associated states. The program specifically focusses on sustainability in post-harvest food production and consumption, thus covering relevant fields from natural sciences to food engineering and social sciences. The session will focus on 11 projects in the SUSFOOD program and their results.

 

Innovative sustainable food processing

Recent developments in food processing have demonstrated on lab and pilot scales that mild yet sustainable techniques can be effective at combating pathogens, minimizing waste and enhancing process efficiency while preserving product quality. However, the implementation of such technologies on a commercial scale has been limited due to the risks associated with upscaling. This session will showcase three EU-funded projects – FIELDFood, HIPSTER and i3-Food – and the innovative technologies and methods they have developed for sustainable food processing.

 

GHI Symposium

This session will cover harmonization of food regulations and why it should be based on scientific evidence. The presentations will focus on subjects such as food additives in developed and developing countries; research platform for safety and functionality of local foods through clinical intervention and information technology; revision of EU food irradiation legislation; knowledge based bio-economy: Harmonization between EUROMED & Lebanon; mycotoxins in nuts; mycotoxins in pasteurized fruit juices by thermophilic toxigenic fungi.

 

Analyzing crisis response in the food sector

Based on the presentation of the ‘Normal Chaos’ paradigm in the plenary program of the conference, this special session will examine the role of crisis management plans and crisis teams. ‘Normal chaos’ is a new paradigm which focusses on the formal and informal processes that are at play in our complex interactive environment, as well as the interdependencies that are required to solve complex situations. This session will include a workshop, based on a published case (Paraskevas, 2006) about the crisis response in a hotel chain facing a major food poisoning outbreak.

 

MyNewGut

MyNewGut is an EU-funded project which aims to improve understanding of how the human gut microbiota and its genome influence obesity, behavioral- and lifestyle-related disorders and vice versa. It also aims to identify specific dietary strategies to improve the long-term health of people. This session will provide an overview of the project and its results.

 

Non-conventional characterization techniques for food

Food ingredient structure is a central element to a good product. The characterization and understanding of food and ingredients at micro-scales is of crucial importance to tailor product properties such as texture and shelf-life, and to create innovative products. This special session will demonstrate the use and potential of synchrotron X-ray and neutron beam characterization on food science challenges, using examples from academic and industrial perspectives. The session will zoom in on two projects: CALIPSOplus and SINE2020, both part of the EU’s ‘Horizon 2020’ program.

 

Advanced solutions for assuring the overall authenticity and quality of olive oil

This session will provide a comprehensive overview of current developments on new and improved analytical methods for assuring the quality and authenticity of olive oil. It will be organized by OLEUM which is part of the EU’s ‘Horizon 2020’ program. The project is committed to develop advanced solutions, analytical tools and a network to enhance the authenticity and quality of olive oils at a global scale.

 

Please visit the conference website for more details.