The FOX team at DIL: Janos Petrusan, Milena Zdravkovic, Kerstin Pasch, Kemal Aganovic (from left to right) and the other FOX partners on screen for the online meeting.

On the 29th and 30th of June 2020, the second FOX annual consortium meeting was held, one year after the start of the project. The meeting was supposed to be hosted by Warsaw University of Life Sciences in Poland, but due to the current COVID-19 situation, the meeting was successfully held online instead. In total, over 40 people from all 25 partners attended the online meeting to share and discuss the progress of the FOX project.

FOX updates

During the meeting, the partners of the three segments of the project presented the work conducted in the first year.

Segment 1: Research and technology

This part of the project focus on the technological development for the four food circles, the four European regions in which the FOX technologies will be demonstrated and integrated into the food production chain. For this, the partners worked on:

  • Designing the down-scaled mobile fruit juice processing unit and its novel technologies (Vacuum spiral filter press and Pulsed Electric Field) (Food Circle 1)

Figure 1: 3D Model of the mobile fruit juice processing unit

  • Testing the impact of the different pre-treatment technologies (PEF, US, and HHP) on food quality (apples, mushrooms, carrots, strawberries) (Food Circle 2)
  • Measuring the fruits respiration rates to develop a suitable packaging and study the sanitation treatment that the fresh-cut fruits and vegetables will need in the process (Food Circle 3)

Figure 2: Measure of fruits respiration rates

  • Setting-up a tool to select the fruit and vegetable food side streams (like surplus from primary production or pomace after juice production) for which we can add-value by processing them into food products (like ingredients). This tool will assess the sustainability of the process and its economic feasibility (Food Circle 4)

Figure 3: Sequence of operations provided by the tool

Segment 2: Impact

This part of the project ensures that sustainable food circles will be developed with respect to economic and ecological viability and consumers’ demands. For this, the partners worked on:

  • Imaging future scenario for the food sector
  • Starting to prepare the business model
  • Assessing consumer motivation and ability to engage in the development of a regional food circle
  • Developing the FOXLINK application (launch September 2020)
  • Starting assessment of the environmental impact with literature review

Segment 3: Outreach

This part of the project aims at raising awareness by communicating on the project to the different stakeholders, the general public and the European Commission. For this, the partners worked on:

  • Starting to build the FOX Small Scale Food Processors Interest Group
  • Preparing a workshop to exchange on “best practices for innovation” with the FOX European stakeholders
  • Promoting the project through the social media, FOX website and developing communication tools (leaflet, roll-up banner)

The meeting also welcomed the project officer, Natalia Brzezina, DG Agri, who presented the new EU Farm to Fork strategy how FOX fits into it.

Figure 4: The Farm to Fork Strategy is at the heart of the European Green Deal which aims to map a new, sustainable and inclusive growth strategy.

The next steps

The partners also outlined their plans for the upcoming year:

  • Building the mobile fruit processing unit within Food Circle 1
  • Developing the prototype of the mobile processing unit within Food Circle 2
  • Designing sustainable packaging in Food Circle 3
  • Improving the tool used to select and assess side stream valorisation in Food Circle 4
  • Collecting data to assess the sustainability of the FOX technologies and set-up the nutritional composition of the FOX products
  • Launching the FOXLINK application
  • Engaging consumers, retailers and producers locally in the regions
  • Hosting an interactive workshop in November on local food processing with the stakeholders from FOX Small Scale Food Processors Interest Group

Meet the partners