It was the 11 May, a sunny, hot day in Greece and at the Possidi Holidays Hotel preparation was ongoing for an interesting Joint Meeting…
With the goal to maximise synergies between PRIMA funded projects, the MED Food TTHubs consortium met the MEDIFIT partners met to share the state of the art of their activities, map the implementation stage for each project and discuss the challenges and opportunities of traceability and authenticity in the MED food supply chain. Thus, this 3-days event, which took place between the 12th and 14th of May, in Possidi, Chalkidiki marks a new, enlightened and productive era for the project’s track.
The first day was dedicated to the consortiums’ meetings – both for MED Food TTHubs and the MEDIFIT project – and enabled partners to reflect on the work done during the last six months, as well as outline the next steps that are foreseen from June 2022 onwards. It was a great opportunity for MED Food TTHubs partners to discuss in-depth the core concept of the project, make constructive remarks, and thus, set a more effective and upgraded workflow. If you are curious to know what happened at our 5th Consortium Meeting have a look here
The next day, several joint activities took place! The day began with the joint meeting co-organised by the two PRIMA projects. The event opened with a welcome speech by Prof. Koutsoumanis and Dr. Banias, the MEDIFIT and MED Food TTHubs coordinators respectively, while an introductory speech was also addressed by Mr. Mohamed Wageih, the PRIMA Project Officer.
The Plenary session was opened with introductions to both projects by their respective coordinators. This was followed by inputs from experts from both projects on Traceability issues in the Mediterranean area. More specifically, the presentations held by Mrs. Carolina Santos (University of Malta), Dr. Panos Madesis (INAB/CERTH), Dr. Nikos Tsotsolas (Green Projects), and Prof. Fernando Perez-Rodriguez (University of Cordoba) focused on the following thematic areas:
- Harmonization and standardization aspects of innovative authentication methods
- Development of an integrated framework for traceability & authenticity control of Mediterranean food products
- Digital driven solutions and tools for traceability in the Mediterranean food supply chain
The diverse mix of participants discussed about food traceability, potential applications that can be used, as well as innovative methodologies that can be applied along the whole supply chain. Among others, the partners that participated in the event investigated the opportunities to join their forces for future research and other potential activities.
But this was only the beginning! Networking continued since in the afternoon, we enjoyed a field trip to the research infrastructures of the Hellenic Apiculture Institute, situated in Agios Mamas, Chalkidiki. A new synergy was established with another PRIMA project: the SafeAgroBee project, rendering it a very meaningful and promising activity. During our short visit, we learn a lot about beekeeping and on pollination services provided by both Apis and non-Apis bees as important drivers in ruling food security, biodiversity, and human well-being. Learn more about our field trip here.
Finally, during the third day, the interest was directed to the MED Food TTHubs e-platform, which undeniably is a focal point for our program. Through a training session, the partners were the first to test a primary version of our e-platform and practically witness the results of their extensive research in action. And… guess what? This training was the opportunity for an additional synergy! This time the MED-QUAD project was presented, highlighting the significance that is given to new synergies.
Overall, this Joint event was a milestone for the MED Food TTHubs’ progress that set the foundation for the next determinative steps. An upcoming physical meeting is in our agenda that will reinforce the momentum of this one. But up to then, there will be tremendous progress made, so keep in touch to stay informed!