What is your idea of a perfect meal? How about some local cheese, artisanal bread and a few slices of regional ham? Traditional food producers are getting help to continue producing in the competitive 21st century, with know-how and training from an EU-funded project.
EU-funded research has developed insemination strategies to help goats reproduce at any time of the year, without the use of hormones. This means year-round, hormone-free goat’s milk.
Why should gluten intolerance condemn people to a lifetime of limited – and often bland – food choices? By using new innovative ingredients and techniques to replicate the taste and texture of gluten, an EU-funded project has taken impressive steps to ensure that nothing is off the menu. The project’s techniques are also helping Europe’s smaller food manufacturers develop new products for the gluten-free market, helping them compete.
By developing techniques to produce everyday foods that are both affordable and nutritious, EU-funded researchers are showing the path to a future in which everyone – including those at risk of poverty – can enjoy a healthy diet without worrying about cost. The project’s techniques are being applied by small food processors – a boost to their competitiveness.
Research by FOODRISC has led to more awareness across Europe of how to more effectively inform people about risks and benefits associated with food, especially through social media channels, says the project’s principal investigator, Patrick Wall of University College Dublin, Ireland.
By 1 December 2014 the first 100 calls had closed. What can we tell about the popularity of the programme, the success of SMEs, the degree to which the programme has attracted newcomers - both as participants and as expert evaluators - the proportion of women experts and the speed with which contracts have been signed? See this new page to find out more!
Great bread doesn’t happen by chance. Even with the best ingredients, it takes practice and patience — notably because the dough needs time and specific conditions to rise to yeasty perfection. EU-funded researchers are putting the final touches to a new system that will make the proofing chambers used in bakeries even better.
Timed to examine Government's post-election plans for UK science and innovation policy, and informed by the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee's inquiry on Priorities for science, this seminar will bring together key stakeholders from the academic community and R&D-intensive industries with policymakers.
Keynote address by Dr Jack Metthey, Director, Policy Development and Coordination: "Making the most of Horizon 2020 ‐ UK involvement in EU science programmes"
This year the theme for the conference is Global Outreach: Enabling Cultures and Diversity in Research Management and Administration. This theme reflects the growing need and ambition to reach out and get connected and work together globally. Cooperating not only in the field of scientific research & innovation and higher education but also in the field of research management and administration.
The Info Day is organised by the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking to provide full information on the 2015 Call for Proposals. The session will take place from 09:00 to 12:30 in the Charlemagne Building on June 26, Rue de la Loi 170, B-1000 Brussels. You can register until 19 June 2015 via the BBI website, under the session "Events".
EU-funded researchers are extracting small pieces of protein from rice starch by-products for ‘superfoods’ and new cosmetics. These ‘magic’ molecules could add a healthy twist to baby food, sports protein supplements and products for sufferers of coeliac disease. An engineered human skin eliminating any need for animal testing could also be on the market within two years.
The nutritional value of staple foods in Africa is being boosted to raise consumption of essential micronutrients. Kenya has made iron fortification mandatory in commercially produced flour, while Nigeria’s farmers are being encouraged to grow high-vitamin-A cassava strains. Both moves result from the EU-funded INSTAPA project, which continues to inform efforts to step up public nutrition through improving foods.
Surveys such as the 2010 Eurobarometer show that people around Europe are worried about what they eat and where it comes from. But what causes this? And does it affect behaviour? An EU-funded project studied consumer choices about shopping, cooking and eating – offering a more accurate picture of what shapes their decisions. The results could lead to better-informed policies on health, sustainability and business.
Ripe, but not too ripe; sweet, but still a bit tart — to make outstanding wine, grapes must be harvested when they are at their best. Choosing the right moment is one of the key decisions of the winemaking process. The WinePen, a low-cost handheld device developed by the EU-funded PREMIVM project, can help. It is based on innovative techniques that can give winegrowers the information they need much faster than conventional tools.
End of 2014 the first Horizon 2020 projects were signed. Since then almost four thousand more have been added.
As announced by President Juncker on 13 May 2015, the European Commission intends to set up a new Scientific Advice Mechanism ("SAM"). The mechanism will support the Commission with high-quality, timely and independent scientific advice for its policy-making activities.
Europe’s smaller agri-businesses will soon be able to tell whether their products are within the EU’s strict limits for pesticide residues without having to send samples to the laboratory. This is because an EU-funded project has developed a rapid, easy-to-use portable biosensor that offers testing up to 10 times cheaper than conventional means.
The world produces enough food for everyone, and yet hunger and malnutrition endure. Why is this so, how will the situation evolve, and what can be done to achieve food and nutrition security for all? An EU-funded project is generating new knowledge and preparing recommendations for policy-makers.
The EU is investing in research to counter rising obesity among Europeans. Ongoing projects such as SATIN, Full4Health, I.Family and EarlyNutrition are leading to a better understanding of why more people are becoming obese – research that could save lives and reduce the burden on national health systems.
An EU-funded project has resulted in the commercialisation of natural bakery products in line with consumers’ tastes. The project has developed cost-effective means of producing bread products with nutrition content at least similar to wholegrain. It has also helped some of Europe’s small bakers launch new products in line with consumers’ tastes, and led to the coordinator being named “Bakery Personality of the Year 2014”!
