Research and innovation network on food and nutrition Sustainability, Safety and Security – ONFOODS

Funding details and duration of the project

Funder: Project funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.3 - Call for tender No. 341 of 15/03/2022 of Italian Ministry of University and Research funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU

Award Number: Project code PE0000003, Concession Decree No. 1550 of 11/10/2022 adopted by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, CUP D93C22000890001, Project title “Research and innovation network on food and nutrition Sustainability, Safety and Security – Working ON Foods” (ONFOODS)

Start date: 01.11.2022

End date: 31.10.2025

Total NRRP funding: € 114.500.000

Total NRRP funding for Unipr: € 12.353.750

Description of the project

Objectives

The ONFOODS goal is to promote a sustainable food model, by joining and synergizing the strengths of various disciplines, including social and juridical sciences, agricultural economics, food chemistry and technology, logistics, microbiology, marketing, human nutrition, and medicine. Only through a holistic approach that places the person at the centre we commit to preserve the environment, improving wellbeing, and reducing inequity by implementing virtuous food systems and creating a more effective, safe, sustainable, and fair social security system.

ONFOODS will tackle food-related challenges through the coordinated activity of seven Spokes, each focusing on a specific aspect of food production, transformation, and effect. All the Spokes will be interconnected, with ideas originating in one Spoke becoming true innovation only after the collaboration with researchers in other relevant Spokes.

The clearly identified objectives of ONFOODS are:

Promote the sustainability of food production
Increase the adherence to more sustainable dietary patterns
Promote the sustainability of food distribution
Increase the quality of foods and diets
Develop smart innovative technologies for a sustainable food production and consumption
Guarantee food safety and food security at whole population level and in specific vulnerable targets of the population

Activities

The seven Spokes through which the ONFOODS consortium will operate and achieve the above-mentioned objectives are:

Global Sustainability with a focus on impacting on social, economic, and environmental sustainability of food systems through consumer centred strategies to promote food seasonality and quality, and to stimulate socioeconomic fairness
Smart and Circular Food System and Distribution by improving food system sustainability through i) circular economy approaches, enhancing the value of by-products and food waste and ii) the development of smart logistics strategies and digital/technological innovation for food distribution
Food Safety of Traditional and Novel Foods with a focus on new and sustainable processing technologies, considering the rise of novel food consumption
Food Quality and Nutrition enhancing food and nutrition quality through food reformulation and new food design, safeguarding health at population level, while considering the emerging interindividual differences driving the personalised nutrition revolution
Lifelong Nutrition via promoting food and nutrition security with a life-course approach by mapping the national population’s nutritional status, targeting specific populations, and by disseminating principles of the healthy Mediterranean Diet
Tackling Malnutrition by developing nutritional strategies targeting the most vulnerable population categories (i.e., financial hardship, people affected by pathologies, the elderly) ensuring adequate nutrition and limiting the onset of malnutrition
Policy, Behaviour and Education by developing models and instruments, to observe, analyse and predict food policies and business or consumers’ behaviour, to support implementation and promotion of public actions. The final goal is to prevent food loss, surplus, and waste, while promoting a more informed food

Role of University of Parma in the project

The University of Parma plays a crucial role contributing to the following activities:

As spoke leader
- Spoke 1 – Global Sustainability
As affiliated entity:
- Spoke 3 – Food Safety of Traditional and Novel Foods
- Spoke 4 – Food Quality and Nutrition
- Spoke 7 – Policy, Behavior and Education

Departments of the University of Parma involved in the project

Department of Food and Drug
Department of Economics and Management
Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability

Partners

The partners involved in the ONFOODS project are as follows:

n. 7 private entities:
- Barilla G. e R. Fratelli S.p.A.
- Bolton Food S.p.A.
- Cirfood Sc
- De' Longhi Appliances S.r.l.
- Sacco S.r.l.
- Tecnoalimenti S.C.p.A.
- Confcooperative (as a member of the HUB only)
n. 12 universities and public research institutions supervised by the MUR (Italian Ministry of Research):
- Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
- Politecnico di Milano
- Sapienza Università di Roma
- Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro
- Università degli Studi di Catania
- Università degli Studi di Milano
- Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca
- Università degli Studi di Parma
- Università degli Studi di Pavia
- Università di Napoli Federico II
- Università degli Studi di Pisa
n. 7 universities and research institutions not supervised by the MUR:
- Agenzia Nazionale per le nuove tecnologie l’energia e lo sviluppo economico sostenibile
- Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l’analisi dell’economia agraria
- Fondazione Edmund Mach
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri
- Istituto Neurologico Mediterraneo Neuromed
- Libera Università di Bolzano
- Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

Results of the project

The main expected result is to counteract territorial gaps by investing to promote local research and innovation, incubate projects, and accelerate start-ups and spin-offs.

By doing so, ONFOODS will have a positive economic impact, increasing the competitiveness of food companies, creating new jobs, and reducing costs related to food production and healthcare.

The project will also have social and cultural impacts by involving consumers, raising awareness of healthy and sustainable food choices, and preserving food cultural identity.