Food processing and sustainability of food systems (DURATRANSFO)

Background and challenges

In a world undergoing profound ecological, economic and social change, between production and distribution/consumption, food processing can emerge as a significant lever for improving the global food-health relationship. While maintaining the criteria linked to food safety and health, the quality of the food supply can and must be adapted to a more sustainable upstream evolution of food systems, involving a wide range of actors. While adding more plant-based food to diets has been clearly identified as a criterion impacting the sustainability of food systems, the globalized consumption of ultra-processed foods has been the subject of particular attention in the scientific community for some years.

The consortium focuses on processing as a 'gateway' to support agricultural, food and environmental transitions. It is an additional or synergistic approach to that of improving the food system through global health as a gateway.

Goals

The goal of the consortium is to constitute an international network of skills (multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary) relating to the globalisation of food ultra-processing and its identified impacts upstream (production) and downstream (consumption), with as first deliverables an international seminar and a positioning article.

INRAE units involved

• Human Nutrition Research Unit
• Animal Products Quality Unit
• Unité Génie des procédés frigorifiques pour la sécurité alimentaire et l'environnement
• Unité Mixte de Recherche Territoires

Partners

• Centre d'études et de recherches sur le développement international

Publications

Anthony Fardet, Stefan Gold, Amélia Delgado, Nikolaos Kopsahelis, Vasiliki Kachrimanidou, et al.. How can food processing achieve food and nutrition security?. Sustainable Development, 2024, ⟨10.1002/sd.2899⟩. ⟨hal-04417486⟩