Safe, healthy and sustainable food at the URJC

Writing/Raúl García Hémonnet 

The slogan 'Good taste is not wasted' was used to celebrate this year's European Week for Waste Prevention. Within this framework, researchers from the Consolidated Research Group on Analytical Chemistry applied to the Environment, Food and Drugs (GQAA-MAF) have organised the 'IV Seminar on Awareness for a Sustainable Food System'. The aim of this session has been to contribute with actions from the university that promote the reduction of food waste and waste prevention, and that allow for a change in the daily behaviour of consumers and other agents in the food chain in this area.

The seminar brought together experts and authorities at the end of November to reflect on the challenges and opportunities in the transition towards a more responsible and environmentally friendly food model. The event, held online, was attended by figures from the institutional, academic and social spheres.

Among the most notable interventions was that of Marta Pérez González, deputy assistant director of Food Quality and Sustainability of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, who opened the seminar by showing the different initiatives carried out by the government to reduce food waste and promote the production and consumption of sustainable foods. The data on food waste in Spain, collected in recent years, are promising, but as the deputy director commented, “in order to achieve the planned objectives, it is very important to involve the new generations in the construction of more sustainable food systems, highlighting the value of holding this type of seminar, with a majority of university audiences, since these will be the professionals of the future,” said Marta Pérez in her presentation.

For her part, Carmen Redondo, representative of the Spanish Confederation of Consumer and User Cooperatives (HISPACOOP), focused on the role of the consumer as a driving force of change towards sustainability. During her speech, Carmen Redondo highlighted the growing concern of consumers to purchase local products with a lower environmental impact, but at the same time it has been observed that consumers are actually moving away from these actions on a daily basis, due to the high cost of more sustainable products.

The seminar also included a panel led by two expert researchers, who presented scientific advances in the development of analytical methodologies that allow the use of by-products from the food industry. Esther Gómez, a researcher from the Traces, Speciation and Proteomics (TrEP) group at the Complutense University of Madrid, explained how certain by-products, such as fruit peels, vegetable peels and residues from the brewing industry contain high levels of bioactive compounds with potential for the manufacture of nutritional supplements, cosmetics and even pharmaceutical products.We are not only reducing waste, but also generating added value in the food chain.", the researcher highlighted. Likewise, Isabel Martínez, researcher of the EVALKALIM-II project, presented in her presentation the double face of the glycoalkaloids present in food waste such as potato peels, compounds that can pose a risk if consumed in excess but that at low levels present important biological activity.

In short, the seminar was a clear example of how collaboration between institutions, organizations and universities can inspire new generations to act in the face of the challenges of the food system. These types of meetings reinforce the collective commitment towards a more sustainable future.

The organisers have thanked the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities for its collaboration in funding the EVALKALIM-II project, within which this seminar has been organised. They have also extended their thanks to the Institute of Technologies for Sustainability (ITPS), of which the research group is a part, for the help received in promoting the event.