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What is the science behind food? What are the researchers and industry experts doing to produce healthy and sustainable food that could be trusted by all? These are the questions we discussed during „Trust your Food” #AnnualFoodAgenda workshops engaging 279 pupils and teachers from Polish schools.
Over the last three weekends of February (15th, 22th, 29th) nearly 40 researchers, science communicatiors and experts from Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research PAS and MASPEX, invited young consumers (aged 7-13) to the food research laboratories located in the Food Sciences division of IARFR PAS in Olsztyn, Poland. Our guests had a chance to discover myths and facts surrounding diet supplements, design smart food packaging and get familiarised with food allergens. They found out how to interpret nutrition labels and the information available at public food venues. Under the eye of scientists and using high-tech research equipment, students tried their hands at experiments held in the laboratories of biological functions of food, microbiology, biosensors, metabolomics and other facilities located in the Institute’s Food Sciences division. Young consumers could perform tests on the quality of milk, examine the antioxidant properties of natural preservatives and check what fatty acids are found in commercially available oils. The workshop programme also included the topics of microorganisms used in food processing as well as Maillard reaction products formed during thermal treatment of food. Finally, in the computerised laboratory of sensory analysis, the students had a unique chance to professionally evaluate the sensitivity of their sense of smell. At the end of their “Trust your Food” journey around the labs, the students were asked to verify their knowledge in a quizz and to indicate their one favourite food. All their preferences were reviewed and gathered in a TOP 10 list, revealing ‘apple’ being the most liked food.
About EIT Food
The initiative is made up of an innovation community of key industry players across Europe, consisting of over 90 partner organisations and over 50 startups from 16 EU member states. It is one of the Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KIC) established by the European Institute for Innovation & Technology (EIT), an independent EU body set up in 2008 to promote innovation and entrepreneurship across Europe.
You can follow EIT Food via www.eitfood.eu or via social media: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube or Instagram.
Director of the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of Polish Academy of Science in Olsztyn announces an open call for the position:
within the realization of the project financed by the National Science Centre, Reg. No: 2018/29/B/NZ9/00391, entitled: „Biological study and mathematical modeling to describe and predict new processes controlling the development, function and atresia of ovarian follicles in cows” led by prof. Dariusz Jan Skarżyński. (więcej…)
Shaping responsible consumer attitudes amongst young people, raising their awareness of healthy eating, food safety, innovation in the agri-food industry and zero waste – these are the goals of the international project „The Classroom as a Platform for Community Engagement with Food Production and Science”.
The Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn, together with Technion Israel technical Institute in Haifa and the European Food Information Council are starting a joint educational program within the European Community of Knowledge and Innovation in the field of food (EIT Food). 100 high school students from Poland and Israel will participate in this project. Poland will be represented by two classes from the XII High School in Olsztyn, named after Maria and Georg Dietrich.
School classes will be held with the participation of scientists from The Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn as well as experts, innovators and representatives of the food industry. In addition to interesting lectures, students will be able to try their best at conducting simple scientific research, designing consumer surveys, analysing and presenting results. The 11-month program will also include experience in food analysis laboratories, study visits to food production and processing plants, as well as ‘’zero waste’’ cooking workshops organized in cooperation with the Food Bank in Olsztyn. One of the key elements of the project will be training in collecting the research results, followed by a promotional campaign designed and conducted by the students themselves, in which they will share with peers the knowledge acquired during all project classes.
Students from Poland and Israel will be in constant contact, exchanging experiences and good practices during regular videoconferences, which will also enable them to actively communicate using English.
The project will last until December 31 this year. In Poland, 50 students, 2 teachers and several scientists, academic lecturers, experts and entrepreneurs will take part in the project. Inauguration of the project is scheduled for February 25 this year in the XII High School named after Maria and Georg Dietrich located at 4 Bałtycka street in Olsztyn.
About EIT Food
The initiative is made up of an innovation community of key industry players across Europe, consisting of over 90 partner organisations and over 50 startups from 16 EU member states. It is one of the Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KIC) established by the European Institute for Innovation & Technology (EIT), an independent EU body set up in 2008 to promote innovation and entrepreneurship across Europe.
You can follow EIT Food via www.eitfood.eu or via social media: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube or Instagram.
In a food system where produce travels thousands of miles to supermarkets and hypermarkets, many consumers are losing their connection to food—they don’t often know where it comes from or who grew, harvested, or processed the products they eat every day.
A recent FoodThink study has found that almost half of consumers who frequently buy food for their households do not trust the food industry to do the right thing, and nearly a quarter actively distrust it.
Engaging young consumers in dialogue via a series of interactive events which provide a space to explore the science behind food is vital to delivering an innovative agrifood sector that produces both healthy and sustainable food that is trusted by all. The second edition of the European AnnualFoodAgenda brings a series of laboratory workshops prepared by scientists from the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research and MASPEX to the general public.
For 3 weekends in February, students from the Warmian-Masurian region will discover the myths and facts surrounding diet supplements, will create smart food packages and get familiarised with food allergens. The students will also find out how to interpret nutrition labels as well as the information available at public food venues. Under the eye of scientists and using high-tech research equipment, students will try their hands at experiments held in the laboratories of biological functions of food, microbiology, biosensors, metabolomics and other facilities located in the Institute’s Food Sciences division. Young consumers will be able to perform tests on the quality of milk, examine the antioxidant properties of natural preservatives and check what fatty acids are found in commonly available oils. The workshop programme will also include the topics of microorganisms used in food processing of food as well as Maillard reaction products formed during thermal processing. Finally, in the computerised laboratory of sensory analysis, the students will have a unique chance to professionally evaluate the sensitivity of their sense of smell.
This event is part of the #AnnualFoodAgenda (www.annualfoodagenda.com) project financed by EIT Food (eitfood.eu). #AnnualFoodAgenda offers a unique series of workshops, lectures and shows which raise awareness around healthy eating, food safety, innovation in the agri-food sector and last but not least, food waste. To this day, actions lead by the scientists of the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research PAS and experts from Maspex have engaged almost 5,000 people across Poland. More information regarding the #AnnualFoodAgenda events will be published on www.pan.olsztyn.pl.
About EIT Food
The initiative is made up of an innovation community of key industry players across Europe, consisting of over 90 partner organisations and over 50 startups from 16 EU member states. It is one of the Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KIC) established by the European Institute for Innovation & Technology (EIT), an independent EU body set up in 2008 to promote innovation and entrepreneurship across Europe.
You can follow EIT Food via www.eitfood.eu or via social media: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube or Instagram.
On the 6th of December we will celebrate EIT Food ZERO WASTE festival to take place during St. Nicolas Day in Poland. This will be the 8th and last event organised under #AnnualFoodAgenda project in Poland in 2019. Scientists from the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research PAS together with experts from Maspex and Food Bank in Olsztyn will prepare demonstrations, discussions and science shows on food sustainability and ‘’zero waste’’ ecological trends for middle school students and teachers.
Participants will learn simple methods of responsible food management that can be successfully used in everyday life, as well as get familiarized with the idea of ‘food sharing’ implemented by Polish Food Banks. Hand-in-hand with scientists the guests will perform laboratory analyses and discover health benefits of many food production side streams, which are commonly treated as waste, e.g. fruit pomace or coffee grounds. Students will also get an insight into the process of freeze-drying, an innovative food preservation method which allows keeping the nutritional value of products for a very long time. They will check the production process behind food stuffs with a 30-year long expiration date, take a look at space scrambled eggs and find out how to distinguish dried from freeze-dried foods.
During the event, young adepts will also take part in workshops on designing functional foods and personalised products for ‘’special tasks’’, which are dedicated to persons suffering from diet-related diseases. The formula of St. Nicolas Day with EIT Food meeting allows direct contact with the experts and will bring many surprises to all the guests.
The event will take place in Czarny Groń near Wadowice.
The Institute’s director informs that the competition for the position of assistant professor in the Department of Biodiversity Protection has been settled and the following were selected:
dr Jumpei Tomiyasu, who scored 19,25 points / 25 points
3D food printers, mobile polyphenol tests for fruits and juices, innovative food preservation methods and the afterlife of food waste. On October 4th, EIT Food #AnnualFoodAgenda showroom called 'Food open to the world’ took place during the 'Transition Festival’ at the Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw, Poland.
As a part of #Annual Food Agenda season 4: #FoodSustainability theme, researchers from the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research PAS, together with MASPEX experts and agri-food innovators, brought us closer to the latest scientific and technological achievements that lead to the production of healthy, safe, nutritious food, with a maximal use of raw materials and a minimal environmental imprint. In the EIT Food showroom, we could find 3D food printers, mobile polyphenol tests for fruits and juices, as well as an intelligent plant lighting system that allows producing vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers throughout the year. Entire families could take a closer look at natural and functional food products, as well as plant-based proteins, exploited as alternatives to animal and soy proteins. During ’hands-on’ workshops and demonstrations, we learnt about innovative food preservation methods and food products with a 30-year long expiration date. In addition, the guests got familiarized with personalized foodstuffs dedicated to people suffering from diet-related diseases and checked the unique nutritional value of some selected food production side streams. Last but not least, everyone took part in 'zero waste’ games and explored the concept of 'food sharing’.
