Working area TKI: central theme Healthy & Safe

Improvement of public health

This central theme aims to contribute to improving public health by producing healthy, safe and tasty food. The salt, sugar and fat contents in products are reduced and the fibre content is increased. The reduction of food allergies is also part of the central theme. A sustainable, energy and water efficient way of post harvest processing with minimum waste is a clear goal for the production process. A precondition is food safety, as well as human health in relation to animal health in livestock farming (1Health).

More specifically, this central theme aims at the following:

• Development of products and processes for a healthier diet: redefinition, research into the relationship between products (taste, smell, texture), purchase, preparation and a healthy diet, reduction of food allergies and strengthening of the immune system.
• Sustainable food processing: efficient, gentle and aimed at the entire chain, quality and safety in the chain, packaging and storage, reducing food waste.
• Health and safety of food and animals: chemically, micro-organisms, use of antibiotics, zoonoses control, safe production methods, reduced environmental pressure, pathogens and particulate matter.
• Food and health: methods for measuring the effects that food has on health (including food allergies).

Activities

The current activities include 41 ongoing PPS projects and programmes that were on the previous knowledge and innovation agenda in the roadmaps High-end Products and Food Safety. There is also a close cooperation with TiFN, which includes approximately 14 PPS projects.

In the next few years, we will focus on:

• The cooperation with the Sustainable Food Initiative, which is currently being developed and with TiFN.
• Strengthening the One Health initiative (through NWO/ZonMW with LSH, the social innovation programme Healthy People and Animals).
• A social innovation programme called Food Safety.

Healthy & Safe