NUTRITIONAL SECURITY
Chairs:
Angelo Santino – CNR – ISPA-Lecce, IT Monika Schreiner – IGZEV, DE & Chiara Tonelli – Univ Milano,IT
This working group includes Plant and Animal research Chairs:
Odd Arne Rognli – NMBU, NO – Iain Donnison & Alison Kingston-Smith – – IBER, Univ of Aberystwyth, UK
Activities:
This Working Group will address one of the most important challenges for the next fifty years – to reduce the impact of chronic disease.
The worldwide spread of unhealthy eating practices is increasing alarmingly and experts warn of increased mortality from associated chronic diseases. Diets rich in plant-based foods are strongly associated with reducing these risks. However, as yet, the constituents in plants that promote health have proved difficult to identify with certainty, thereby making the precision of dietary recommendations uncertain.
Scientists want to contribute. It is essential for plant scientists to build multidisciplinary interactions with researchers in nutrition and chronic diseases pathology in order to contribute novel insight into which foods reduce the risk of chronic disease and how these foods work to impact human health and reduce some of the complexity of the diet-health relationship. This was the focus of the EPSO workshop “Plant Pigments and Human Health” on May 2011, which was highly appreciated by all participants and gave rise to this working group.
In particular, plant biochemistry can make significant contributions to the identification and measurement of many metabolites in plant-based foods, especially phytonutrients known to promote health. From this, plant genetics and metabolic engineering can be used to make foods that differ only in their content of specific phytonutrients.
Meetings:
Workshop to discuss contributions from plant science to Food 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals at large. The next workshop will be on 27-28 May 2022 in Lecce (Italy).
EPSO news developed by this WG:
EPSO hybrid Workshop ‘Future-proofed crops to address the nutritional security goal in Europe’, 27-28.5.2022 – register by 29 April for physical & 20 May for online participation
The EPSO Nutritional Security Working Group will discuss and contribute to defining new paths and solutions for resilient and sustainable production systems using innovative solutions in the food and nutrition area. Plant-based foods have received remarkable attention...
DivSeek launched a new Strategy to improve the Generation and Sharing of Information about Global Plant Genetic Resources
The Strategic Plan outlined for 2021-2026 will help accelerate access to and benefit sharing from these resources that include seed and other plant collections, along with provenance and characterization data, so they can be used for the sustainable production of...
Importance of Carotenoids in Agr-Food and Health – the most cited article in top nutrition and dietetics journal – outcome of the COST Action EUROCAROTEN
Research on carotenoids is crucial to solve the global challenge of producing health-promoting sustainable foods. The article, published in Progress in Lipid Research (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plipres.2018.04.004), reviews the biosynthesis of carotenoids in plants...
Relevant news from other sources:
Register for the 12th EPSO Plant Science Seminar – the 21st April 2022 seminar will focus on the “Plants’ role in Nutritional Security”
The 12th European-wide seminar of the series supported by the European Plant Science Organisation (EPSO) and aimed at the Plant Science community and its stakeholders. TTT: The seminar will be held online each third Thursday of the month at three (CET). On 21st...
Report from European science academies calls for urgent action on food and nutrition security
EASAC: Report from European science academies calls for urgent action on food and nutrition security.
European research and innovation for FNS – FOOD 2030 Conference background document
European research and innovation for Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) – FOOD 2030 Conference background document, 13.10.2016, comprising the FNS priorities NUTRITION for sustainable and healthy diets, CLIMATE smart and environmentally sustainable food systems,...
Members:
Borjana Arsova – Julich, DE
Susanne Baldermann – IGZ, DE
Elena Bitocchi – UNIVPM, IT
Tilman Brueck – IGZ, DE
Araceli Diaz-Perales – CBGP (UPM-INIA/CSIC), ES
Theresa Fitzpatrick – Univ. Geneva, CH
Manuel Gonzalez-Guerrero – CBGP (UPM-INIA/CSIC), ES
Alain Goossens – VIB, BE
Neil Graham – Univ Nottingham , UK
Trine Hvoslef-Eide – Norwegian Univ. Life Sciences, Ås, NO
Caroline Labrie – WUR, NL
Antonio Masi – Univ. Padova, IT
Karin Metzlaff – EPSO
Edward Muntean, USAMV Cluj Napoca, RO
Erik Murchie, Univ. Nottingham , UK
Joan Narciso, ETHZ, CH
Claudia Nunes dos Santos – ITQB, PT
Deborah Pacetti – UNIVPM, IT
Francesco Paolocci – CNR-IGV-Perugia, IT
Katia Petroni – Univ. Milano, IT
Roberto Pinton – Univ. Udine, IT
Giuseppe Puglia, CNR, IT
Angelo Santino – CNR – ISPA-Lecce, IT
Teresa Serra – IBET, PT
Monika Schreiner – IGZ, DE
Carmen Socaciu – Univ. Cluj, RO
Derek Stewart – Hutton Institute, UK
Chiara Tonelli – Univ. Milano, IT
Bjorn Usadel – Julich, DE
Olaf van Kooten – Univ. Wageningen, NL
Observers:
Rebeca Fernandez – FoodDrinkEurope, BE
Sebastien Thomine – I2BC, FR