The EUFRUIT thematic network, launched in March this year with the aim of facilitating access to knowledge and disseminating research for the benefit of the European fruit sector, has held its first general assembly in Leuven, Belgium.
After six months of operation, a dedicated knowledge platform has already been launched to facilitate this access.
According to the consortium, the first six months of operation has seen it work on its four core thematic areas for innovation potential, namely a review and an analysis of the performance of new cultivars and varieties; a scanning of initiatives to minimise residues on fruit and in the environment; an inventory of improvement of fruit handling and storage; and the identification of activities enhancing sustainable production systems.
According to EUFRUIT, the exercise has already allowed the cooperation of 86 participants from 15 member states who collaborated on the four themes to collect best practices, with the work continuing in the coming months to broaden the scope of produce covered.
The meeting concluded that after six months of operation, the project was fully operational, and confirmed that reports and relevant information was already available on the platform website.
'I am very pleased with the involvement of all the partners and the progress and achievements that the project delivered in the first six months,' said Michelle Williams, head of the department of food science at Aarhus University in Denmark, and current chair of the board of EUFRIN. 'EUFRUIT fills an important gap by enhancing research cooperation across Europe and fosters exchange of knowledge for the benefit of the fruit sector.
'I am also pleased that during the meeting the partners had the opportunities to exchange with the representatives of DG AGRI in charge of research and innovation as well as with the EIP-AGRI for agriculture and innovation,' she added.
The project is building an efficient instrument to enhance the competitiveness of the sector - altogether the fruit and vegetable sector represents about 20 per cent of EU agricultural output, and is a crucial contributor to European jobs and growth objectives.
'EUFRUIT is a useful tool to boost the cooperation between the fruit sector and the research centre,' said Philippe Binard of Freshfel and Jacques Dasque of Areflh in a joint statement. 'It is important that the fresh produce sector continues to gear research and innovation towards very practical and operational issues.
'EUFRUIT and its knowledge platform is aimed at becoming an important tool for the fruit sector with ready access to up-to-date information on research to stimulate competitiveness, sustainability, quality and safety of fruit for the benefit of the supply chain and ultimately the consumers,' they added.
EUFRUIT is a unique thematic European fruit network where research institutes and and European representative organisations join forces, gathering a consortium of 21 partners from 12 different countries.
It is a multi-layered project under Horizon 2020 to unleash, stimulate and use European research potential for exploiting new opportunities in the fresh produce category.
