The FOODIO project rewards the best healthy dairy product based on plant-based side-streams from the food industry. The selected product has been chosen among four innovative proposals developed by 40 European students under the EIT Food programme, a pan-European consortium that focuses on entrepreneurship and innovation in the food sector.
FOODIO, Food Solutions Master Class is an education project coordinated by the University of Helsinki in consortium with Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), IMDEA Food Institute, University of Hohenheim, TECHNION - Technological Institute of Israel -,the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), and 3 food companies, Acesur, Valio and Herbstreith&Fox.
FOODIO mentoring program has been undertaken throughout 2018, involving 40 undergraduate, master and doctoral students from four European universities. The participants have organised their projects in four working groups to solve a challenge: to develop new healthy tasty dairy products using the fibre obtained from plant-based side-streams from the food industry (olive oil and fruit juices).
The Palacio de Cibeles in Madrid was the venue for the FOODIO Final Gala on December 12, which was attended by more than 70 people and different representatives from the Education and Research Council of the Community of Madrid, the Autonomous University of Madrid and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), all of whom have supported the development of this initiative since its launching.
During the gala the four FOODIO groups presented their products:
- UNI-SAUCE a healthy cooking sauce
- CRISPILISCIOUS a crispy and healthy snacking alternative
- CHEEZY ROLL an innovative sustainable grilled cheese
- VOUSSE: a kind of chocolate mousse that offers a delicious, sustainable plant-based dessert option for health and environmental conscious consumers, including vegans.
The jury of the program tasted all the products in real time to assess their value from the point of view of innovation, the ability to transform an idea into a truly new food product and have an impact on sustainability, society and the economy.
Finally the winner product was VOUSSE developed by FISPA FOODS a start up project constituted by 10 students, from three universities in Finland, Israel, and Spain: Mamata Bhattarai, Mohamad Azizkhani, Sharon Abderhalden, Laura Toppinen, and Pia Silventoinen from the University of Helsinki; Lital Cohen, Valeria Belochvostov, and Michael Faivush from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology -; and Maite Iriondo and Beatriz Fernández from Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain.
FISPA FOOD won a prize worth 2000 euros donated by project partner Valio, an important cooperative of dairy products in Finland. The health-related aspects in Vousse are emphasised through the nutritional claims of "source of fibre" and "reduced sugar".
The challenge launched by FOODIO project has allowed students to collaborate directly with food industries and consumers internationally for the creation of new functional foods for future nutrition.
Maarten van der Kamp, Director of Education of EIT Food, stated: "Two important objectives for EIT Food are to train the future leaders in food systems and to transform innovative business ideas into real products that provide solutions to global food challenges. That’s why one of our flagship programmes focuses on creating innovative food solutions. I am immensely proud of the students who took part in FOODIO, which is one of three food solution projects, and am impressed by their ideas to transform food side streams into healthy and tasty products. I hope to see food innovations such as these on our supermarket shelves soon."
