FOODGUARD aims to develop and demonstrate co-created solutions that will support innovations & advances based on microbiome,
microbial activities & technology hubs to address food, health, economic and environmental challenges.The envisioned approach
consists of a framework of toolsets & methodologies to provide sustainable solutions in food processing, packaging & across the food
value chain to address food shelf-life increase & waste reduction in a holistic manner.The proposed solutions aim to (a) extend food
shelf life with novel packaging/ biopreservation i.e. use of protective cultures/synthetic microbial consortia, recyclable films with
natural antimicrobials or protective cultures;(b)monitor food quality/safety/shelf life with microbial indicators/molecular biomarkers
used in smart packaging (TTIs, smart printed tags, no-invasive sensors)& (c) accurately predict food shelf life & improve traceability
using predictive models, AI/ML, Internet of Things & tools like QR,NFR etc.; FOODGUARD toolbox components will be extensively
evaluated in real life settings through four pilot demonstrations in 4 different countries with involvement of all relevant actors while
covering diverse requirements and different food products. FOODGUARD outcomes target i) to minimize food loss and waste by shelf
life extension and prediction,ii) to help the food industry to implement these preservation solutions as an alternative to chemical
preservatives,iii)to deploy responsive policy for implementing these approaches as well as to engage consumers educated via tools/
platforms, effectively improving awareness &trust in the food sector to(iv)increase traceability, providing real-time supply
transparency that will improve the uptake of data-driven innovations in food systems, optimize resource efficiency (reducing food
waste from farm to fork)(v)manage increased complexity in agri-food production & supply chain process, make it easier for consumers
to adopt a healthy & safe food diet.