This core funding will be used to support research on the microbial aspects of food preservation; Key research themes are (1) validation of production processes on their impact on the microbial quality of food, (2) the impact of the shift towards more sustainable packaging on the microbial quality of packaged food, (3) the impact of preservation and production techniques on the microbial quality of plant-based food, and (4) predictive microbiology for food.