SISTERS 7th General Assembly in Brussels: Key Takeaways

The 7th SISTERS General Assembly took place in Brussels on October 16 and 17, in the heart of the European Quarter. It was hosted by Safe Food Advocacy Europe, SISTERS’ leader of WP7, introducing their efforts to ensure safer and healthier food standards for European consumers. The assembly also benefited from the support of ATIIP Technology Centre, as project coordinator, and all other partners. Over two days, partners presented the latest advancements in each WP, exchanged insights and planned future activities. Attendees also enjoyed a visit to the European Parliamentarium and the House of European History, along with a delightful consortium dinner.

As SISTERS approaches the end of its second reporting period, significant progress has been made. Here's a summary of key achievements in each WP over the past six months:

 

WP1: Production stage

Regioneo, the app for fruit and vegetable producers, continues to implement new features and functionalities while achieving its first sales and gathering feedback from early users. The platform keeps growing, and to promote it further, new online video materials have been created to guide producers on its advantages and usage.

WP2: Logistics stage

BulkBox containers have been tested for transporting strawberries in bulk, while smart StoreBox containers have overcome sensor kit limitations and are already being tested for the transport of packed food, such as strawberries, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. Preliminary promising results will be confirmed in the upcoming months.

WP3: Processing stage

Mechanical optimisation and lab testing of the four biobased packaging solutions are nearly completed. Key outcomes include the successful integration of bioactive compounds from plant extracts into PLA-based films, the development of effective stretchable films, and final advancements for rigid trays and clamshells. The best-performing options are now in demonstration. Regulatory compliance for safety and shelf-life, along with communication efforts targeting food processors, are in progress.

WP4: Marketing stage

In recent months, the performance of SISTERS containers and packaging at the retailer/wholesaler stage has been tested, with BulkBox analyses already completed. Additionally, a survey of supermarkets was conducted on their practices and considerations for innovative packaging solutions, and work is underway to define key requirements for dynamic labelling.

WP5: Consumption stage

Significant strides have been made, highlighting a consumer survey that investigates the understanding of date labels (“best before” and “use by”) and its relationship with food waste and consumer behaviour. The analysis also includes an estimation of consumer segments based on their use of expiration dates.

WP6: Measuring impact and replicability

The business plan and key exploitable results are kept up to date, with a focus on post-project commercialisation. Biodegradability, home compostability and safety assessments for advanced prototype samples are almost completed, with final demonstrator tests forthcoming. Environmental assessments are also ongoing. Initial results show improved safety and reduced environmental impact from SISTERS solutions.

WP7: Fostering EU-related Synergies

Over the last six months, various events, conferences and webinars have been organised, continuing successful cooperation with other EU services and projects, including the Prevent Waste Coalition and the Green Deal Support Office. Noteworthy are the efforts to identify barriers and strategies for adopting SISTERS innovations, as well as advocacy campaigns with policymakers highlighting the importance of reducing food waste.

WP8: Dissemination & Communication

Notably, the first batch of practice abstracts has been published in six languages (EN, ES, IT, FR, DE, PT), and work is already underway on the second batch. Efforts are also being made to expand reach through increased social media presence, website views, publications, events, workshops, communication materials and other actions, which you can learn more about by browsing this blog.

The second day concluded with the webinar: "How to Reduce Food Waste Without Losing Profits?" organised within WP7. The event featured presentations by Safe Food Advocacy Europe, the organiser, on policy feedback related to food waste reduction targets, EROSKI showing the SISTERS solutions, and representatives from three other EU projects—ROSETTA, BREADCRUMB and ZEROW—sharing their synergistic approaches to tackle food loss and waste.

For the upcoming six months, all partners agree on the importance of gathering feedback from demonstration tests and early users of all SISTERS innovations, refining them to meet the needs at different stages of the food value chain. Special emphasis should be placed on promoting the use of Regioneo. While progress has been steady, additional communication efforts are needed to engage a wider range of primary producers. A comprehensive analysis of feedback from end-user testing will be key to improving SISTERS solutions and conducting a thorough impact assessment to fully understand their benefits and risks.

The next General Assembly was announced to be hosted by EROSKI in Spain in six months. In the meantime, SISTERS will continue advancing holistic solutions to mitigate food waste.

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