Research to prevent Food Waste

Bühler and Migros-Industry companies will give a total of five million Swiss francs to ETH Zurich to finance the professorship for Sustainable Food Processing. Additionally, post-doc research projects will receive funding within the framework of the ETH World Food System initiative.

Enlarged view: Lebensmittelproduktion (Bild: Colourbox.com)
A new professorship is dedicated to the whole food product life cycle, from molecule through to shelf-ready food. (Photograph: colourbox.com)

It is a long and complicated path that food takes from field to fork. The unnecessary loss of food, resources and energy along the way is a concern for many consumers. The newly created assistant-professorship for Sustainable Food Processing conducts research into the development of new methods of food processing to make food production more environmentally friendly and sustainable.

Starting January 2016

The professorship at the department of Health Science and Technology is dedicated to the whole product life cycle, from molecule through to shelf-ready food. The properties of specific products will also be investigated and optimised to increase nutritional value or to make them more digestible. Dr Alexander Mathys, who is currently leading a department at the German Institute for Food Technology, will start work at the ETH in January 2016.

ETH President Lino Guzzella is happy to see ETH Zurich drive forward their research in this area, thanks to the support of these two industry partners: “Food waste is an important topic. It’s not acceptable that we waste food here that is desperately needed in other places. I am convinced the new professorship will contribute to finding solutions to this problem.”

Sector benefits

Both industry partners are just as enthusiastic about the new professorship: “As a market leader in food processing solutions, particularly across the grain value chain, Bühler is pleased to continue our close collaboration with the World Food System Center and to support research and development in sustainable food processing solutions”, comments Ian Roberts, Bühler’s Chief Technology Officer. And Walter Huber, Head of M-Industry and member of Group Management of the Federation of Mig-ros Cooperatives (FMC), states: “Looking after resources is important to us. The research findings will benefit not only Migros, but the whole sector.”

Apart from supporting the professorship, half of the donation made by Bühler and Migros-Industry companies to ETH Zurich Foundation will facilitate projects of post-docs which focus on world food systems.

ETH World Food Systems initiative

To answer global challenges, ETH Zurich initiated the strategic “World Food System“ project and founded the World Food System Center (WFSC) in 2011. This centre of competence links researchers and students from seven departments, including Agro- and Food Sciences. Those working at the centre are dedicated to finding solutions for the whole food value chains and thus contributing to sustainable food security. The World Food System Center at ETH Zurich supports interdisciplinary approaches and drives collaboration between local and global players worldwide.

www.worldfoodsystem.ethz.ch

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