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Food Crossing District
Published on 02 February 2018
Italy
Emilia-Romagna
This is the good practice's implementation level. It can be national, regional or local.
About this good practice
The main goal of the project, financed by regional ERDF , is to develop and test solutions for the reuse and valorisation of food waste, focusing on the tomato and wheat supply chains, which are particularly strong in Emilia-Romagna, by generating opportunities for new market products.
Thanks to cooperation between companies and research, the development of new technological solutions and platforms will allow to reach project objectives.
For the tomato supply chain, waste skins and seeds, by innovative and low environmental impact technologies, will be used to naturally enrich olive oil in lycopene and to obtain a new oil from the co-crumbling of olives and tomato by-products, intended for the food market.
From waste products of the wheat supply chain, with the use of low impact energy- environmental technologies, wheat germ oil and defatted oil are produced for the food market but also for other markets. In parallel to the valorisation of these by-products, the project wants to create a network of industrial symbiosis through the development of operating manuals and software that will enable a dynamic map of the circular economies of two supply chains.
Key actors involved are: two regional Laboratories of Emilia-Romagna High Technology Network (CIRI AGRO, project leader, and ENEA-LEA) and two large companies representing the supply chains addressed: Barilla S.p.A. and Consorzio Casalasco.
Thanks to cooperation between companies and research, the development of new technological solutions and platforms will allow to reach project objectives.
For the tomato supply chain, waste skins and seeds, by innovative and low environmental impact technologies, will be used to naturally enrich olive oil in lycopene and to obtain a new oil from the co-crumbling of olives and tomato by-products, intended for the food market.
From waste products of the wheat supply chain, with the use of low impact energy- environmental technologies, wheat germ oil and defatted oil are produced for the food market but also for other markets. In parallel to the valorisation of these by-products, the project wants to create a network of industrial symbiosis through the development of operating manuals and software that will enable a dynamic map of the circular economies of two supply chains.
Key actors involved are: two regional Laboratories of Emilia-Romagna High Technology Network (CIRI AGRO, project leader, and ENEA-LEA) and two large companies representing the supply chains addressed: Barilla S.p.A. and Consorzio Casalasco.
Resources needed
0.8 Meur from ERDF for a total project value of 1.2 Meur covering the R&D activities, and the development of the industrial symbiosis platform
Evidence of success
The project represents a successful case of cooperation between research and the business sector for a more efficient resource use in a key sector for the regional and national economy: the agrofood industry.
Potential for learning or transfer
The developed technologies and platforms can be adapted to other regions or countries in Europe. This project may have a large impact at national and European level if transferred to other players: in Europe, 55% of tomato processing occurs in Italy, which generates about 2M tons of waste; for wheat, about the 20% of processed wheat is wasted (source: http://www.foodcrossingdistrict.it)
Further information
Website
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
Organisation
University of Bologna
Italy
Emilia-Romagna
Contact
Project Officer