Crops like chickpeas, fava beans, lentils and quinoa could help make Europe’s food systems more environmentally friendly and sustainable. By Michael Allen On Marianne Mulhall’s organic dairy farm in southeast Ireland, the winter wheat crop is looking better than usual. By spring, it is often a bit yellow and withered, a sign that it is … Read more
Diversifying food sources and developing underused, nutrient-rich crops could help combat malnutrition and enhance food security in Africa. By Andrew Dunne When crop scientist Michael Frei grew up in Germany in the 1980s, television screens were filled with scenes of poverty, drought and destruction in Africa. The 1984 Ethiopian famine brought home to millions the … Read more
EU-funded researchers have developed smart tags to guarantee the authenticity and traceability of wine from vineyard to table, helping to combat counterfeiting and boost consumer trust. By Sofia Sanchez Manzanaro Red, white, or rosé, sparkling or still, dry or fruity, wine is deeply embedded in European culture. But so are attempts to counterfeit good wines. … Read more
EU-funded researchers are improving the tracking and certification of biological waste to help give it a second life as new bio-based products. By Gareth Willmer Central Macedonia, a region on the northern mainland of Greece, is an important producer of food. It generates a quarter of the country’s agricultural output and is the source of … Read more
Citizen scientists are drawing on personal experience to help researchers create new plant-based fermented foods and maximise their health benefits. By Michael Allen Many will remember the sourdough bread-baking craze that emerged at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when people were stuck at home and looking for something creative to do. With social media … Read more
Researchers are using new technologies, including AI, as well as contributions from citizen scientists, to improve how we monitor and protect increasingly threatened habitats and species across Europe. By Bárbara Pinho In 1998, in a small park in Zurich, Switzerland, one bug woke up in a new world. The bricks on the roof of a … Read more