Agri-Food: ENEA, Metrofood-it strengthens research and innovation in the supply chain

Metrofood-it, the ENEA-coordinated PNRR project, demonstrated that scientific research can provide tools and services to support businesses and local communities in strengthening the agri-food sector which, with a turnover of 660 billion euro, represents one of the strategic assets of the Italian economy. The project took stock of its four-year experience at an event in Rome, attended by ENEA President Francesca Mariotti and project coordinator Claudia Zoani. Representatives from the project team also spoke, including members from the National Institute of Metrological Research (INRiM) and the universities of Sapienza in Rome, Federico II in Naples, Aldo Moro in Bari, Parma, Siena and Molise.

Thanks to €17.8 million PNRR funding, Metrofood-it has provided its partners with new state-of-the-art equipment, integrated with advanced digital systems based on the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence and blockchain, which have enabled laboratory analyses to be conducted with a higher degree of precision than in the past. This has made it possible to develop methodologies to verify the quality, authenticity, and origin of foods like wheat, extra virgin olive oil, buffalo mozzarella and rice, as well as branded products such as Vesuvio DOP Piennolo cherry tomatoes, Campania IGP Annurca apples and Sorrento IGP lemons.  Metrofood-it researchers have also worked on developing solutions for sustainable packaging and smart farming.

“Strengthening the agri-food sector’s capacity for innovation is a strategic priority for Italy, especially in an international landscape marked by growing market competition, climate change and rapid technological transformation” said ENEA President Francesca Mariotti. “PNRR funding,” she continued “has enabled Metrofood-it to strengthen its infrastructure, human capital and service delivery capabilities, supporting business competitiveness and the promotion of quality products, and ENEA to reaffirm one of its core missions: to put research and innovation at the service of the country’s sustainable development.”

In addition, Metrofood-it has established a network of living labs across the country, where stakeholders in the agri-food sector can experience firsthand how new technological solutions work and participate directly in the co-creation of new initiatives. Several open calls were also launched to provide services to universities, research centers and companies, which used Metrofood-it’s facilities to conduct scientific and technological experiments and studies. Finally, the researchers involved in the project have been consistently engaged in training initiatives and in raising awareness about the project’s activities and issues related to food safety and quality, also through participation in events and initiatives addressed at consumers.

“Over the past few years, Metrofood-it has succeeded in defining and testing processes and scenarios for the development of sustainable and innovative agri-food systems, accelerating their digitalization and improving their efficiency. “Although the project is now coming to an end, the journey continues within the European research infrastructure Metrofood-ri, of which Metrofood-it is the national node”, pointed out ENEA researcher Claudia Zoani, coordinator of Metrofood-it.