Food Challenge

Challenge Premature spoilage due to supply chain inefficiencies is a major cause of commercial food waste and accounts for between 20% and 50% of all fruit and vegetables being lost/wasted. Addressing supply chain inefficiencies is key to addressing food loss/waste and will require a revolutionary transformation of the current commercial supply management systems.

Solution Working with stakeholders to enhance global supply chain efficiency by developing a disruptive cyberphysical platform that combines optical sensing and artificial intelligence (deep learning) technologies to accurately predict food spoilage and remaining shelf-life. 

UN SDG Alignment GOAL 2: Zero Hunger; GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production   

Team Ultan McCarthy (WIT), Anastasia Ktenioudaki (UCD), Jean-Pierre Emond (The Illuminate Group LLC) 

Challenge It is estimated that up to 50% of salad leaves purchased by consumers go to waste. This waste represents significant costs for consumers, retailers and growers; and gives rise to considerable negative environmental impact. To reduce this waste and to ensure sustainable production for Irish growers, cost-effective approaches that build resilience into the supply chain must be explored.

Solution Develop innovative methods of incorporating silicon into the production cycle of fresh salad leaves to extend their shelf life while maintaining quality when packaged thus reducing waste.

UN SDG Alignment GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

Team Lorraine Foley (TU Dublin), Jesus Frias (TU Dublin), Karen O'Donohoe (Grow It Yourself) 

Leaf No Waste

Challenge For older people, buying quantities of fresh food can lead to food waste which discourages them achieving nutritional and health goals. Furthermore, undernutrition (the insufficient intake of energy and nutrients to meet an individual's needs to maintain good health) in older people is a serious condition that contributes to poor quality of life, frailty and health loss. As the world’s population ages, undernutrition will become a significant global health issue if not addressed.  

Solution Develop a novel minimally processed food product that will combine key ingredients of the Mediterranean Diet that sustain gut microbes that promote health. This product will support optimised nutritional intake and overcome a number of current challenges in addressing undernutrition in the elderly.  

UN SDG Alignment GOAL 2: Zero Hunger; GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being; GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

Team Paul O'Toole (UCC), Elke Arendt (UCC), Suzanne Timmons (HSE) 

Challenge Food waste valorisation is an important goal of sustainable development. In Ireland, 4.2 million tonnes of food-waste is generated annually with the food-processing  sector  accounting  for  19%  of this total producing 36,900  tonnes  of  fruit  and  758,650 tonnes of vegetable waste each year. This food waste represents a valuable untapped source of commercially important compounds (e.g., fatty acids) that can be used for a range of applications.

Solution Develop a disruptive anaerobic digestion technology that will transform organic  food waste, destined  for  landfill, into nutrient-rich foods, ingredients, clean energy and balanced fertiliser thus providing a unique zero-waste circular bioeconomy solution. 

UN SDG Alignment GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

Team Sushanta Kumar Saha (LIT), Ajay Menon (UCD), Adam Lord (Food Surplus Management Ltd) 

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