Seafood Tomorrow, a European project for improving seafood sector

SEAFOOD Tomorrow is a new European Union Horizon 2020-funded project aimed at developing sustainable solutions to improve the safety and dietary properties of seafood. A scientific team of the CSIC is involved in the project.

Seafood Tomorrow is aimed at developing sustainable solutions and new products for the seafood sector. By 2050, population and economic growth will result in a doubling of demand for food globally, according to estimations. One of the main challenges is ensuring that food production and consumption is socially, economically and environmentally sustainable. Seafood is one of the most important food commodities consumed in Europe as it is an important source of animal protein and is naturally rich with valuable nutrients for a healthy diet. It is therefore vital to develop new, environmentally friendly and transparent seafood production and processing methods that will underpin seafood security in-line with market demands.  

SEAFOOD Tomorrow is a new European Union Horizon 2020-funded project aimed at developing sustainable solutions for improving the safety and dietary properties of seafood in Europe. New processes as well as new products will be obtained in the project.

“For example”, explains Ethel Eljarrat, a CSIC scientist, “one of the goals is developing new seafood products more attractive and easy to eat for children, and seafood products with low salt content for hypertensive people”. Also, adds Eljarrat, “the project will assess the type of information that should be included in the labelling, to inform consumers about the components and nutritional values of the product.”

The team led by Ethel Eljarrat, at the Institute of Environmental Diagnosis and Water Studies (IDAEA-CSIC) will work on the project. “Our work is assessing the content of pollutants in the new products, mostly brominated flame retardants or PBDEs and  the pPolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs), as well as ensuring that new processing methods will not increase the current level of pollutants.

Why PBDEs and not other pollutants? Because, as Eljarrat explains, “in a previous project (Safeseafood) we found out that among the assessed pollutants, the most worrying substances were the PBDEs, since very often substantial amounts of these compounds are detected in seafood and they have toxic effects”.  

In the Seafood Tomorrow project, funded with 7 million Euros by the European Union, are involved 35 partners from 16 countries. The project is coordinated by the Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera (IPMA).

Seafood Tomorrow http://seafoodtomorrow.eu/

 

 

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