Agribusiness: Packaging, a new project to reduce health risks and environmental impact

Reducing the health risks and the environmental impact associated with an increasingly widespread use of synthetic materials, like plastics and chemicals, is the goal of the EU funded ^[1], FHERITALE project ^[2], 

which includes the METROFOOD-RI research infrastructure, coordinated by ENEA, the Interuniversity Consortium of Metal Protein Magnetic Resonances (CIRMMP) of the University of Florence (coordinator), INSTRUCT-ERIC, AnaEE ERIC and EIRENE.

The project focuses on the study of different types of materials, including plastics used for food packaging, such as polyethylene and polypropylene, and to manufacture disposable containers like trays, plates and cups. Among the priorities identified so far are micro- and nano-plastics, bioplastics, metal particles and metal oxides and additives for plastics.

The project adopts a systematic approach to the definition, development and integration of services available to European research infrastructures.

The project will investigate the consequences of a widespread use of these man-made synthetic materials and the implications of their interaction with the environment and humans through an active and synergistic involvement of these infrastructures and the integration of expertise and resources from a wide range of scientific disciplines.

Exposure to such materials can occur, in fact, either as a result of their intended use (as in the case of food packaging) or at the end of their life cycle (e.g., as a result of plastic wear and tear).

The multidisciplinary approach of the study is intended to foster a more comprehensive understanding of the impacts of the materials studied, but it also increases its accessibility by enabling a wider range of users to access the technologies and resources needed to conduct their own investigations.

 “FHERITALE represents one of the first concrete steps toward the application of the “One Health” approach which considers environmental, animal and human health as a unicum and aims at integrating “research” and “action” in these key areas to address global challenges,” said Claudia Zoani, researcher at the ENEA Sustainable Agrifood Systems Division and METROFOOD-RI coordinator.

The project is part of the activities conducted by ENEA to coordinate the METROFOOD-RI Research Infrastructure, funded by the Horizon Europe METROFOOD-EPI project and its national node METROFOOD-IT, funded under the  PNRR. In addition to ENEA, FHERITALE for METROFOOD-RI  includes the research institutions Sciensano (Belgium) and National Research and Development Institute for Food Bioresources - IBA (Romania).