Short description of initiative/best practice
The FoodHub Centre of Excellence is an initiative by the University of Donja Gorica aimed at developing a sustainable food system in Montenegro. It aims to promote the development of the food sector in Montenegro by providing education, research, and innovation support to local farmers, food processors, and entrepreneurs. The initiative includes the establishment of a regional food innovation center, a local food distribution network, and a network of food producers, processors, and distributors.
The overall goal of proposed CoE is to offer reliable, science-based solutions for food safety risk elimination and hazard identification, digitalized food safety risk assessment tools, reliable certification and tracing of food authenticity, promotion and ready to use applications for the food production industry and tourism sector. This will be achieved by applying modern technologies in order to adjust traditional food production processes to new trends while retaining product authenticity and traditional features, as well as by engaging and linking a wide front of different stakeholders, inclu ding agricultural producers, food companies, research institutions, consumers and others. All of this will be done in order to stimulate the development of the food sector in Montenegro through production innovations, transfer of knowledge and technology and improvement of its competitiveness on the international markets.
That will be achieved through innovative technologies so that traditional processes of food production can be adjusted to the new trends, whilst maintaining the authenticity of product and traditional marks, as well as including and connecting wide range of different participants, including agricultural producers, food companies, research institutions, consumers and others.
A consortium of 12 institutions led by University of Donja Gorica, will form the Centre of Excellence for digitalization of microbial food safety risk assessment and quality parameters for accurate food authenticity certification (FoodHub) that will will built up necessary capacities and boost the development of Food Safety Risk Assessment area, become a strong pillar towards health protection of the whole population, foster sustainable food production in Montenegro based on native resources and new technologies.
This will become a strong pillar towards health protection of the whole population, foster sustainable food production in Montenegro based on native resources and new technologies.