This paper explores the challenges in meeting the regulatory requirements of short food supply chains in 9 European countries based upon findings from the European H2020 3-year project "SMARTCHAIN". The assessments of the barriers that small food producers face in meeting different regulatory requirements are presented. Drawing on the results of 10 multi-actor workshops that involved 124 participants, the most problematic policy frameworks for short food supply chains and key obstacles in different regulatory requirements are summarized. This research shows that current EU and national regulation is an obstacle to the development of short food supply chains, meaning that additional efforts are needed to tailor the regulations to small food producers involved in short supply chains. Furthermore, it is necessary to consider the introduction of more effective support measures for short food supply chains.

Short food supply chains (SFSCs) are alternative food chains that have gained ground and contribute to the global food system's sustainable transition. To explore how to enhance their capacity to act and benefit society at large, we turned to scholarly and policy work on Social Innovation (SI). We concentrated on understanding what SI in SFSCs is and how it may stimulate their potential, following a two-phase approach. In Phase 1, employing a two-step systematic literature review, we generated a rich database of SI definitions, but no suitable definition was found. We proceeded to craft a domain-specific systems-centred definition, positing that SFSCs can be seen as social living systems, while SIs in SFSCs may be seen as processes that bring about change (e.g., new mentalities) and result in the creation of sustainable value for the actors involved and beyond. With the aid of an additional scholarly review, we also determined that the drivers of SI that matter are those that secure actor engagement in the co-design and co-development stages of SI (e.g., training). In Phase 2, we attempted to empirically validate the findings from Phase 1 in 12 Community of Practice (CoP) events in nine European countries. We found partial support for the SI definition, strong support for the vital role of trust, and concluded that, in any SFSC, it is critical to have a group of dedicated actors that have realized their role as (co-)leaders in co-shaping their own future.

There has been growing consumer demand for the products and services of the short food supply chains (SFSCs) in recent times. A procedure was developed to identify the technological and technological innovations that can improve the performance and competitiveness of the SFSCs. The needs of the SFSCs for innovative solutions were collected by interviewing 18 SFSCs from 9 countries. An inventory was prepared to contain 136 technological and non-technological innovations, meeting these needs. The innovations were collected from the good practices of the 18 SFSCs, experiences of the project partners and state of the art. The success factors and bottlenecks of each short food supply chain operation and their current value propositions were identified. From the inventory, those innovations were selected for each short food chain case study which can be applied to eliminate or reduce the bottlenecks or enhance the success factors leading to new, upgraded value propositions with increased added value for the consumers. The new, upgraded value propositions can serve as a starting point for developing a strategy for improving the competitiveness of a short food chain organisation through the application of innovations.

The food system has become globalized and industrial. As a consequence, food travels long distances to reach consumers and its production is over-reliant on chemicals, leading to high levels of carbon emissions and soil degradation. Short food supply chains (SFSCs) have been advocated as more sustainable alternatives and have been explicitly mentioned by the Dutch government and the EU as a strategy towards achieving sustainability goals. While SFSCs are viable on a small scale, scaling and mainstreaming them has proven difficult due to low margins, high costs, and steep learning curves. Their economic underperformance is particularly glaring when compared to the highly cost-efficient - albeit energy and resource intensive - conventional commercial supply chains. In practice, SFSCs therefore remain isolated success stories, failing to contribute to systemic change in food systems. In efforts to enhance the performance of SFSCs, this paper introduces the GAIN transition model, a novel framework based on gamification which provides a holistic and actionable framework for SFSC actors to coalesce and strategize around a common vision. We illustrate the underlying principles of GAIN and its potential for institutionalizing SFSCs. We find that thus far, GAIN has helped to catalyze action and has proven a useful tool which provides a common language for actors to navigate this complex space. Future research and more dissemination are needed to conclude with more certainty on the quantitative impact of GAIN in terms of enabling and strengthening SFSCs.

This study aimed to identify the barriers and facilitators of consumers purchasing from short food supply chains (SFSC). Eight focus groups were conducted with consumers in the rural and urban areas of Germany, Spain, Hungary and Greece. Participants generally felt that increasing the convenience of purchasing SFSC products (in terms of a proximal location and being able to purchase a wide range of produce in one place) was a prerequisite for them to buy such products. Food quality in terms of taste, freshness and organic status were also taken into account in purchase decisions, and there appears to be a greater focus on health rather than the environmental implications of organic production, although the environmental aspects are also appreciated. Some participants also like the idea of supporting their local community through purchasing from local producers and/or retailers. It was believed that small-scale production and SFSC result in better quality food, but participants had less confidence in the hygiene and food safety standards of SFSC compared to longer chains. Participants thought that consumers would purchase local food if they could more easily access a variety of local food in one place, such as through supermarkets, cooperatives, farm shops and markets, or an online platform that aggregates producers.

Thirty-two expert stakeholder (e.g., consumer advice center, state parliament at regional level, European Network for Rural Development, university and research center, chamber of tourism, rural development association, and social cooperative enterprise) interviews were conducted to examine consumer attitudes, values and preferences in relation to short food supply chains. These stakeholders have expertise in policy, consumer behaviour, the tourism sector and regulation. The interviewees represented the views of consumers, producers, and other actors who work with or within short food supply in seven European countries (Belgium, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland). Consumers were generally perceived to be aware of the environmental impact of food production. In terms of preferences, consumers would like to shop for local food the way they shop at the supermarket: having variety of products, accessibility, and availability. The relative lack of convenience and high prices associated with short food supply chains products were seen as the major barriers to their purchase. Consumers were thought to buy the products because of health and environmental benefits, a desire to support their local community, and a preference for tradition. However, relatively few consumers purchase products regularly from SFSC. The main segments are people who believe in short food supply chains values, middle class families with young children and elderly people. More can be done to educate and engage consumers regarding these chains, and market research is needed to inform which strategy is likely to be most effective in specific contexts such as the regional level.

Brazil has a great variety of fruits which are rich in bioactive compounds, such as the genipap fruit. Both the peel and the pulp of genipap have beneficial components for health, making the study of this fruit important for the proper use of its functionalities. The objective of this work was the extraction of bioactive compounds from the peel and pulp of genipap by different techniques. Extraction processes were carried out using different devices (orbital incubator shaker, ultrasonic bath, and ultrasonic probe) and at different temperatures (40, 60, 70, 80 and 90 °C). The best process for extracting phenolic compounds from the pulp of genipap fruit was with the ultrasonic probe at 40 °C, which indicated the efficiency of applying the sound waves directly to the sample. Regarding the peel, the best method for extracting phenolic compounds was using the orbital incubator shaker at 80°C.

The research aimed to study the effect of drying processes (spray and freeze drying), and feed concentrations (80%, 65% and 50% of plant in water, w/w) on physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of star gooseberry (Sauropus androgynus), ceylon spinach (Basella alba), and cowslip creeper (Telosma minor ). After drying, the powder recovery of herbal plant powders was up to 77.47%. The aw and moisture content of spray-dried powder (SDP) were lower than that of freeze-dried powder (FDP). The drying method did not significantly affect nutritional values of both powders, whereas the feed concentrations markedly affected the nutritional values of the powders. The fibre and fat contents of powder prepared from 80% feed concentration had the highest values (p<0.05). The dried star gooseberry powder was rich in protein (13.01-16.81%) and fibre (5.03-5.52%). The colour of FDP represented a smaller change than that of SDP. The dried powders prepared by 80% showed the highest solubility, up to 85.44%. The microbial counts of SDP were lower than that of FDP. The colour might well have been preserved by freeze drying, whereas a low moisture and microbial count were likely due to the spray drying.

Gari (roasted fermented cassava grits) is the most popular product consumed in West Africa and an important food product in the diet of millions of people in developing countries. The study investigated the effect of packaging materials (PM) and storage periods on the functional and pasting properties of Gari produced from white-fleshed cassava roots and sensory attributes of the cooked Gari dough (eba). Gari was produced using the standard method and packaged in a polypropylene woven sack (PP) and polyvinyl chloride container (PVC). Gari was stored for 24 weeks at room temperature and sampled at four-week intervals for functional and pasting properties, and sensory evaluation of the eba, using standard methods. The results showed that the storage periods significantly affected all the functional (except swelling power) and pasting properties of the Gari, and PM had no significant (p>0.05) effect on the functional (except bulk density) and pasting properties. Also, the PM had no significant effect on the sensory attributes of the eba except for the mouldability (p<0.05). The setback viscosity of the Gari packaged in PVC had a significant (p<0.05, r= -0.58) negative correlation with the texture of the eba. The panellists preferred all the sensory attributes of the eba made from the Gari stored in PP compared to that made from Gari stored in PVC. Therefore, packaging Gari in PP may keep most of the properties preferred by consumers when stored for up to 5 months.

Consumer trends towards shelf-stable, safe, more natural and free from additives foods drove the need to investigate the commercial application of non-thermal food processing technologies. High pressure processing (HPP) is one such emerging technology where foods are generally subjected to high pressure (100-1000 MPa), with or without heat. Similar to heat pasteurization, HPP deactivates pathogenic microorganisms and enzymes, extends shelf life, denatures proteins, and modifies structure and texture of foods. However, unlike thermal processing, HPP can retain the quality of fresh food products, with little or no impact on nutritional value and organoleptic properties. Moreover, HPP is independent of the geometry (shape and size) of food products. The retention of food quality attributes, whilst prolonging shelf life, are enormous benefits to both food manufacturers and consumers. Researches have indicated that the combination of HPP and other treatments, based on the hurdle technology concept, has potential synergistic effects. With further advancement of the technology and its large-scale commercialization, the cost and limitations of this technology will probably reduce in the near future. The current review focuses on the mechanism and system of HPP and its applications in the processing of fruit, vegetables, meat, milk, fish and seafood, and eggs and their derived products.