You can find attached an intriguing review article based on the scientific plan followed by METROFOOD-RI in order to promote high-quality metrology services across the food chain. The methodology and key findings of the research study are summarized in the review given below, which also provides a framework for how the integrated facilities of the Research Infrastructure (RI) can function during their first five years of operation as European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC). This review also helps to identify the key thematic areas from a metrological perspective.
Under financial support from the EU-Horizon 2020 project METROFOOD-PP, METROFOOD-RI is now operating its preparatory phase (PP), which supports its efforts towards self-assembly as a novel distributed RI in the food and nutrition sector. It combines a physical and an electronic component with multidisciplinary resources spread over 18 different European nations, and it can provide scientific services in an integrated and cooperative manner. The physical infrastructure is divided into two sides: the “Metro” side is made up of plants that produce reference materials and analytical labs for the development and validation of new reference materials and new methods, and the “Food” side is made up of experimental farms and fields for crop production and animal breeding, plants for food processing and storage, and kitchen-labs for food preparation. The infrastructure’s electronic component integrates and coordinates all physical facilities. The latter will offer a platform for knowledge and information integration on metrological technologies for food analysis, with emphasis on food composition, nutritional value, safety concerns, and authenticity markers. In the METROFOOD-RI scientific plan, key thematic areas, were found to be: reference material, food authenticity and traceability, food safety, food quality and nutritive quality and functional properties.