The 8th International IMEKOFOODS Conference on Metrology in Food, held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from 21 to 24 September 2025, brought together a wide range of experts — researchers, scientists, policymakers, and industry stakeholders — to discuss how food safety, authenticity, and traceability contribute to a more sustainable and reliable food system.
These topics are central to the ongoing effort to build resilient food systems that ensure consumer protection and transparency across the food value chain. They also highlight the need for innovative analytical approaches and a shared responsibility among all actors involved in food production, from research institutions to producers.
Connecting metrology and food sustainability
The conference welcomed scientists working in food chemistry, metrology, nutrition, food safety and quality, risk assessment, and food authenticity. Their exchange of insights and research findings underscored how metrology — the science of measurement — plays a crucial role in safeguarding food quality, nutritional value, and consumer confidence.
Among the conference’s diverse topics, the subtheme “Food Processing” is directly linked to Work Packages 2 and 3 (WP2 and WP3) of the RURBANIVE project, coordinated by the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZU). These work packages focus on enhancing local food processing and shortening supply chains, two key pillars of RURBANIVE’s mission to promote sustainable rural-urban collaboration.
RURBANIVE Poster Presentation: Empowering local producers
CZU represented RURBANIVE with the poster presentation titled “Food Processing Workshops in the RURBANIVE Project: Helping Local Producers Shorten the Supply Chain.” Authors: Lenka Kourimska and Marie Simpachova Pechrova.
The poster showcased a series of food processing workshops and online courses designed to equip farmers and local producers with the knowledge and tools to process and sell food products locally, reducing dependency on long and complex supply chains.
In 2025, four workshops were held at the CZU Food Pavilion, focusing on:
🥩 Meat technologies (beef aging and quality improvement)
🧀 Milk technologies (Haloumi cheese production)
🍞 Bakery technologies (enriched and functional bakery products)
🍺 Beer technologies (local craft brewing practices)
A total of 57 stakeholders participated, including representatives from public authorities, academia, research institutions, and agri-food producers, demonstrating strong cross-sector engagement.
From knowledge to practice
The workshops generated highly positive feedback: 88% (bakery), 100% (milk), 94% (meat), and 54% (beer) of participants stated they would apply the knowledge gained in practice.
Building on this success, RURBANIVE is developing online training materials covering food processing, labelling, certification, and inspection. These digital resources aim to expand access to learning, support knowledge co-creation, and foster closer collaboration between academia and producers.
Through these activities, RURBANIVE continues to demonstrate how scientific knowledge can be translated into practical innovation, driving forward more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive rural-urban food systems.
Fostering collaboration across Europe
The conference attracted 119 participants — from universities, research organisations, SMEs, large industries, NGOs, and EU institutions such as the Joint Research Centre (JRC). Many participants represented major European research infrastructures and initiatives, including METROFOOD-RI, ISO-FOOD, AgroServ, DRG4Food, FNS Cloud, FoodTraNet, and EIT Food.
Several researchers expressed interest in future collaboration with RURBANIVE, opening new pathways for interdisciplinary partnerships in food science, sustainability, and innovation.
About the IMEKOFOODS Conference
The IMEKOFOODS Conference series is a leading international forum that promotes scientific and technical discussions around measurement science in food. Its 8th edition reaffirmed the importance of collaboration among academia, industry, and policymakers to improve food quality, authenticity, and sustainability — all goals that align closely with RURBANIVE’s vision.
