Almost all Food Processing Chain (FPC) activities depend on energy, mainly provided by fossil fuels. The need to improve the energy use efficiency, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to minimize energy costs, and to foster the food sector's competitiveness highlights the importance of the energy efficiency issue: using less energy to provide the same output and service level.
STEP4Food's goal is to promote Innovative technologies towards market replication to reduce energy consumption and to improve the food production and consumption chain's environmental, economic, and social sustainability. Step4Food starts from considering that the food sector's harmonious development cannot be focused exclusively on achieving high levels of quality or nutritional value. The STEP4food project aims to develop some sustainable technologies for the FPC up to an adequate commercial level. It aims at elaborating appropriate processing protocols and optimized models based on the concepts of energy and environmental sustainability, as well as ethics and waste reduction of both resources and products. In the present proposal, 6 key referencetechnologies are promoted to reach commercial development and to explore the best market segment. In line with the work
program, appropriate measures were selected to maximize the impact of the project. The exploitation plan is presented in 7 work packages, 5 of which are strictly technical. Proper milestones and risks are considered to complete the project objectives in due time.
The STEP4Food consortium comprises 23 partners, covering the academic, scientific, industrial, and end-users world. The major stakeholders have shown their interest in the project proposal approach, which will substantially impact defining the best strategies, Smart Technologies, and Energy Performances for a Sustainable FPC.