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Right now, 56 participants from across Europe are gathering at the Escola Superior de Biotecnologia at UCP, Porto, for the 2025 General Assembly. Hosted by the team at Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP), this three-day event is bringing together experts and innovators who share a bold goal: significantly reducing food waste caused by spoilage and expired date marks, and cutting plastic waste from packaging used to protect perishable foods.

The assembly is unfolding around three dynamic technical work packages – predictive models, biosolutions, and packaging – and three cross-cutting ones focused on sustainability, policy, and impact. The event is combining rich WP presentations, panel debates, and collaborative workshops to accelerate progress across all areas.

Participants are currently exchanging knowledge and discussing progress on business solutions for shelf-life prediction, microbiome-based protection strategies, and sustainable packaging design. They are also diving deep into consumer behavior, policy frameworks, and impact dissemination—vital aspects for real-world adoption and change.

Three engaging workshops and three panel debates are energizing the program, allowing for cross-disciplinary reflection and the co-creation of actionable outcomes. Cultural highlights, like a wine science talk and tasting, are adding a local flavor to the proceedings.

The future of sustainable food systems is being shaped here and now in Porto. It is microbially driven—and together, we’re making it happen.