We recently organised an event to publicly showcase the outputs of the PIFS project and increase the visibility and uptake of the project outputs amongst the most relevant stakeholder organisations. The event took place at the new BIA Innovator Campus, Athenry, Co. Galway, and one of the main focuses was the FUTURE of FOOD in Europe.
We looked at New Product Development and Food Innovation and our in-house Food Sector Specialist presented an overview of the PIFS project and achievements to deepen attendees’ understanding of the significance of developing innovative food products and services for seniors in the ageing economy.
The event included an interactive workshop where, attendees brainstormed on how to improve off-the-shelf food products, making them more suitable for the senior market. Reviewing the products enabled attendees to get familiar with the principle behind the PIFS project. This exercise made evident the need for novel and practical resources and tools to help them advance their training and innovation capability. It also raised VET providers’ and food companies’ awareness and interest in innovation for business growth and encouraged attendees to explore and commit to using the outputs.
Niamh Dooley founder of BiaSol, was the guest speaker. BiaSol is a young Irish food company that re-purposes spent brewers’ grain to create a valuable high-fibre and high-protein product, ideal for seniors and others alike. Niamh told her story of discovery and of their constant innovation journey.
The event was a great success, there was so much interest in the PIFS Project and it was a wonderful chance to network with people in the food sector.
If you’d like to find out more, you can check out the Pioneering Innovative Food for Seniors (PIFS) Open Education Resources. This will be of interest to:
- Organisations providing Vocation Education and Training to food start-up entrepreneurs and SMEs interested in the high growth topic.
- Food innovation networks at regional, national and EU levels
- Policy makers in terms of public health and economic development
The six modules are full of engaging content, learner exercises/quizzes, additional materials, and multimedia content. Educators are free to adapt the materials to their own teaching needs.
The Open Education Resources are free to download and you can find them here: https://www.innovatingfoodforseniors.eu/open-educational-resources/
Find out more about the work of the Pioneering Innovating Food for Seniors project here:
Website: https://www.innovatingfoodforseniors.eu/
Facebook: facebook.com/Pifsproject
Twitter: twitter.com/pifsproject
