"<< Background >>The project will support specialists in the flour products industry in partner countries to save resources in the bakery and flour products industry, thus contributing to reducing food waste.Food waste includes all food produced for human consumption that is lost or thrown away along the way from production to the plate. it is produced and bought. The difference between the quantity available and the one consumed is very large, resulting in food losses and losses of both finished products and during delivery and marketing.Part of this problem is reducing waste of flour products, which currently in Romania represents about 20% of the total amount of food, a significant percentage that led to our need to act and try to identify with the help of partners outside the country concrete solutions.Therefore, Rompan as a representative organization of the flour products sector in Romania, in consultation with its members, identified the need of the sector to be effectively involved in solving this major problem; this need is identical in the partner countriesWe started from the following general considerations:-The European Commission estimates the annual food waste production in the 27 Member States at around 89 million tons, meaning 179 kg per capita, with considerable differences between countries and different sectors, without taking into account food waste from agricultural activities and catches of fish thrown back into the sea; whereas the total amount of food waste would reach around 126 million tons in 2020 (an increase of 40%) if no additional preventive actions or measures are put in place-whereas 79 million people in the European Union still live below the poverty line, meaning more than 15% of EU citizens have an income 60% lower than the average income in their country of residence, whereas 16 million of them have received food aid from charities-the alarming figures presented by the FAO, according to which there are currently 925 million people worldwide at risk of malnutrition, are meeting the Millennium Development Goals, including those aimed at halving poverty and world hunger by 2015, to be more and more distant;-according to the FAO study, the projected increase in world population from 7 to 9 billion will require an increase of at least 70% in food supplies by 2050-world cereal production increased from 824 million tons in 1960 to around 2.2 billion tons in 2010, adding 27 million tons to production each year, whereas, if global agricultural production continues this trend, increasing cereal production by 2050 from the current level will be enough to feed the world's population; whereas in the meantime, given that post-harvest losses amount to 14% of total production and another 15 per cent are lost to distribution and household waste, three-fifths of the total increase in supply needed by 2050 could be achieved by simply avoid food wasteFocused on the bakery sector in Romania where there are no official statistical data, the analysis made by Rompan among the members outlined the following needs that could be solved:-Adapting methods and means used for division, slicing, portioning and packaging-Efficient use of hygienic residues from slicing and packaging-The use of biodegradable packaging to the detriment of those who pollute-The efficiency of the distribution process correlates with the production and the demand-Informing the specialists in the sector who represent the target group of the project.From the research done by the partners, it was found that there is no manual for them to support the flour products industry and their specialists. Through the project activities we will respond exactly to this need of the sector.Following discussions with partners involved in the project, it was concluded that specialists from all partner countries face a great need to develop professional skills on new ways to adapt production methods to reduce food waste in the bakery and flour products industry<< Objectives >>The general objective of the project is to reduce food waste on flour products in the current conditions of sustainable development and the circular economy in partner countries with effects on all actors involved in the chain of producers-distributors – merchantsSpecific objectives of the project• Improving procedures and means to reduce food waste in institutions from the partner countries• Decrease food waste on flour products in the production sector of flour products• Empowering specialists in distribution and marketing of flour products to save natural resources and protect the environment• Strengthening the institutional capacity of partner organizations by achieving exchanges of good practices on reducing food waste in the flour industry• Awareness of specialists in the flour products industry in the distribution and marketing chain in partner countries on the importance of reducing food waste of flour productsThere are currently no studies done on a scale of over 1 million people. The latest figures are based on surveys and estimates of food production units. They are supplemented with data from members.Being the representative employers' association in Romania with over 200 member companies, in the field of the bakery and flour products industry but also a VET Vocational Training Center, we come to the support of the members and solve certain needs of the organizations.To improve the quality, excellence and internationalization of the organization, starting from a detailed analysis of the sector in Romania but also in the partner states, we considered it appropriate to apply this project to solve two common needs identified:- Reducing food waste in the chain of producers-distributors – merchants for flour products in the current conditions of sustainable development and the circular economy- Improving the skills of the staff of all project partnersIn the EU, around 87.5 million tons of food are lost or wasted each year. In developing the application, we started from the research conducted by Rompan among members of the bakery and flour products sector on the difficulties faced by the sector in terms of losses that may generate food waste in Romania. Currently, the percentage of losses registered only for packaging is around 2%in Romania, to which are added the losses from distribution (due to the destruction of packaging and not only) but also from marketing where the supply is made with too much product flour products that come out of the shelf life, thus contributing to increased food waste.In Romania, according to Food Waste Romania, a Romanian throws over 350 grams of food daily, wasting 129 kg of food annually.Of this amount, 24% is cooked food, 22% fruits, 21% vegetables, 20% bakery products, 11% dairy products and 1% meat.In Estonia, according to data from the national waste reporting system, ~ 5900 tons of food waste were generated in 2013. It is estimated that in the retail sector ~12,000 tons of food remain unsold each year, almost 22 million. The main reason why food remains unsold is due to difficulties in planning and forecasting the sale of products and consumer demand.According to a study by the Estonian Ministry of Environment, the total amount of food wasted was 54,000 tons per year. Fruits and vegetables(27%), followed by cereals and bakery products (15%) and cooked food (13%).In Italy, the latest government survey showed that a family wastes around 85 kg of food, worth a total of 8.5 billion euros($ 10.49 billion) per year. In 2016, specific legislation was adopted to promote and facilitate actions to prevent the generation of food waste, as well as cooperation between key actors.According to the report on food waste in Italy, 288,000 tons of bread are thrown away every year. According to figures provided by the CIA-Italian Confederation of Farmers, Italian consumers throw away dairy products, milk and meat (43%), bread (22%), fruits and vegetables (19%), pasta (4%) and 3% sweets.<< Implementation >>For a good implementation of the project we will perform 5 activities, each partner being responsible for coordinating one activity, but to obtain the results the teams of all participants will be involved as follows:A1 The management activity will take place throughout the implementation period of the responsible project being ROMPAN. Within this activity all stages of project implementation will be coordinated and as results we will obtain: 1 transnational strategic partnership, 4 cooperation agreements, 4 working meetings, 20 interim monitoring reports, 2 annual monitoring reports of the entire project. The working meetings within the project will be organized by the care of each host, and the financial part is the responsibility of each partner.A2 The activity of elaborating the project results under the coordination of BUAS Timisoara, but with the involvement of all partners from 02.2022-09.2023; In order to obtain the 3 results, the tasks were distributed as follows:Result 1 Curriculum ""Means and methods to reduce food waste in flour products"" responsible Calabria period 02.2022-07.2022, with the involvement of all partners in the development of the material. It will be structured so as to lead to the development of an adequate course handout, with information on the methods and means of reducing food waste in flour products. The result will be written only in English.Result 2 Course support ""Means and methods to reduce food waste on flour products"" responsible Cluj Napoca period 01.07.2022-31.12.2022 involving all partners in the development of the material. The result will be written in English, Romanian, Italian and Estonian.Result 3 Guide addressed to the specialists in the commercial distribution link for reducing food waste for flour products responsible Rompan period 01.03.2023-09.2023 involving all partners in the elaboration. The result will be written in English, Romanian, Italian and Estonian.A3 Training activity – coordinator University of Calabria, Italy. Under the coordination of those from Italy, each host partner will take care of the logistics part in terms of organizing short-term training based on the exchange of experience. The 3 activities will be:C1 In Italy 09.2022 responsible partner ItalyC2 Estonia 06.2023 responsible partner EstoniaC3 Timisoara 10.2023 responsible partner Romania TimisoaraThe same 11 experts from the partners will participate in each activity.On the logistics side of the trip, each partner will provide the necessary financial resources and the logistics part (transport, accommodation).A4 The informing and dissemination activity is under the coordination of Cluj - USAMV and will involve all partners; will be carried out throughout the project, each partner will make every effort to promote and disseminate the activities and project’s resultsIn addition, each partner has to organize multiplier events, as described in that section. Each partner has allocated a budget per participant and will have the task of organizing the event both logistically (hall, sound equipment, catering, accommodation where appropriate) and ensuring the participation of people to whom the event is addressed, specialists who will have subsequently the possibility by improving the acquired competencies to apply the methods and means of reducing food waste where they work. These participants will have the chance to develop their skills in a very acute problem of our times, that of saving food resources, of protecting the environment.A5 The quality monitoring activity under the coordination of the Estonian partner - Estonian University of Life Sciences will be based on the quality monitoring plan developed in the second month of implementation.By implementing the 5 main activities described above, the general objective of the project will be achieved. The results obtained following the correct achieving of activities proposed in the project will lead to the achievement of the 5 specific objectiv<< Results >>Within the project, 3 tangible results will be obtained, as described in the A2 - Activity of elaboration of project results, correlated with the specific objectives of the project, as follows:• Curriculum ""Means and methods to reduce food waste in the manufacture of flour products""• Course handout ""Methods and means to reduce food waste in flour products""• Guide addressed to specialists in the commercial distribution link for the reduction of food waste for flour productsWithin the A4 - Information and dissemination activity, other results will be obtained, namely 6 conferences for the dissemination of the project’s tangible results and a number of at least 260 specialists who will improve their knowledge by participating in these events.As intangible results we will have:• 11 Specialists from the bakery and flour products industry whose skills have improved during the 3 short training sessions in Italy, Estonia and Romania• 3 training sessions• A transnational strategic partnership consisting of 5 partners, organizations with experience in the field of bakery and specialized higher educationOther concrete results obtained:• 4 cooperation agreements between ROMPAN and each project partner• 11X3 = 33 reports of the participants elaborated at the end of the training stage• 4 transnational meetings organized at the headquarters of the partners involved in the project• 4 newsletters that will be developed and sent to specialists in the food industry• 20 monitoring reports that will be prepared every six months by the experts of each partner involved in the project. The monitoring reports will consist of a technical part and a financial part. The technical part will present the activities carried out during the reporting period and the results obtained and the financial part will reflect the state of the budget at the time of sending the report.• 2 monitoring reports for the entire project that will be prepared annually by the Coordinator based on the monitoring reports submitted by the partners. The two reports will contain information on the activities carried out during the reporting period, if there have been deviations from the initially approved plan, any obstacles encountered and whether they affect the successful implementation of the project and the achievement of results.• An interim report and a final report on the entire projectAll results obtained are in accordance with the specific objectives of the project, are current, transferable (can be applied later in other countries or in similar industries) can be reused by conducting further training sessions in the VET training center; another characteristic of the results is that of interdisciplinarity: because a collaboration was achieved between the industry-employer environment and the academic environment of education and research.All tangible results will be uploaded in the section specially designed for results by the European Commission's website and will be available with free access to all interested parties.The project results will be monitored quantitatively and qualitatively An annual monitoring report will be prepared for the entire project, which will include all the information submitted by the partners : degree of fulfillment of the tasks, stage of accomplishment of the activities, possible deviations from the initial plan or problems."

<< Objectives >>The central objective of the project is represented by the development of a transnational cooperation partnership, as well as joint initiatives for cooperation and exchange of good practices at European level that would lead to the transfer of knowledge in the field of medicinal plants, technologies, and plant extracts products with central role in nutrition, pharmacy, and agriculture, in order to increase the interconnectivity, innovation, inclusion and digitalization in higher education.<< Implementation >>Management actions and meetings for an effective collaboration between partners (based on digital tools).Training sessions for experts to exchange practices and for students to benefit from an appropriate specialisation that ease their integration into the labour market.Education materials (curricula, guide, course) for development, transfer, and implementation of innovative practices.Workshops, publications/newspapers, a complex website to share and promote valuable data from the field.<< Results >>- innovative approaches for more attractive education and training programs in line with the labour market- greater effectiveness of activities for the benefit of communities- a modern, dynamic, and professional environment within the organization capable of integrating good new practices and methods- achieving synergies with organizations active in complementary fields- strategic planning of staff professional development in accordance with individual needs and organizational objective

Diabetes defines a metabolic disorder that may have multiple etiopathogenesis characterized by changes in carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolism resulting from deficiency in insulin secretion, insulin resistance or both and which has as its current defining element the value of blood glucose. The whole world is experiencing a pandemic Type 2 diabetes, due to the occidentalization of lifestyle and urbanization, which lead to changes in diet, a sedentary lifestyle and development of obesity. Given the upward trend, diabetes is considered to be the disease of the 21st century and requires the need to find urgent solutions to improve both the quality of life of patients and effectively manage the economic and social burden of diabetes across the world.The general objective of project is to develop a transnational strategic partnership as well as joint initiatives for cooperation and exchange of good practices at European level that would lead to transferring the knowledge in the field of dietary food products, technologies and plant extracts with functional and nutritional role in hypoglycemia diet.The specific objectives are focused on the following directions:Transferring knowledge to the target group and socio-economic environment. To support the development, transfer and implementation of innovative practice in diabetic disease and to improve the quality of life of the population segment suffering from this disease, it will develop a curricula and a course regarding the vegetable matrix with low glycemia index, food technologies and nutrition practices recommended in the hypoglycemic diet, but also plants extracts with pharmacological role in diabetes). Continuous training of specialists and training of new experts. The aim of this objective is to increase the training level of 10 experts and 60 young master student, PhD-student with high qualification in the fields of Nutrition, Food technologies and Pharmacy, by organizing 4 training courses over a period of 5 days.Awareness of the population. Through dissemination activities (workshops, newsletter) will be presented the importance of nutrition in the prevention and control of diabetic disease. The project is carried out in partnership between Banat`s University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine ‘‘King Michael I of Romania’’ from Timisoara, Romania, as Partner Leader, University of Medicine and Pharmacy ‘‘Victor Babes’’Timisoara, Romania (P1), Romanian Association of Milling and Bakery (P2), University of Calabria, Italiy (P3), University of Szeged, Hungary (P4).The direct beneficiaries of the project (experts, university teachers, but also master and PhD students) as a result of the training they will participate in, will improve their theoretical and practical knowledge on the methods of obtaining hypoglycemic products from vegetable matrices with reduced glycemic index, as well as the importance of plant extracts in the hypoglycemic diet.The target group of the project consisting of specialists from the food industry, pharmacists, and nutritionists will benefit from the technical support of the project materialized in the course entitled: MANAGEMENT OF DIABETIC DISEASE USING HYPOGLYCEMIA FOODS AND PLANT EXTRACTS and which will be the basis for the treatment of dietetic disease.The beneficiaries indirect of the results project (people with diabetic disease from Romania, Italy and Hungary) will have access to the principles of good practice in hypoglucidic diet based on scientific results, taking into account glycemic indexes of foods and the association of these foods with plant extracts having a hypoglycemic role. These principles of good practice will be presented in the course which will provide viable alternatives to the current situation regarding the management of diabetic disease.

Every year in EU, from primary production to the consumer, around 88 million tons of waste is obtained, with economic, social and environmental negative impacts. Reducing losses by harnessing food by-products and waste is positively reflected on improving resource efficiency, sustainability of food production, reducing gas emissions and on the health of world population. The concept of „circular economy”, which involves zero-waste by making efficient resource recovery, is a topical theme promoted at European level. EC policies are aimed to solve in the short term, but also in the long term, the negative impact that waste and by-products have on the environment, economy and health. In this context, the general objective of the project is to develop a transnational partnership (Romanian-Italian-Estonian) as well as joint initiatives for cooperation and exchange of good practices at EU level regarding the possibilities to recover the by-products rich in biologically active compounds from agriculture and horticulture and to include their in functional foods obtained in other technologies (bread and pastry). The specific objectives are focused on the following directions:-To support the development, transfer and implementation of innovative practices in context of 'circular economy', which involve zero-waste by making resource recovery efficiently in order to reduce waste from food technologies in all partner countries;-To increase the training level of specialist, MSc and PhD students with high qualification in the field of food technologies and nutrition;-To promote, through awareness actions, the possibility to use the by-products as functional foods in bakery and pastry industries. In order to achieve the objectives proposed two intellectual outputs will be developed:-A curriculum destined to specialists in agro-food technologies and nutrition that establish the cognitive skills and practical ability regarding: i) the management of by-products resulted in wine-making technology, fruit/vegetable processing industry and beer industry ii) the possibilities to obtain functional foods (bakery and pastry products) with nutritional added value recommended in a healthy diet. -A course handout entitled: „Strategies regarding the valorization of horticultural and agricultural by-products as functional foods in the context of a circular economy`` that includes: i) strategies to recover the by-products resulted from winemaking and beer technologies and from processing of fruits and vegetables; ii) the possibilities to capitalize the active principle with nutritional value in other food products with functional properties as bakery and pastry products. The Curriculum and the Course will set the technical and practical knowledge which will be presented through learning activities to the trainers (high qualify level and students) and refers to:-Professional skills needed in management of agricultural and horticultural by-products in order to minimize the agro-food waste in the entire food chain;-Technological aspects regarding the recovery of important bio-active compounds from by-products resulted in wine making, beer and fruit processing technologies and their formulation in different nutritional matrix; -The capacity of the food and nutrition specialists, master students and PhD students to use the active compounds obtained from by-products in different innovative and functional bakery and pastry products.The project results regarding the strategies to manage the agro-food by-products will be transferred, through multiplier events and dissemination materials, to the direct beneficiaries, specialists in agriculture, horticulture, food industry and nutrition. Also, the specialists in the milling and bakery industry will be informed about the possibilities to use the compounds recovered from by-products in obtaining of functional products with added value. The approach of this theme is justified by the need identified among agricultural and horticultural chain to capitalize the by-products and waste according to EU requirements.The indirect beneficiaries of BYPROD project are people who will benefit from a cleaner environment in the spirit of zero waste. At the same time, by recovering active principles from by-products and their capitalizing in functional foods, the project supports the interest of citizens towards healthy eating.

The project proposal will address the need of the bakery industry in partner countries to produce functional bakery products for people with digestive disorders, for a healthy and rational diet with high fiber content and low nutritional value, no salt or gluten-free.Statistics from the Romanian Ministry of Health show that more and more consumers have been suffering from digestive disorders lately, their incidence increased by 10 times in the last 15 years, most affected people being between 20-30 years old, the frequency of gastric ulcer in 2006 was 1,500 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.In Hungary, digestive diseases are one of the main causes of death in the 35-64age group, while in Ireland about 10% of adults suffer from irritable bowel syndrome and about 20,000 people suffer from bowel disease, intestinal cancer, about 2000 people are diagnosed annually.In Italy, the incidence of gastric cancer is less than 0.01%, but about230,000 people suffer from irritable bowel syndrome.According to the statistical data, the bread consumption is: 82 kg of bread / inhabitant year in Romania,33 kg of bread / inhabitant/year in Italy, 40 kg of bread / inhabitant / year in Hungary and 68 kg of bread per inhabitant per year in Ireland.Since all countries involved in the project are consuming bakery products, we aim to help the people who consume bread and have digestive disorders by producing functional products that can also improve their quality of life.Understanding the concept of consuming functional foods can lead to health improvement, and the specific effects of achieving nutrition to prevent disease have led to the discovery of functional foods, differently in the European Union. Functional foods are also consumed in the normal diet and contain biologically active compounds that have the potential to improve health or to reduce the risk of illness.In the current context in which bakery technologies are constantly changing, looking for ways to obtain functional products that best meet the needs of consumers suffering from digestive disorders, we aim to develop training programs for food industry specialists in partner countries , on these themes to solve the need of people suffering from diffrerent diseases.The general objective of the project is the Adaptation of new technologies for the manufacture of functional bakery products for people with digestive disorders in partner countries through the strategic partnership formed.Specific objectives:• Strengthen institutional capacity of partner organizations by exchanging best practices in the manufacture of functional bakery products for people with digestive disorders and by improving the skills of their specialists• Awareness of bakery producers and consumers about the importance of the use of functional bakery products• Relationship between project partners in order to establish a common strategy for the development of new technologies for the production of functional bakery products.The project has 6 activities1. management and implementation2. elaborating the curricula ”Manufacturing functional bakery products”3. elaborating the handbook ”Manufacturing functional bakery products”4.Activity of training5.elaborating the ”Guideline for professionals regarding manufacturiing functional bakery products for people with digestive disorders ”6.Activity of informing and disseminationThe project is innovative because it’s subject is an actual one in all partner countries, and new technologies for manufacturing bakery products are necessary to be developed and introduced in all partner countries.By achieving this project we wish to develop the range of functional bakery products, through the experience of experts from the partner countries, 9 specialists, that form the project’s target groupBy analyzing the range of functional bakery products from the partner countries, we will have an overview image on the types of products manufactured and we will try to adapt in the handbook elaborated the technology for producing these that can be transposed in the partner countries that will thus have a major benefit, due to the developed knowledge by the specialists in the target group we will try to solve a need of the partners, to make available to the people suffering from digestive disorders the functional products that are responsible for achieving a correct diet.The character of innovation is also brought by the way in which the training of professionals in the field, based on specific skills already formed, will be developed, but through the project they will further develop their competences with new knowledge, with new abilities, in accordance with the evolution of science and with the requirements of the functional products manufacturing technology.The participants in the information events, 220 specialists from the partner countries will contribute to the achievement of the impact expected to be obtained through the project’s implementation