On January 22-23, the SecureFood consortium gathered at the headquarters of project partner Zaragoza Logistics Center (ZLC) in Zaragoza, Spain for the project’s second plenary session, and the first of 2025. As SecureFood moves into a more practical and results-driven phase in its second year, this two-day event was a valuable opportunity for partners to align on key developments, discuss progress, and plan for the exciting months ahead.
Reflecting on a Strong First Year
The first day began with a look back at SecureFood’s inaugural year, which laid the foundation for the project’s ambitious goals over the span of its 3.5-year duration.
Over the past 12 months, SecureFood has hosted online workshops with key food supply chain stakeholders, developed the initial design of the project’s observatory dashboard, and successfully completed Work Package 2, which focused on background analysis, food security drivers, stakeholder requirements, and high-level reference architecture. This work helped define food security drivers, stakeholder needs, use cases, and performance indicators, setting the stage for more targeted and impact-driven activities in 2025.
Diving into Year 2: A Collaborative Outlook
As the plenary continued, each work package leader presented insights into their progress and the upcoming priorities for Year 2. With SecureFood now transitioning from foundational research into a demonstration and implementation phase, the focus is shifting towards real-world applications of the project’s tools and methodologies.
Day 2 featured parallel breakout sessions, where consortium members split into technical discussions and demo sessions, followed by a collaborative workshop where partners evaluated how different future state scenarios could impact food supply chain resilience.
The Power of In-Person Collaboration
At the conclusion of the plenary, Teresa de la Cruz of ZLC, who successfully hosted and organised the event, shared her thoughts:
“We were delighted to welcome the SecureFood consortium to Zaragoza for our first plenary of 2025! In-person meetings like this play a pivotal role in fostering the camaraderie and cooperation essential for a project of this scale. While remote collaboration has proven its efficiency, there’s a unique confidence and momentum that comes from meeting face-to-face.”
Looking Ahead
A huge thank you to ZLC for organizing an engaging and productive plenary session! With momentum building and key milestones ahead, the SecureFood consortium is eager to reconvene at our next plenary in June 2025.
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue working towards a more resilient, secure, and sustainable food supply chain.
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