In the context of its participation to FOOD EXPO, the Federation of Hellenic Food Industries organized a workshop on “The new Regulation on packaging and packaging waste and the challenges for the Food & Drink Industry”. The event was launched by Mrs. Vasso Papadimitriou, SEVT Director General, who emphasized on the challenges that are faced by the Food Industry, due to the changes that need to be implemented, in order to reduce packaging, enhance reuse & recycle and achieve circular economy goals.
Mr. Stelios Kymbouropoulos, New Democracy MEP, underlined the importance of the agri-food sector and of the Food and Drink Industry for the Greek economy and the international trade. He mentioned however that the sector, combined with the increased tourist flow of the country, have specificities and that leads to waste management concerns. The Secretary General of Waste Management, Ministry of Environment & Energy, Mr. Manolis Grafakos, noted that the change in habits, both in production and in consumption, that the new Regulation will bring, require everyone’s cooperation. Mr. Dirk Jacobs, FoodDrinkEurope Director General, made an online intervention from Brussels. He referred to the challenges of the new Regulation for the entire European Food & Drink Industry, acknowledging its importance but also the fact that certain changes will be needed.
Mr. Paschalis Kastanas, Member of SEVT Environment & Sustainability Committee & Sustainability Director-NESTLE GREECE S.A., explained -through an insightful presentation- the changes that the new Regulation would bring to the Greek Food & Drink Industry and to consumers. Dr Dimitris Ladakis, Chemical Engineer / Department of Food & Nutrition Science – Food Engineering & Processing Laboratory – Agricultural University of Athens, pointed out the importance of reducing, utilizing and recycling food waste and food packaging plastics in the era of the circular economy.
Later on, a panel discussion was coordinated by Mrs. Anastasia Arfanakou, Head of Waste Management Directorate – Ministry of Environment and Energy. All three speakers, Mr. Kymbouropoulos, Mr. Kastanas and Dr Ladakis explained how the Regulation would be implemented, they analyzed the most important elements that are foreseen, but also how they are related to the objective of the circular economy. Emphasis was also placed on several issues and malfunctions that are expected to occur during its implementation and concerns were raised.
After the end of the panel discussion, Dr Natasa Kapetanakou, SEVT Project Manager, had the opportunity to present EQVEGAN project and its objectives. EQVEGAN aims at supporting the fast-changing sub-sector of the food industry, the processing of plant-based products (vegetables, fruits, cereals and nuts), by responding to the urgent needs of training staff to support this change, by upscaling staff competences and facilitating the conversion of staff into this sector through the correction of skills gaps.
In this context, Dr Kapetanakou mainly focused on specific activities developed during the project, with increased interest for both professionals and students: (i) training programs to be provided to professionals of the sector and students, related to plant based products processing, “green skills”, digital and soft skills but also to the certification that will be given to those concerned and (ii) Food Skills Portal, an online work-based learning portal, where apprentices/interns and work-based learning opportunities meet.
