, senior faculty at the within the s ) is currently involved on ongoing international research collaboration with colleagues in Chile, Spain and Hong Kong – developing a Food Export Tool directed at assisting Chilean SME agri/food producers in considering exporting to international markets, including Europe.
Recently launched, the for ‘The Food Export Tool’ acts as a platform – providing support resources and host developments on this international research initiative.
Headed by Dr Valeska Geldres-Weiss, out-going Dean and Associate Professor at the Universidad de La Frontera, Chile – Valeska is also currently on sabbatical engaged on research with the University of Malta. Besides Dr Massa, FEMAs involvement also includes MBA candidate Mr Julian Dingli. The multinational research team also comprises scholars from the Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Chile; Universidad de Barcelona, Spain; and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.
Aligned with pressing universal needs for greater environmental sustainability beyond food security, this work-in-progress seeks to provide Chilean agri/food producers accessible practical insights on the life-cycle environmental impact of exported products – within the context of evolving consumer buying behaviour, food retail enterprises’ market-driven sustainability initiatives, and policy / regulatory trends, including those in the European market.
Complementary to circular economy fundamentals, key elements considered include greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint impact; as well as eco labelling and environmental certification, and compliance standards. Recent initiatives also included community outreach as well as a Green Research Fair hosted at the Uninversidad de La Frontera to raise awareness on the importance of reducing one’s carbon trail.
