Project
mEATquality
Sub-programme 1 (Safe primary production (food and environment)): the project identifies food safety risks and maps them with an integrated QACCP approach. In addition, WU will conduct a sensitivity analysis with regard to food fraud by means of interviews with, among others, meat processors and retailers that use the SSAFE tool. Sub-programme 2 (Improving animal health and welfare): the central question is how extensive farming can provide welfare improvements for pigs and broilers. The effects of local feed production, space, breed and pen enrichment are measured in relation to, among other things, the development of resilient animals and best practices. Sub-programme 3 (Integral sustainability of livestock farming): the ultimate goal is integrally sustainable farming systems. Technical information, best practices, economic consequences (for a clear substantiation of the revenue model) and information for consumers to enhance the social dialogue are developed.
mEATquality is a project at the European level, funded under the Horizon 2020 program, grant number: 101000344. The project focuses on research towards quality, safety and authenticity of meat as part of the “Farm to Fork” strategy of the EU. The mEATquality project investigates whether extensification of broiler and pig farming has benefits for sustainability and meat quality. In a first phase, the project looks at husbandry factors in relation to intrinsic meat quality, through data collection on conventional, free-range and organic farms, and through research into consumer expectations. The second phase includes intervention studies on broiler and pig farms to investigate intrinsic meat quality characteristics in relation to husbandry factors such as genetics, feed, space and stress. It will also develop innovative techniques for automated meat quality assessment at high line speeds, and fight food fraud by authenticating the final product through fingerprinting techniques and Blockchain Technology. In a third phase, mEATquality will test the new farming practices against sustainability aspects: animal welfare, environmental aspects and economic consequences. The market acceptance of the new products and ways to communicate them to consumers will be studied. In a fourth and final step, the results are communicated and disseminated.