The Assembly Hall of the ETSIA-UPCT recently hosted the Round Table on Food Waste and Food Valorization, an open public forum organized within the framework of the Cartagena Piensa cultural program and the Association of Young Researchers of Cartagena (AJICT). The event successfully brought together a diverse audience of citizens, students, and professionals to address one of the most pressing sustainability challenges in the current agri-food system.
The day began with the screening of an informative educational video focusing on the new food waste prevention law. This served as a conceptual foundation for an interactive dynamic with the audience. Attendees were given an analysis sheet to identify specific food waste situations they observe in their immediate local surroundings, propose concrete actions to reduce them, and point out the stakeholders responsible for implementing those solutions. To conclude the session, the panel of experts analyzed and discussed the proposals received from the audience.
FUSION Project Representation
Among the prominent panel of experts, the event featured the active participation of Dr. Perla Gómez Di Marco, a PhD in Agronomic Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Cartagena and a specialized technician at the UPCT Plant Biotechnology Institute. Representing the FUSION project, Dr. Gómez Di Marco shared valuable technical insights during the debate, linking institutional research with practical, real-world solutions designed to minimize losses along the food value chain.
A Multidisciplinary Panel of Experts
The round table benefited from a highly qualified, multi-sector panel that enriched the discussion from scientific, academic, and administrative perspectives:
Dr. Cristina García Vigueras: Research Professor at CEBAS-CSIC.
Dr. Gaspar Ros Berruezo: Professor of Nutrition and Bromatology at the University of Murcia.
Dr. Julián Castillo: Principal Researcher and Technical Fellow at IFF.
María Belén Romero Carretero: City Councillor of Cartagena and Head of the Department of Commerce, Hospitality, and Consumption.
The event was perfectly introduced and coordinated by presenters Lorena Martínez Zamora and Noelia Castillejo Montoya. It concluded with a clear consensus: social awareness, inter-institutional collaboration, and scientific knowledge transfer, core pillars shared by the FUSION project, are vital to reversing current food waste trends.
