6th European short-course in fresh-cut produce succesfully concluded in Antalya

Over 120 participants and 15 Instructors from 28 countries all over the world met in Antalya, Turkey for one of the most important educational events in the global fresh-cut industry. The 3-day course closed with a collective session of "Future R&D needs in fresh-cut products" and the awarding of the certificates.

"This year the course has also been a success both in terms of participants and in terms of the quality of the information which was exchanged," said the organizers of the event Prof. Mustafa Erkan (Akdeniz University, Turkey) and Prof. Giancarlo Colelli (University of Foggia, Italy).

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The itinerant format allows for a thorough dissemination of the newest innovations in the fresh-cut sector, reaching for a more diverse audience every year. Since the first edition in Bari (Italy) in 2007, the course has been held in Cordoba and Almeria (Spain), Mesagne (Italy), and Berlin (Germany) involving more than 600 representatives of processors, suppliers, students, and scholars.

"I am particularly happy because this last edition in Antalya also represented a dissemination event for QUAFETY" said Prof. Colelli, Coordinator of the R&D Project funded by the European Commission through the 7th Framework Program, "20 posters have been on display during the short-course with QUAFETY partner’s representatives illustrating the most recent outcomes of the project".

"The Fresh-cut produce industry is scarcely known in Turkey, but it is big business in Europe and the USA. Essentially, the idea is to turn fresh fruit and vegetable products into a washed and packed item, ready to eat. Salad mixes are an obvious example and are already starting to appear on Turkish supermarket shelves. This course will get the chance to expand consumer awareness about fresh-cut produce consumption in Turkey", said the local course coordinator, Prof.Dr. Mustafa Erkan.