The German National Showcase for Pioneering Innovative Food for Seniors (PIFS) took place at Hafenkäserei, a local factory producing biological cheese in Münster, on the 5th of October 2022 between 17 and 21 o’clock as a half-day event.
The event attracted 20 regional and local participants, including representatives from local small-and-medium-sized enterprises, vocational educational trainers (VETs) (e.g., food hubs, incubators, nutritionists), and policymakers.
The event began by presenting an overview and achievements of the PIFS project to deepen attendees’ understanding of the significance of developing innovative food products and services for seniors in the ageing economy.
An opening speech was given by Ms. Maike Giesbert, Site Manager of TAFH Münster GmbH, to introduce the work of the transfer office in bridging the work between university, science, and industry and highlighted how projects like PIFS helped boost the development of the food industry.
Then, a keynote speech was given by Prof. Dr. oec. troph. Guido Ritter, specialising in food law, food sensory analysis, and product development and the leader of Food Lab Münster, talks about “Food of the Future “and discusses the importance of food innovation for seniors in our future.
A break-out session followed the event. Attendees were allowed to engage with the four intellectual outputs directly. Reviewing the outputs enabled attendees to get familiar with the readily available, novel, and practical resources and tools that help them advance their training and innovation capability. It also raised VET providers’ and food companies’ awareness and interest in innovation for business growth by empowering them to offer up-to-date classroom and online training programs to support and stimulate innovation in the food industry. By collecting feedback and testimonials on potential improvements for future project work from the attendees, the sessions also encouraged the attendees to explore and commit to using the outputs within their organisations. Finally, the event offered photo-taking, refreshments, and networking opportunities.
