From 14-16 March 2026, EXCEL4MED returned to Food Expo in Athens, one of the leading international exhibitions for the food and beverage sector, bringing together thousands of food lovers, producers, researchers, and innovators from across Europe and beyond.
Throughout the event, our partners from SEVT hosted a dedicated EXCEL4MED stand, where project materials were shared with visitors and stakeholders interested in sustainable food systems, research activities and innovation pathways in the agri-food sector.
EXCEL4MED session: developing high nutritional value products through sustainable practices
A key moment of our participation was the thematic session titled “EXCEL4MED: Developing high nutritional value products through sustainable practices”, organised by SEVT – Federation of Hellenic Food Industries, in collaboration with our coordinator National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) and our partners Smart Agro Hub (SAH) and ASPIS Hellenic Juice Industry.
The session opened with an introduction to EU-funded initiatives by Eirini Xaxiri (SEVT), setting the broader context for collaboration and innovation in the agri-food sector. This was followed by a presentation from Ioannis Dimitriou (NKUA), who highlighted the research dimension of EXCEL4MED and its scientific foundations.
The discussion then moved towards innovation and impact, with Ioannis Maimaris (SAH) presenting the project’s investment and exploitation perspective, emphasising how research outputs can be translated into real-world applications.
Complementing this, Eleni Marabouti (ASPIS) shared insights from pilot trials conducted at semi-industrial scale, showcasing how EXCEL4MED solutions are tested and validated in practical production environments.
The session also explored wider trends in food systems, with our coordinator Assoc. Prof. Vasilis Valdramidis (NKUA) presenting perspectives on evolving challenges and opportunities within European food research and innovation.
The presentations concluded with an interactive Q&A session, which allowed participants to engage directly with the speakers and discuss both scientific and industrial aspects of our project.
EXCEL4MED’s presence at Food Expo 2026 reaffirmed our commitment to strengthen collaboration between research, industry and key stakeholders, contributing to more resilient agri-food sector.
