Post Harvest Boost project awarded funding by the ERC

About 30% of all food that is grown is thrown away before it's eaten.6% of all global greenhouse emissions go into producing that food that's wasted and never consumed.Particularly when it comes to fresh fruit and vegetables, there's a real problem because they have a very short shelf life. My particular interest is the leafier, greener vegetables like broccoli and rocket.They're among the vegetables that are wasted the most by consumers.

The plants that are in your fridge or on the supermarket shelf are still alive and interacting with their environment, but their needs after harvest are very different from when they're growing on soil.They're more susceptible to certain kinds of disease, and that's something that we've been working on in our lab. We'll be using an engineering biology approach, harnessing the plant's ability to respond to pests and diseases post harvest, but giving them additional support without impacting on the health or yield of the plants growing in the field. We'll be developing varieties of brassica vegetables such as broccoli and rocket that will last longer in the fridge. The impact can be felt all the way along the supply chain from farm to fork.

This will reduce food waste, which means that less crops need to be grown in the first place. Therefore, there is less pressure on the area of land on which to grow food. That will bring financial benefits, particularly for consumers who might then find their food is cheaper and will see the benefits of food lasting longer in their fridge. And if this technology works well in Brassica vegetables like broccoli and rocket, there's potential to transfer into other vegetable crops as well.