The EXCEL4MED Project places a central emphasis on the valorisation of food industrial side-streams, positioning this process as a key driver within its innovation ecosystem (EXCEL4MED, 2024; Circemed, 2024; Malta Food Agency, 2024). Rather than discarding by-products such as peels, pulp, and seeds, EXCEL4MED advances technological and biochemical methods to transform these materials into valuable inputs for the food industry—particularly through the extraction of functional compounds (Circemed, 2024; CORDIS, 2024). This approach reflects a broader commitment to circular economy principles, aiming to reduce waste and maximise the use of existing resources across the agri-food value chain. 

 

Among its defined objectives, EXCEL4MED explicitly seeks to create new business opportunities, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), within the domains of waste processing and functional food production (EXCEL4MED, 2024; Malta Food Agency, 2024). By reframing waste as a potential source of value rather than a disposal cost, the project encourages enterprises to adopt sustainable and profitable waste-management practices. Furthermore, EXCEL4MED integrates a strong community engagement component, involving citizens through demonstration activities, tasting events, and workshops that promote knowledge-sharing and good practices among industry actors, academia, and consumers alike (EXCEL4MED, 2024). This participatory strategy reinforces the project’s emphasis on communication, education, and public awareness as essential pillars for advancing sustainable consumption and production within the Mediterranean context (EXCEL4MED, 2024). 

 

 

This article is a part series of the EXCEL4MED project, funded by the Horizon Europe programme, aims to boost innovation in the agri-food sector across Malta, Greece, and France. With its website now fully available in French, Italian, Spanish, and English, more stakeholders, including researchers, producers, policymakers, and consumers, can engage with the project in the language they feel most comfortable with. Read more on: https://excel4med.eu/. 

 

Koperattivi Malta is proud to support this initiative in collaboration with:

@EXCEL4MED @MaltaFoodAgency @MaltaEnterprise @TheMaltaChamber @UniversityofMalta @SmartAgroHub