The 2021 General Assembly Meeting of CO-FRESH members was held between Thursday, 7th & Friday, 8th of October.

The event was organized by the National Centre for Food Technology and Safety (CNTA) and the Center for Agro-Food Economics and Development (CREDA). It was conducted as a “hybrid-meeting” (physical and virtual attendance) at the capacities of the School of Telecommunications and Aerospace Engineering in Castelldefels, Spain. The challenges posed by the ongoing COVID pandemic, including travel restrictions and strict hygiene regulations, made working collaboratively increasingly demanding. Thus, this event presented a long-awaited opportunity to meet again face-to-face, engage in bilateral discussions and solve specific issues within the various working groups.

During the event, the most relevant findings of each Work Package, as well as the working plan for the upcoming project period were presented by the respective leading organizations. To make further progress on the methodology of the Pilot Case Working Group Meetings and highlight Pilot Case activities during the first half of 2022, a special thematic parallel workshop has been organized by Work Package leaders of WP2, WP3 and WP4. Focusing on the upcoming dissemination and communication strategy for the next project period, representatives from the University of Hohenheim conducted a second parallel session on communication and dissemination activities.

In conclusion, the event was a big success, a perfect opportunity for partners to get to know each other and drive forward a successful future collaboration within CO-FRESH.