Innovative certification system for rating and classifying the quality of agricultural products

A Greek spin-off company aims to ensure nutritional wellness on an individualized basis. Its scientific team consists of distinguished researchers with many years of experience in the field of nutritional biochemistry and human metabolism. Spin-off’s scientists have published more than 180 papers in world-renowned scientific journals and have remarkable experience in biochemistry of nutrition. The main objective of the company is to create and receive value from the global trend of self-directed care, by focusing on food as a mean of wellness to prevent disease, improve health and enhance quality of life. The company is offering a differentiated certification mark introducing a new innovative system for rating and classifying the quality of agricultural products from around the world. With this mark products are certified for the properties contained in their regulation of use. Specifically, it refers to the comparison of a wide range of products categorized based on the EU and the US FDA regulations on foods and drinks, such as cereals, meat-based products, milk, eggs, edible oils and fats, coffee, tea and its products, seafood and their products, various types of food of plant origin, beverages, preserved foods etc. The offered certification mark has registered in the European Union Intellectual Property Division. The team came up with the idea to develop a new food quality concept according to which food is tested for its ability to protect and enhance human metabolic health. There is a significant gap in the market as there is no comprehensive information on the products on the contribution of these products to consumer’s health. The consumer actually does not know exactly how healthy is what he/she consumes. Additionally, the amount of macronutrients in the food (e.g. fat, protein, sugars) is not related to its quality and impact on humans. For example, olive oil is rich in fat, but the texture of it is such that it has a beneficial effect on health in relation to another type of oil, with the same fat, of different composition that will cause adverse effect on the body. The evaluation of each product is based on the use of screening protocols. Each product is subjected to a thorough evaluation of the quality of its inherent composition, to explore its effect on human health and well being. Τhe strict control protocols to which it is submitted, assess its ability to neutralize a multitude of both synthetic and natural free radicals. At the same time, the ability of the product to protect the DNA from breaks that can lead to mutations is tested. Finally, the product is tested for its ability to protect important biomolecules of the organism, such as lipids, from oxidative damage associated with modern lifestyles and rhythms and related in studies, to heart diseases, neurological diseases and cancer. The Greek company is interested to expand the technology and find new partners that could benefit from the innovative service. They are looking for food & drinks manufacturing and processing companies from EU countries that are willing to cooperate under the framework of a commercial agreement with technical assistance or technical cooperation agreement.