Isabelle Souchon – Research Director in Food Process Engineering and Food Physicochemistry
“The Safety and Quality of Plant-Based Products (SQPOV) unit is interested in the impact of processing on food quality. For example, we are working on characterising the food supply by developing tools for estimating recipes and identifying reformulation levers to design healthier, more sustainable products that are appreciated by consumers. As part of the H2020 “Stop” project, which aims to combat childhood obesity, we proposed original approaches to reformulating cookie recipes, making it possible to identify by how much the recipe’s sugar or fat content could be reduced while still appealing to children. To do this, we needed to know all the cookie recipes on the market. The Oqali data enabled us to find out about the diversity of cookie compositions and nutritional values, and to go beyond the ‘average cookie’ recipe, which does not allow for precise calculation.”
Thematic dossier
Oqali: a food observatory to support public nutrition policy
Described as a nutritional pathology by the World Health Organisation, obesity is a public health issue. Public policies have been tackling this issue through information and prevention strategies since the late 1990s. The need for knowledge and tools to share it has never been greater, and data on food and its transparency is a crucial issue. At the interface between science and public policy, INRAE and Anses have developed a food quality observatory called Oqali. Here’s a look at this tool for informing public policy on nutrition.
