Cohort 2 of the FOODS (Nutrition-Food Systems) doctoral platform on a field trip to the University of Barcelona and the Montpellier Global Days at the University of Montpellier
From June 15 to 22, 2026, the second cohort of the international Feed-Protect-Care FOODS PhD Platform gathered in Barcelona for a field school focused on the question: “How can food systems improve health, particularly for vulnerable populations?”
Organized by Karen Lambert Cordillac (University of Montpellier) and Francisco Pérez-Cano (University of Barcelona), this intensive week brought together doctoral researchers 17 partner universities around a common goal: to collaborate on topics as varied as the Mediterranean diet, the traceability of olive oil, and the use of seaweed in modern gastronomy.
As part of the international component of the IDEES project, funded bythe French National Research Agency Research ANR) under the France 2030 initiative, this field school offered a program combining scientific lectures, collaborative workshops, and laboratory visits. Participants discussed topics such as the Mediterranean diet, products with protected designation of origin, food and water safety in the Mediterranean context, and new uses for seaweed in food.
The doctoral researchers also doctoral researchers together to develop a cookbook featuring a week’s worth of sustainable, affordable, and nutrient-rich meal plans inspired by the culinary traditions of their respective countries. They also received guidance from institutional representatives at the University of Utrecht and the University of Arizona as they developed their ideas.
The doctoral researchers their scientific immersion in Montpellier during the Montpellier Global Days, a highlight of the University’s international strategy and that of its partners in the I-SITE Program of Excellence, on June 23 and 24.
They were thus able to speak with Laurent Cherchi, chef at the Michelin-starred restaurant Reflet d’Obione, about his vision of “conscious” cuisine, based on local ingredients, short supply chains, and fermentation processes.
At the scientific conference held on June 24, cohort members presented scientific posters showcasing sustainable and accessible recipes from their home countries. The award for best poster went to Krishna Poudel, a Nepalese student at Laval University in Quebec, for his presentation of the Nepalese recipe “Jumli Marshi Rice with Local Bean Khichdi.”
The cookbook compiled by the cohort, with a foreword by Lauren Cherchi, will be published soon.
A global platform for shared challenges
Led bythe University of Montpellier and developed in collaboration withthe University of Pretoria, the Feed-Protect-Care FOODS PhD Platform brings together doctoral researchers 17 universities across several continents, including South Africa, Brazil, China, the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Senegal, Spain, etc.).
Its goal is to build a network of young researchers committed to addressing the challenges associated with sustainable food systems and their impact on health.
The FOODS platform is currently recruiting its third cohort of doctoral students
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