The research project «GreenPlantFood » (Green technology for plant-based food) is a research project aimed at facilitating green technology towards plant-based foods in Norway with a significant proportion of Nordic raw materials into attractive and healthy products with low environmental footprint. The project is financed by the Research Council of Norway and project partners. It was started in 2022 and will run until the end of 2024. The project is led by the food research institute Nofima. The research institutions NMBU, NIBIO, PIK, DTU, iBET and UFT are research partners. Lantmannen Cerealia, AM Nutrition, Mills, Hoff, Norgesmøllene and Flowfood are business partners.
NORSUS will primary be engaged in work package 6 which is about economical, social and environmental sustainability impacts by using plant protein grown in Norway as ingredients in foods, both in fresh, unprocessed and processed form. Specifically, we will improve the methods we use to calculate environmental impacts of grain legumes produced in Norway so that we will have a clearer view of these impacts. We will also look at the impact on nutrition of these products in relation to their environmental impact. Another aspect that will be studied is the impact on social sustainability, in terms of employment and national self-sufficiency, of this plant protein playing a larger part of the Norwegian diet than what is currently has. We will also cooperate with Nibio in studying social and economic barriers and possibilities.
The project does, in large part, build on results from the research project FoodProFuture (2017-2021) that resulted in an expanded knowledge base on growing, processing, environmental impact and consumer aspects related to the plant protein crops faba beans, field peas, rapeseed and turnip rapeseed.
