Advancing food processing in Africa: Challenges, innovations and opportunities report on the IUFoST scientific roundtable

Abstract

This contribution summarizes the outcome of a Scientific Roundtable Discussion webinar, jointly organized by the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) and the Association of African Universities (AAU) on the topic of Advancing Food Processing in Africa. The event focused on addressing challenges such as post-harvest losses, especially of traditional and indigenous crops, limited infrastructure to scale up traditional processing technologies, difficulties in securing a consistent supply of quality ingredients for the food sector, and the confusion created by some food classification systems. Discussions emphasized the importance of multi-stakeholder collaborations to explore opportunities for value addition to agro-produce in Africa through sustainable and nutrition-focused food processing with retention of bioactive compounds, thereby enhancing food security and economic growth on the continent.