The FitNESS 2.0 project has played a key role in enhancing food packaging education across Europe and ended on October 31, 2024, after releasing an expanded version of its e-learning platform. Launched in November 2021 and coordinated by Actia (the French Network for Food Technology Institutes), the initiative has been a collaboration across eleven European universities, research and technical institutes with funding by the European Commission under the ERASMUS+ program. The project’s core objective is to address the growing environmental and health challenges associated with food packaging through enhanced education and training of current and future decision-makers.
FitNESS 2.0 (Food Packaging Open Courseware for Higher Education and Staff of Companies) has responded to the fragmented approach often seen in chemistry, materials science, food technology, and packaging education by offering an integrated, open-access educational platform. Accessible on all devices, the platform serves both current and future food packaging professionals, with content that covers essential topics such as toxicological and health assessments, sustainable packaging, polymer science, and responsible packaging design.
Key Achievements of FitNESS 2.0
A robust online platform featuring interactive courses, packaging design tools, and practical exercises.
Training modules with a special focus on circular economy practices (redesign, reduce, reuse, recycle), linking sustainability directly to the shelf life of food products to support preventing food waste.
Open-source and fully cloneable resources, validated by more than a dozen European institutions of higher education.
International Collaboration
FitNESS 2.0 has been a true collaboration, bringing together eleven expert scientific research and communication partners across seven different countries:
Croatia: University of Zagreb
Denmark: Aarhus University
France: Actia, AgroParisTech, L'Institut Agro Dijon, LNE (Laboratoire National de Métrologie et d’Essais), University of Burgundy
Germany: Fraunhofer IVV
Portugal: Catholic University of Portugal
Spain: CSIC (Spanish National Research Council)
Switzerland: Food Packaging Forum Foundation
The project has also benefited from the support of an external expert Advisory Board, whose members include: ISEKI-Food, SIEL-Grow, EFFOST (European Federation of Food Science and Technology), Elipso (Association representing plastic packaging manufacturers in France), Citeo, CNE (Conseil National de l’Emballage, France), Vitagora, Michigan School of Packaging, Plastics Europe, and Zero Waste Europe.
Call for Global Contributions
We are actively seeking universities and industries from around the world to contribute to the continued growth and development of this initiative. Our aim is to establish a global network of partners dedicated to advancing food packaging education, sustainability, and safety. By joining the FitNESS network, institutions and companies can contribute to the creation of cutting-edge education and training content, expand the platform’s impact, and collaborate on innovative solutions to packaging challenges on a global scale.
Legacy and Future Use
As FitNESS 2.0 reaches its official end date, the platform will still remain accessible and a significant educational resource for higher education institutions and industry professionals across Europe. It is designed to continue providing vital fundamental knowledge on safe and sustainable food packaging and equipping future professionals with the tools they need to address the challenges of the packaging industry.
Project Duration: 36 months (November 2021 – October 2024) Coordinator: Actia – The French Network for Food Technology Institutes