JAR believes that solutions start by limiting the quantities of fruit and vegetable getting to landfills since large amounts of waste are generated from fruit and vegetable-based industries and household kitchens.
Hence, their idea consists of innovatively reusing these leftovers, which are not recovered and yet highly rich in valuable compounds such as polyphenols, oils, and many other compounds, to produce new food value-added products.
From there, they decided, with the support of the BestMedGrape program, to start transforming grape pomace into a valuable ingredient for our traditional jam recipes. Grape pomace is one of the most important residues obtained in the wine and agrifood industries; it is a source of antioxidants and fiber, two key nutrients for healthy eating and nutrition, and thus could have human health benefits if we add it to our table.
They will reproduce the traditional homemade jam into a healthier line that has our heritage taste but with additional health benefits answering both: consumers’ and market needs. This twist in the jam making process would give our artisanal dessert a natural competitive advantage over the existing healthy commercialized brands.
Currently, they are developing and testing a “jar of jam” to prove the advantage of adding grape leftovers to traditional recipes. At the same time, we design special recipes for individuals and professionals to help them reduce food waste and encourage them to be role models in the valorization of agri-foods leftovers which could in return improve their profits.