Nutrition Health Care Systems

General introduction

At the intersection of health, food (production) and care, important innovations are possible and useful. Five research-oriented organizations, namely ILVO, Flanders'FOOD, VIVES, TUA West and Pom West Flanders, established the NuHCaS research and innovation center for this purpose in September 2019. The aim is to conduct multidisciplinary, evidence-based research in a networked and practice-oriented set-up and to further explore for longer-term innovations in nutrition & care that provide both economic and societal impact. Nuhcas, in full Nutrition Health Care System, bridges the gap between nutrition and health so that these sectors can respond to each other's needs and opportunities. By working together they want to achieve demand-driven, impactful innovations and solutions.

Research approach

Test environments have been developed through and for NuHCaS that simulate the real conditions of packaging, cooling and regeneration. By means of simulations, one examines for example quality loss, both sensorial and nutritional. Data is also collected to improve the logistics of meal delivery. NuhCas serves the actors involved in care, health and nutrition in order to carry out joint experiments in the Food Pilot at ILVO Melle or the Food Innovation Park in Roeselare (including the FR&D Hall, labs, taste testing facilities and the experimental fitness room). 

Relevance/Valorisation

NuhCas has and continues to realize multiple projects, events, initiatives, knowledge exchanges. The focus includes people with chronic care needs. These people stay in residential care centers, hospitals, or still at home but are unable to cook for themselves. Their meals are prepared in commercial kitchens and subjected to a regeneration process (food is reheated after cooling or freezing). Knowledge is being built up to improve the quality of these meals and adapt them to needs. The network gives a boost to applied research on topics such as malnutrition due to body limitations, and nutrition adapted and attractive to the patient. The implementation of research results is also accelerated.