The Nutrafood Centre has signed an agreement with the Shiology Centre of Renmin University (China)

The Nutrafood Centre of the University of Pisa has signed a collaboration agreement with the Shiology Research Centre of Renmin University in Beijing, which is one of China’s most prestigious universities. The agreement was formalised during the 5th World Shiology Forum, which took place in Haikou (Hainan, China) from 28 to 31 October.

The University of Pisa was represented by a delegation including Professor Andrea Serra, Director of Nutrafood, Professor Francesco Di Iacovo (Department of Veterinary Sciences) and Professor Gianluca Brunori (Department of Agricultural, Food and Agro-Environmental Sciences). The Forum opened with a message from UN Secretary-General António Guterres and featured numerous international figures, including H.E. Liu Zhenmin, China’s Special Envoy for Climate Change and former United Nations Under-Secretary-General.

During the conference, Professor Andrea Serra and Professor Liu Guangwei, Director of the Shiology Centre, signed the agreement to launch academic and scientific cooperation between the two institutions. The Shiology Centre, which is part of Renmin University, conducts interdisciplinary research in the field of food science: the term Shiology (from the Chinese “Shi”, meaning “to eat” or “food”) refers to a holistic approach to the study of nutrition that is recognised as an academic discipline by China’s Ministry of Education.

The opportunity for collaboration with Renmin University arose a year ago during a visit to China by Professor Giovanni Gronchi, Vice-Rector for Cooperation and International Relations, and Dr Arianna Biancani from the International Cooperation Office, with the support of the Italian Embassy in Beijing.

“The University of Pisa, through the Nutrafood Centre, is the first university in Europe to have signed an agreement with the Shiology Centre in China,” explains Professor Serra. “The protocol provides for the organisation of joint courses, seminars and international workshops on topics of mutual interest, as well as the promotion of scientific and technical cooperation and the development of joint research projects. This agreement will further strengthen our centre, enhancing its focus on the study of food systems.”

During the Forum, Professor Gianluca Brunori gave a presentation on food policy in the session “Food-System Transformation – the Path to Health and Longevity”, while Professors Francesco Di Iacovo and Andrea Serra took part in the panel “Mediterranean Diet and East Asian Diet – Eating for Longevity and Vitality”, exploring the similarities and differences between Mediterranean and East Asian diets. Their contributions highlighted the distinctive features of the Mediterranean food system and the effects of consumer choices on health, production sustainability and natural resource management.

The Forum marked the beginning of a scientific collaboration that is expected to grow in the coming years, to the benefit of both universities involved.