Meeting at the University of Zaragoza to strengthen socioeconomic sustainability in the pork industry
- The Grupo Jorge Foundation Chair for Talent and Innovation brought together teachers from different universities and professionals linked to companies and institutions of great importance in the food sector.
- On November 28th , the ‘Conference on social and economic sustainability in the pork industry’ took place in the Auditorium of Zaragoza.
The Grupo Jorge Foundation Chair for Talent and Innovation organized the ‘Conference on social and economic sustainability in the pork industry’, which took place last November 28 in the Aula Magna of the Auditorium of the University of Zaragoza. The day featured speakers linked to the Chair as well as from institutions and entities such as the Interprofessional Agro-Food Organization of White Pork (INTERPORC), the General Council of Aragon, the Oinkers Agency and the universities of Barcelona, the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Complutense University of Madrid and Pontifical University of Comillas.
Olga Samper, president of the Grupo Jorge Foundation, and Rosa Bolea, vice-rector for Scientific Policy, were in charge of starting the meeting at 9:00 a.m. After this, the opening presentation ‘The commitment of the pork sector to triple sustainability’ was given by Alberto Herranz Herranz, general director of INTERPORC.
This meeting featured a program divided into morning and afternoon sessions. At 10:45 a.m. the block ‘Commitment to workers and societies’ began, where a round table was held in which Fernando Laguna Arán, director general of Quality and Food Safety of the Government of Aragon, and his predecessor in the position Enrique Novales Allué, participated. During the morning the question was also raised, ‘How can we give visibility to the pork sector and improve its reputation?’, formulated by Gemma Ticó Gil, from the Oinkers Agency.
At 3:00 p.m. the session entitled ‘Product and responsibility to customers and consumers’ began. A highlight of this second part was the conference ‘Vegetable alternatives to meat derivatives: light and shade’, by Mª Carmen Vidal Carou, professor of Nutrition and Bromatology, director of the Food Campus of the University of Barcelona and coordinator of the Official Inter-university Master’s Degree in Food Safety. After each session, the public was invited to debate and participate.
The Grupo Jorge Foundation Chair for Talent and Innovation, collaboration in the present and research for the future
This is the second conference organized by the Grupo Jorge Foundation Chair for Talent and Innovation, focused on the pig sector and open to the public. Last February, the ‘Bioeconomy, ethics and sustainability in the pig industry’ conference was held, with a large number of people participating.
This type of event is part of the Chair’s objectives, which include promoting the creation of new knowledge in the meat industry, the agri-food sector, renewable energies and corporate social responsibility, among other fields. In addition, it also seeks to contribute to applied research in strategic lines such as smart farms, food chain sustainability, simulation environments applied to various areas of interest, etc.
Grupo Jorge has undergone enormous changes in recent years and for this reason the president of its foundation believes that it “must go one step further than mere meat production”. As she explains, “in all the companies in the Group we are committed to the local economy and the well-being of our environment”. For this reason, we invest in technologies and practices that reduce our environmental impact and help us to operate more efficiently, as well as in initiatives that contribute to research and collaboration between companies and universities”.
The Grupo Jorge Foundation is a charitable institution that aims to positively impact the environment in which Grupo Jorge operates. Grupo Jorge is one of the largest meat groups in Europe, and has been present in the energy and agricultural industries, based in Aragon for almost 100 years.