The NDU at the heart of international research on eating habits

Everyone is unanimous: quality scientific research is at the heart of a university’s mission. And research is worthless if its results are not published, used and shared by everyone. Two postulates adopted by Doctor Christelle Bou Mitri, associate professor at the Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences (FNHS) at Notre-Dame de Louaizé University (NDU). Leading a research team of NDU faculty and students, she and her team recently contributed to an international research project aimed at advancing food science. Crowned by the publication of a new work in English entitled Consumer Perceptions and Food, this project was initiated and led by the Global Harmonization Initiative (GHI), an international non-profit network made up of scholarly researchers and scientific organizations working to the promotion of global regulations on food safety and the harmonization of legislation, and to which the teacher-researcher adheres. Thought out in such a way as to serve as a guide, a “reference book” intended for producers and companies manufacturers of food products wishing to understand consumer behavior strongly influenced by packaging and nutritional information on labels, this work “is the fruit of research carried out as a team for almost a year by 84 contributors from the four corners of the world,” she says. “Its particularity also lies in the fact that it is the first to address the complexity and questions linked to consumer perceptions regarding food,” she adds. “It aims to help readers understand why and how they make their food choices, in particular by examining the role of their emotions, their feelings, their senses, their beliefs, as well as their attitudes and experiences, while raising awareness of new food technologies, sustainable food and responsible consumption. The book also explores the impact of perceptions on the future of food and the environment,” she said. Dr. Christelle Bou Mitri, who believes that it is impossible to be a good teacher in the higher cycle without also being a researcher, emphasizes that the exchanges and confrontations of ideas and points of view between researchers and contributors from different horizons made it possible to “enrich research and make it more global and more relevant”. Another advantage lies in the involvement of students in the research project. “The project was an invaluable opportunity to broaden the horizons of the students who contributed to it,” she says. “Not only were they exposed to international meetings, but they also had to become familiar with and discuss with researchers from different contexts. Along the way, they developed in-depth analytical thinking and refined crucial skills such as critical thinking, experimental thinking and scientific writing,” she added. Tonia

Chahine, 23, a master’s student in food quality and safety management at NDU, participated in the project. She says she was pleasantly surprised by this experience, which allowed her to practice and become familiar with the research ecosystem. For her, who plans to soon embark on the adventure of a doctorate, this contribution allowed her to improve her research skills, while developing skills, knowledge and know-how. “Research is a skill: the more you apply yourself, the more you improve. This project helped me progress a little further on my path as a future researcher,” she emphasizes. “What was also beneficial to me was the fact of having been able to interact online, for a year, with researchers from all backgrounds, who did not hesitate to welcome me and encourage me” , she added. However, the most rewarding in his eyes is to have co-authored articles now available at Springer Nature (an international publisher of scientific publications, Editor’s note). “Conducting research and then publishing it is a lot of work. This requires months of adjustments, clarifications, debates and discussions with all the authors, but it is highly enriching,” explains the student, who did not fail to point out the issues linked to research, particularly in Lebanon. “Unfortunately, research results are often neglected, although their valorization and sharing in the public sphere are beneficial for science and also constitute a lever for the knowledge-based economy,” she laments. A point of view shared by Mirna Raad. Involved in the project as part of her master’s degree, she revealed that, during her work, she noted that most Lebanese people have a poor perception of food safety. “Most, for example, believe that homemade foods are healthier and better than the menus offered in restaurants, without realizing the risks of contamination in their own kitchens,” she says. “For their part, restaurants argue that they have ISO certification, while some are unaware that they must renew it regularly,” she adds. “What is interesting would be to share all this data and knowledge with the monitoring bodies and relevant authorities, to exploit and transform the research results into concrete measures, while raising public awareness on all these issues” , she continues.

Patience, planning and coordination

Teacher-researcher and former NDU student with a master’s degree in nutritional sciences, Romy Chammas, for her part, insisted on the importance of collaborative work on an international scale. She says this type of collaboration allows you to gain new perspectives, while requiring patience, planning and coordination. This collaboration between researchers from the scientific community constitutes extremely fertile ground for the creation of ideas, she emphasizes. “New ideas are born from discussions with people from diverse backgrounds. This interaction pushes us to establish connections, but also to see things differently, to broaden our vision and to engage in self-criticism,” she says. Conducting research on plant-based products, particularly with the Generation Z, in a field that is still “little explored” in Lebanon, Ghenwa Sarieddine, 26 years old, in the final year of a master’s degree in nutrition, declared herself deeply grateful to have been able to take part in a project of such scope. “It was an invaluable and very instructive experience that allowed us to put many things into perspective,” she says. Passionate about research from an early age, the young woman, who plans to pursue a doctorate, was keen to emphasize the importance of shining a spotlight on the research carried out. “A lot of research is being carried out in Lebanon, but neither the research nor the researchers are recognized and valued as it should,” she observed, emphasizing the need for communication and efficient and judicious transmission. Thanks to this collaboration, the researchers co-authored five chapters dealing with the following themes: consumer perception of milk and dairy products of plant origin, comparative examination of consumers’ points of view on safety, quality and sensory attributes of alternative proteins, food safety and risk perception by consumers in the Middle East and North Africa region, on-pack labeling with a focus on consumer perception consumers of nutritional and health claims, and finally, consumers’ perception of plant-based meat substitutes.