Around the world, nearly 783 million people face hunger, while 821 million suffer from malnutrition—151 million of whom are children under the age of five—according to reports from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). In Mexico, severe food insecurity affects approximately 35 million people, accounting for nearly 30% of the population.
In response to this challenge, a team of researchers from Tec de Monterrey is leading the Food Security & Nutrition project, part of the Health Research Core at the School of Engineering and Sciences (EIC). Their goal is to develop scientific and technological solutions to reduce food insecurity, with a special focus on addressing malnutrition among children and women in specific communities, explains Jorge Welti, the initiative’s lead researcher.
“The project emerged as a way to tackle this issue; the challenge lies in ensuring that people have access to food that is not only sufficient in quantity but also safe to consume and nutritionally rich,” he says.
According to Welti, food security is a complex issue with multiple dimensions. It involves the physical availability of food and ensuring that communities can access it. Economic factors also play a role, as individuals need the financial means to afford nutritious food. Additionally, efficient food use and distribution are crucial, as reducing waste throughout the production and supply chain can make a significant difference.
Another key factor is food stability—ensuring that products are properly processed, transformed, and preserved so they remain safe for consumption before spoiling. Consumer agency is also important, meaning that people should have the freedom to choose what they eat. Finally, sustainability must be prioritized to minimize environmental impact, such as greenhouse gas emissions associated with food production and consumption.
Welti and Aurea Karina Ramírez, co-leader of the initiative, shared insights about this flagship project during the Food Security & Nutrition Symposium, held on February 25 at the Expedition FEMSA building in Monterrey Innovation District.
Food Security and Nutrition: The Seven Goals of the Project
Welti explains that this project is a multidisciplinary effort that spans the entire food production chain—from sustainable agricultural production to processing, distribution, storage, and consumption—to ensure that the food reaching consumers meets proper nutritional standards.
“Our overarching goal is to help mitigate food insecurity in Mexico. To achieve that, we’ve outlined seven specific objectives.”
1. Diverse and Sustainable Food Production
This objective focuses on using advanced technologies—such as automation and artificial intelligence—and developing new raw materials and food products to increase diversity while enhancing productivity and sustainability.
One example is an initiative in Querétaro, where the team is modifying cattle feed to maintain milk production and quality while reducing environmental impact. According to preliminary results, they have managed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30% to 35% within a year of implementation.
2. New Preservation Processes and Technologies
Researchers are working on storage and transportation strategies to ensure that processed foods reach consumers in optimal condition, retaining their nutrients and sensory quality while reducing the environmental footprint of traditional methods, such as energy and water usage.
“Canning and refrigeration will always be necessary, but we can make significant improvements in these processes. For instance, at Tec, we’ve developed preservation technologies that don’t rely on thermal energy, allowing food to maintain higher quality without nutrient loss during processing,” says Welti.
3. Reducing Food Loss and Waste
The team is investigating methods and infrastructure that will help transport produce more efficiently from farms—where up to 35% of fruit production is lost—without compromising quality. When it comes to waste, they are proposing circular economy models that revalue and repurpose discarded materials into new products.
For example, the team is collaborating with citrus juice companies to make use of orange peels and pulp. “These byproducts can be transformed into valuable ingredients that can be reintegrated into the food and cosmetics industries.”
4. Food Safety, Traceability, and Quality Assurance Systems
This goal focuses on improving systems that ensure food reaching consumers’ tables is safe from various risks, including microbiological contamination and exposure to heavy metals.
One of the key initiatives involves developing computational systems and sensors to detect issues such as spoilage in fresh meat or contamination in juices, milk, and other products—before they ever reach the market.
5. Consumer Biology-Based Nutrition
By studying nutriomics and metabolomics, researchers aim to make essential nutrients more accessible to the metabolism of Mexican women and children, considering their genetic makeup and how their digestive systems absorb minerals like iron and proteins. “There’s a dedicated team working on this to create balanced nutrition—not by adding external elements, but by aligning the genetic traits of food with those of the consumer.”
6. AI Integration in the Food Supply Chain
This objective seeks to advance knowledge on integrating information technologies and artificial intelligence across all stages of food production and consumption. By combining these innovations with existing agronomic practices, decision-makers can identify the best strategies and technologies tailored to each region.
7. Public Policy Development
The final objective focuses on advocating for policies that address food insecurity in Mexico. This includes determining what foods should be produced and how, as well as shaping policies that influence dietary habits and improve access to nutritious products through the right technologies.
Multidisciplinary Project Promotes Nutrition
Ramírez explains that the project involves more than 40 researchers and has a presence across eight Tec de Monterrey campuses, including Querétaro, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Toluca, Puebla, Sinaloa, and Chihuahua.
For each of the project’s objectives, specialized teams were formed with expert researchers from different Tec schools. For instance, in the area of public policy, the initiative includes researchers from the School of Social Sciences and Government. The group also collaborates with foundations, government agencies, and companies such as Nestlé, Bachoco, and Alpura, among others.
“We have strengths across multiple campuses, with infrastructure, equipment, and human resources dedicated to achieving our goals. In Monterrey, we focus on food processing and nutrition; in Querétaro, on agriculture, primary ingredient production, and food safety; in Guadalajara, on waste revalorization and environmental impact; and in Toluca, on food analysis and bioprocessing for improved energy efficiency,” explains the project’s co-leader.
One of the key strategies of the project is to build collaborative networks with national and international institutions, including government and private sector stakeholders, to drive innovation and secure research funding.
The group is also working alongside researchers from universities in the Americas and Europe, including Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), the Technical University of Denmark, Universidad de los Andes in Colombia, the University of Lleida in Spain, and the Technical University of Munich.
The launch of this flagship project was attended by key Tec de Monterrey leaders, including Juan Pablo Murra, Rector of Tec de Monterrey; Mario Adrián Flores, Vice President of the Monterrey Region; Feniosky Peña-Mora, National Dean of EIC and Executive Vice President of Research; Daniel Jacobo, Associate Dean of Research at EIC; and Janet Gutiérrez, Associate Dean of Faculty Development at EIC.
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