On January 27, 2025, the Academic Committee of Tianjin Key Laboratory of Food Quality and Health held a successful meeting at Tianjin University of Science and Technology. Wang Min, member of the Party Committee and Vice President of Tianjin University of Science and Technology, attended the meeting. Experts on the Academic Committee included Sun Baoguo, Academician of Beijing Technology and Business University and Chair of the Committee; Wu Yongning, Researcher at the National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment; Gao Zhixian, Researcher at the Institute of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Academy of Military Medical Sciences; Jiang Zhengqiang, Professor at China Agricultural University; Wang Shuo, Professor at Nankai University; Wang Zhouping, Professor at Jiangnan University; Zheng Wenjie, Professor at Tianjin Normal University. Officials from the School of Food Science and Engineering, the Science and Technology Department, relevant staff from the key laboratory, and associated teachers also participated in the meeting.

In her speech, Wang Min, on behalf of Tianjin University of Science and Technology, expressed sincere thanks to all the academic experts for taking the time to attend and support the event. She briefly introduced the development history and the staged achievements of the key laboratory, objectively analyzed the shortcomings and gaps in the development process, and earnestly hoped that the experts, with their profound academic expertise and rich industry experience, would offer advice and guidance for the high-quality development of the laboratory.  

The second part of the meeting was chaired by Academician Sun Baoguo. Professor Liu Jifeng, director of the key laboratory, gave a comprehensive report covering the lab's basic situation, research directions, talent recruitment and training, research progress, graduate education, open exchanges, and operational management. He clearly outlined the key tasks for 2026 and planned the long-term development goals for the 15th Five-Year Plan. Young scholars from the key laboratory—Chao Chen, Tian Xiaojing, Du Ting, and Liu Haochi—each gave specialized academic reports based on their research areas, sharing their latest research findings and insights.  

After carefully listening to the work and academic reports, the experts of the Academic Committee fully recognized and highly praised the lab's achievements over the past year. They unanimously agreed that the laboratory focuses on key areas such as nutrition and health food research, food and agricultural product processing, storage and quality safety control, development of new food resources, and innovations in food bio-manufacturing technologies. The research directions are precisely aligned with national strategies and industry needs, with clear positioning, outstanding results, and marked progress. At the same time, they also fully affirmed the laboratory's significant advances in team building, talent development, and open exchanges. For future development, the experts suggested that the laboratory further refine its disciplinary characteristics, strengthen its core competitiveness in food quality and health, continue to intensify the recruitment and cultivation of high-level talent to build a well-structured and dynamic talent team, proactively connect and undertake high-level research projects, improve its ability to serve industrial transformation and regional economic development, and deepen the integration and dissemination of science popularization resources to expand the breadth and depth of social services.  

The entire meeting was full of innovation and a strong academic atmosphere. The attending experts offered targeted suggestions for laboratory construction and specific research work from higher perspectives, broader visions, and deeper insights. This not only built a consensus for the lab’s future development but also created a high-level academic exchange platform, injecting new momentum into the innovative development of the key laboratory.

Editor: Tian Jun