High-quality scientific research is at the core of a university's mission. Research is worthless if its results are not published, utilized and shared with everyone. These points are adopted by Dr. Christelle Bou Mitri, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences (FNHS) at Notre Dame University-Louaize (NDU).

Leading a research team composed of professors and students from NDU, she recently contributed with her team to an international research project aimed at advancing food science. Crowned by the publication of a novel book in English titled "Consumer Perceptions and Food," this project was initiated and conducted by the Global Harmonization Initiative (GHI), a non-profit international network of scientists and organizations working to promote global food safety regulations and harmonized legislation, to which the professor-researcher belongs.

Thoughtfully designed to serve as a guide, a "reference book" for food producers and manufacturing companies wishing to understand consumer behavior heavily influenced by packaging and nutritional information on labels, this book "is the result of a nearly year-long research effort by 84 contributors from around the world," she said.

"Its uniqueness also lies in being the first to address the complexity and issues related to consumer perceptions of food," she added. "It aims to help readers understand why and how they make their food choices, examining in particular the role of their emotions, feelings, senses, beliefs, 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."

Bou Mitri, who believes it is impossible to be a good teacher in higher education without also being a researcher, emphasized that exchanges and clashes of ideas and viewpoints among researchers and contributors from different backgrounds have allowed "to enrich the 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 participated," she stated. '"Not only were they exposed to international meetings, but they also had to familiarize themselves with researchers from different contexts and engage in discussions with them. Along the way, they developed deep analytical thinking and honed crucial skills such as critical thinking, experimental methods, and scientific writing."

Tonia Shahine, 23, a master's student in quality management and food safety at NDU, participated in the project. She was pleasantly surprised with this experience, which allowed her to exercise and familiarize herself with the research ecosystem. For her, who plans to embark on a Ph.D. journey soon, this contribution allowed her to enhance her research skills while developing aptitudes, knowledge and know-how.

"Research is a skill: The more you apply yourself, the more you refine it. This project helped me progress a bit more on my path to becoming a future researcher," she said. "What also benefited me was being able to network online, for a year, with researchers from all backgrounds who welcomed and encouraged me."

However, the most gratifying for her is having co-authored articles now available with Springer Nature (an international publisher of scientific publications).

"Conducting research and then publishing it constitutes a tremendous amount of work. It requires months of adjustments, precision, debates, and discussions with all the authors, but it is highly enriching," explained the student, who did not miss the opportunity to point out the issues related to research, particularly in Lebanon. "Unfortunately, research results are often overlooked, although their value and sharing in the public sphere are beneficial for science and also serve as a lever for a knowledge-based economy."

A viewpoint shared by Mirna Raad. Involved in the project as part of her master's, she said that during her work, she noticed that most Lebanese have a poor perception of food safety.

"Most, for example, believe that homemade foods are healthier and better than menus offered in restaurants, without realizing the risks of contamination in their own kitchens," she stated.

"On their end, restaurants argue that they have ISO certification, while some are unaware that it needs to be renewed regularly," she added. "What would be interesting would be to share all this data and knowledge with surveillance bodies and relevant authorities, to exploit and transform research results into concrete measures, while raising public awareness on all these issues."

Patience, Planning, and Coordination

Former student of NDU with a master's degree in nutrition sciences, Romy Shammas, emphasized the importance of collaborative work on an international scale. According to her, this type of collaboration allows for acquiring new perspectives while requiring patience, planning, and coordination. This collaboration among researchers in the scientific field is an extremely fertile ground for idea generation, she explained.

"New ideas emerge from interactions with people from diverse backgrounds. This interaction pushes us to build links, but also to see things differently, to broaden our horizons, and to engage in self-criticism," she said.

Conducting research on plant-based products, particularly among Generation Z, in an area still "little explored" in Lebanon, Ghenwa Sarieddine, 26, in her final year of a master's in nutrition, expressed deep gratitude for being able to participate in such a significant project.

"It was an invaluable and highly instructive experience that allowed us to put many things into perspective," she stated.

Fond of research from a young age, the young woman, who intends to pursue a doctorate, insisted on highlighting the importance of spotlighting the research conducted.

"Numerous researches are underway in Lebanon, but neither the research nor the researchers are recognized and valued as they should be," she said, underscoring the need for effective and careful communication and transmission.

Thanks to this collaboration, the researchers co-authored five chapters covering topics such as: Consumer perception of milk and plant-based dairy products, a comparative review of consumer views on the safety, quality, and sensory attributes of alternative proteins, food safety and risk perception by consumers in the Middle East and North Africa region, packaging labeling with a focus on consumer perception of nutritional and health claims and, finally, consumer perception of plant-based meat substitutes.