Researchers receive funding to boost the shelf-life of vegetables

A project led by Professor Steven Spoel and Dr Lindsay Williams has been awarded funding by the European Research Council to improve the longevity of some of world’s most popular vegetables.

The European Research Council (ERC) Proof of Concept grants, worth €150,000 each, are awarded to existing ERC grant holders to explore the commercial potential of promising early research.

Steven and Lindsay’s project ‘Post-Harvest Boost’ aims to extend the shelf-life of popular vegetables from the Brassica family - which includes broccoli, cabbage, rocket, cauliflower and kale.

If the project is successful it could result in large financial gains, improved food security and drastically reduce food waste for growers, retailers and consumers.

Shelf life

Up to 50% of harvested vegetables are currently wasted as they make their way through the supply chain from farm to fork.

Leafy vegetables have particularly short-shelf lives: after harvest they rapidly lose nutritional value, suffer from dehydration, and often end up rotting as diseases strike.

The project aims to bio-engineer Brassica vegetables to improve their health, quality and longevity post-harvest, whilst ensuring these new traits do not negatively impact their growth in the soil. 

Rocket salad

It builds on previous research by the group which found that Brassica vegetables respond differently to their environment after they have been harvested.

The demand for these popular vegetables, with an estimated global market value of $40.8 billion in 2025, is growing due to the rising popularity of plant-based diets and the growing global population.

Increasing consumer awareness of their health benefits is also driving demand, as these culinary staples are nutritional powerhouses that are packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Beyond the Brassica family, the project - in collaboration with the UK plant breeder and commercial seed supplier, Elsoms Seeds - could also pave the way to improvements in other agricultural crops.

Food security

To feed the world’s rapidly growing population the production of agricultural crops needs to quickly increase over the coming years.

Preserving the nutrition levels of post-harvest vegetables is also essential to provide nutritious diets which contribute to overall health and wellbeing and support healthy aging.

Prolonging shelf-life and reducing food waste is also a vital part of the road towards net zero, as decaying vegetables release greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.

About the Funding

The project was one of 150 projects, in the initial round of ERC Proof of Concept 2025 competition, to receive a share of €22.5 million in funding.

The ERC, set up by the European Union in 2007, is the premier European funding organisation for excellent frontier research.

The grant scheme is part of Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation programme.

Over half of harvested vegetables are wasted as they travel from the field to retailers and finally end up in your fridge. This ERC-funded ‘Post-Harvest-Boost’ project will help reduce this shocking statistic. It allows us to develop proof of concept for a new range of more durable crops with greater post-harvest longevity.

Professor Steven Spoel Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences

Crops with improved post-harvest traits will play a key role in reducing food waste and improving the sustainability of agriculture.  This ERC-funded project provides us with the exciting opportunity to generate real-world impact from our fundamental research: we will apply our findings on post-harvest immunity to improve health and quality of brassicas in storage whilst maintaining high yield.

Dr Lindsay Williams Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences
Publication date