SCIENCE: Sophie Nicklaus is crowned with the 2022 INRAE Laurels

Sugar Mizzy December 5, 2022

Sophie Nicklaus is Director of Research at the Center for Taste and Food Sciences, located on the Dijon campus of the INRA Center Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. She participates in the “Chouette cantine” project of the City of Dijon.

Press release from the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment of December 5, 2022:

An agronomist by training, it was at the Center des Sciences du Goût et de l’Alimentation (CSGA) at the INRAE Bourgogne-Franche-Comté center in Dijon that she obtained a thesis on children’s diets. in 2004 Understanding the eating behavior of the youngest will be one of her areas of work and major research, leading Sophie Nicklaus to be recognized for her expertise in the subject.

As a research director, she shares her knowledge and expertise with students from the University of Burgundy and the Agro Institute in Dijon. Santé Publique France also calls on its skills to draft a guide on food diversification for children aged 0 to 3 years. It also works with the general public by participating in popular science events.

Research work related to the Dijon territory

Involved in the PRODIJ project, supported by the metropolis of Dijon as part of the Territories of Innovation research program “Dijon, sustainable food 2030”, Sophie Nicklaus is responsible for the scientific coordination of the project. She brings her knowledge of eating behaviors to “Chouette cantine”.

The composition of the meals served in school catering is studied in detail to offer sustainable food, integrating economic, environmental or social factors into a meal offer of good nutritional quality. The pleasure of eating is also interpreted by involving children, who can give their opinion on the main course every day. The “Chouette cantine” project involves a whole educational approach around taste, health and sustainable food.

The approach is also transposed to the student public, in partnership with the CROUS BFC: the eating behavior of students is analyzed, both in the university restaurant and at home. This study makes it possible to extend the collection of data on consumer choice factors in the face of a more diversified offer.