Sara Ricardo-Rodrigues is an agricultural engineer with a Master’s degree in agricultural engineering from the University of Évora, having presented her work on the conservation of table grapes "Crimson" with edible coatings based on chitosan and aloe vera. She is currently developing her thesis with the title “Increased safety of high consumption fresh foods with reduced food waste”. Since 2013, she has been working in technology, post-harvest, and quality of fruits and other food products such as meat and meat products. Her main research issues are the storage of different fruits (for example sweet cherry, table grapes, and strawberry) by using a modified atmosphere, edible coatings, and a new approach to the use of aromatic and medicinal plant oils. She is initiating new studies on the prospect of reducing food waste and increasing the safety of high-consumption fresh foods, such as fruits and meat. She will study smart packaging and biodegradable films during the shelf life of food products to determine quality and safety indices and quantify waste associated with the value chain.