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Other EU Projects

Some projects have links to CORDIS, which is the European Commission database for EU financed projects.
You can find many EU projects from Horizon Europe and earlier, there.

Agroecology Project Pack

Agroecology: Transitioning toward sustainable, climate and ecosystem-friendly farming and food systems

Farming in Europe has been transformed over the last 70 years by policies, technologies and practices that sought to guarantee a stable supply of affordable food. But success has come at the cost of mounting environmental degradation. This CORDIS Results Pack highlights 11 EU-funded research projects that demonstrate the potential of more sustainable alternatives.

AE4EU

Agroecology for Europe

AE4EU is a three years project, that started in January 2021 and aims to enable a successful transition to agroecology through a strong development with ambitious and longer-term joint actions at the European level in research, innovation, networks, training and education.

agroBRIDGES

Building bridges between producers and consumers

Enable the implementation of new SFSCs business models that address producers, consumers, and agri-food industry needs. The project will empower farmers with practical knowledge and support to rebalance their market position through new and sustainable business models based on Short Food Supply Chains (SFSCs).

BIOFRUITNET

Boosting Innovation in ORGANIC FRUIT production through stronger networks

The BIOFRUITNET project has produced a multitude of materials with the aim of bringing scientific knowledge to growers and advisors, to help them improve the management of their organic fruit orchards and make them stronger to face the threats in the sector.

ALL-Ready

ALL-Ready The European Agroecology Living Lab and Research Infrastructure Network: Preparation phase

ALL-Ready aims to prepare a framework for a future European network of Living Labs (LL) and Research Infrastructures (IR) that will enable the transition towards agroecology throughout Europe.

BEATLES

Behavioural change towards climate-smart agriculture

BEATLES aspires to identify the individual, systemic and policy lock-ins and levers that influence entire food systems behavioural change and to develop transformation pathways of change to accelerate the systemic and systematic transition to climate-smart agriculture and smart farming technologies, fully aligned with the ambitions of the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies, and the new CAP at regional and EU levels.

BRESOV

Breeding for Resilient, Efficient and Sustainable Organic Vegetable production

BRESOV aims to tackle the nutritional challenges of a growing world population and changing climatic conditions by enhancing productivity of different vegetable crops in an organic and sustainable farming infrastructure.

Chorizo

Changing practices and Habits through Open, Responsible, and social Innovation towards ZerΟ fοod waste

CHORIZO is a project co-funded by Horizon Europe programme that aims to improve the understanding between social norms, consumer behaviours and economic...

Circles

Controlling mIcRobiomes CircuLations for bEtter food Systems

CIRCLES will provide the scientific knowledge to exploit natural microbiomes for the sustainable production of high-quality food, with the ultimate objective to deliver new and healthier food applications.

Cities 2030

Cities2030 fosters the participation of citizens via moving consumers from being passive recipients to active engagement and motivated change agents

The main goal of Cities2030 is to create a future-proof sustainable Urban food systems and ecosystems (CRFS) via a connected structure centered in the citizen, built on trust, with partners encompassing the entire CRFS value chain.

CITYFOOD

Feeding rapidly growing urban populations requires innovative solutions that ensure efficient water, energy, and nutrients management.

CITYFOOD investigates quasi-closed loop integrated aqua-agriculture (IAAC) systems to address this global challenge. IAAC systems produce fish and plants, while re-using the fish water as fertiliser in nearly emission-free facilities

Cleverfood

Connected Labs for Empowering Versatile Engagement in Radical Food system transformation

CLEVERFOOD will facilitate a society-wide mobilisation of European citizens, including children and youth, farmers, entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, educators, knowledge brokers and policy makers to transform the European food system in alignment with the EU Food 2030 Policy Framework, Farm to Fork Strategy and Fit for 55 Package.

Clickfood

Click... und satt

Professional app, website and software solutions for restaurants or delivery services to increase sales by reaching customers more effectively with an individual and customized app and website. It offers a customer support team to help with the implementation and use of the new service.

COACH

Collaborative Agri-food Chains: Driving Innovation in Territorial Food Systems and Improving Outcomes for Producers and Consumers

COACH is a 3-year EU funded project focusing on collaborative agri-food initiatives anchored in territorial food systems. The project aims to facilitate collaboration between farmers, consumers, local governments and other actors to scale up short agri-food chains...

CODECS

Maximising the CO-benefits of agricultural Digitalisation through conducive digital ECoSystems

CODECS will co-develop, together with farmers and AKIS actors, user-friendly approaches, methods, and tools able to document the co-benefits and the costs of technologies applied to real contexts.

CoDiet

Combatting diet-related non-communicable disease through enhanced surveillance

CoDiet is an international research project that aims to combat diet-related diseases through innovative monitoring technologies and personalised nutrition. Unhealthy diets are associated with changes in the body that increase our risk of common diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

COEVOLVERS

Coevolutionary approach to unlock the transformative potential of nature-based solutions for more inclusive and resilient communities

We are exploring how nature-based solutions (NBS) can contribute to the societal change needed to address the ongoing biodiversity and climate crisis. We are working on co-designing fair NBS governance techniques, models, and practices that are fair for humans (especially for vulnerable people) and non-humans.

CO-FRESH

Working together to create sustainable and competitive European value chains for fruit and vegetables, including high protein yields

Covering the entire spectrum from farm to fork, Europe’s agri-food systems are evolving and embracing more innovative approaches to increase productivity and sustainability. Therefore, redefining the agri-food value chains is key.

Contracts2.0

Co-design of novel contract models for innovative agri-environmental-climate measures and for valorisation of environmental public goods

The main objective of Contracts2.0 is to develop novel contract-based approaches to incentivise farmers for the increased provision of environmental public goods.

CORE Organic

Coordination of European Transnational Research in Organic Food and Farming Systems Cofund

CORE Organic is an ERA-NET - a network of European ministries and research councils funding research in organic food systems at national levels.

COREnet

Connecting advisors toward a European Network for consumer-producer chains

The EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy (F2F) and EU Green Deal look to SFSCs as an opportunity to rebuild a fairer, more resilient, sustainable and food-secure economy with family farming, small-scale food processing, agroecology and locally produced food for local markets.

STREFOWA

Strategies to Reduce Food Waste in Central Europe

Project aimed to develop new strategies to prevent food waste. The main objective of the project was to improve food waste management (prevention and utilisation) in selected cities in Central Europe and thereby contribute to the prevention of negative environmental impacts.

EUFIC

European Food Information Council/Food facts for healthy choices

EUFIC, is a consumer-oriented non-profit organisation, founded to make the science behind food and health more accessible and easier to understand among the public.

COACH

Collaborative Agri-food Chains: Driving Innovation in Territorial Food Systems and Improving Outcomes for Producers and Consumers

COACH is a 3-year EU funded project focusing on collaborative agri-food initiatives anchored in territorial food systems.

FEAST

Food systems that support transitions to hEalthy And Sustainable dieTs

FEAST aims to advance the state of the art by leveraging current best practice and co-designing novel solutions throughout Europe with food system stakeholders, including diverse vulnerable groups...

DIVERSIFOOD

Embedding crop diversity and networking for local high quality food systems

DIVERSIFOOD is an international project funded under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Programme. By integrating existing networks across Europe, the project will strengthen the “food culture” to achieve local high quality food systems.

ZEROW

Systemic Innovations Towards a Zero Food Waste Supply Chain

ZeroW is a €12 million EU project about systemic innovations for zero food waste, funded under the Green Deal call of the Horizon Programme 2020.

Strength2Food

Strengthening European Food Chain Sustainability by Quality and Procurement Policy

Strength2Food will identify and implement strategies for upscaling: creating new and expanding existing markets for quality food products and fostering the development of an ‘economy of quality’.

NextFood

Educating the next generation of professionals in the agrifood system

The aim of the Nextfood Toolbox is to support teaching practitioners in implementing action-based education. The Nextfood approach is a response to the need for education that enables us to deal with complex sustainability challenges.

Circles

Controlling mIcRobiomes CircuLations for bEtter food Systems

CIRCLES will provide the scientific knowledge to exploit natural microbiomes for the sustainable production of high-quality food, with the ultimate objective to deliver new and healthier food applications.

FoodChains4EU

Strengthening regional innovation policies to build sustainable food chains

FoodChains 4 Europe will focus on innovation that contributes to the environmental sustainability of the food chain whilst contributing to social sustainability through increased access to high quality food.

CLEVERFOOD

Connected Labs for Empowering Versatile Engagement in Radical Food system transformation

CLEVERFOOD will facilitate a society-wide mobilisation of European citizens, including children and youth, farmers, entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, educators, knowledge brokers and policy makers to transform the European food system in alignment with the EU Food 2030 Policy Framework, Farm to Fork Strategy and Fit for 55 Package.

SISTERS

Systemic Innovations for a SusTainable reduction of the EuRopean food waStage

The SISTERS project aims to reduce food loss and waste in the main stages of the Food Value Chain in Europe through innovations targeted to each stage of the chain...

LOWINFOOD

Multi-actor design of low-waste food value chains through the demonstration of innovative solutions to reduce food loss and waste

Efforts to tackle food waste are being and must be done at each stage of the food supply chain.

TITAN

Transparency solutions for transforming the food system

TITAN is an EU-funded project that will demonstrate the latest transparency-related solutions to help drive the formation of a demand-driven European economy predicted on the production and consumption of healthy, sustainable, and affordable food.

InnoFoodAfrica

Locally-driven co-development of plant-based value chains towards more sustainable African food system with healthier diets and export potential

InnoFoodAfrica will explore climate-smart African crops in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda.

Food Wave

Empowering Urban Youth for Climate Action

Food Wave is co-funded by the EU and promoted by the Municipality of Milan together with 29 partners across 17 countries.

DRIFT-FOOD

Advanced technologies for high quality, safe and sustainable regional food production

The first main aim of the project is to establish a state-of-the-art research centre of advanced technologies for high quality, safe and sustainable regional food production.

FOODPathS

Co-creating the prototype 'Sustainable FOOD Systems PArTnersHip'

FOODPathS is a project that aims to offer a concrete pathway and necessary tools for establishing an appropriate operational environment for the future European Partnership for Sustainable Food Systems (SFS) for People, Planet & Climate.

Life Foster

Training, education and communication to reduce food waste in the food service industry

Co-financed by the EU Commission LIFE Programme and led by the Italian network for VET, ENAIP NET, the LIFE FOSTER project aims at reducing waste in the restaurant industry.

HoloFood

Holistic solution to improve animal food production through deconstructing the biomolecular interactions between feed, gut microorganisms and animals in relation to performance parameters/Hologenomics for sustainable food production

HoloFood was a 'hologenomic' approach that helped to improve the efficiency of food production systems by understanding the biomolecular and physiological processes affected by incorporating feed additives and novel sustainable feeds in farmed animals.

ECO

Empowering consumer organisations to tackle dual food quality

The ECO project aims at limiting dual quality practices in food and strengthening consumer organisations in the EU and intends to strengthen the capacity of consumer organizations to test food products for dual quality...

Enough

European food chain supply to reduce GHG emissions by 2050

The ENOUGH project has set objectives to address and reduce the emissions of the food sector. Food systems are globally responsible for between 20 to 40 % of total greenhouse gas emissions.

TCC Food Safety Project

Online Platform on EU Food Safety

The project strives to support faster social and institutional development of the Turkish Cypriot community (TCc) and higher economic growth of its agri-food chain sector.

European Food Banks federation

To contribute to reducing food insecurity mainly through the prevention of food loss and the support and development of Food Banks in countries where they are most needed.

The European Food Banks Federation (FEBA) works in collaboration with 24 Full Members and 6 Associate Members in 30 European countries.

Fairfood

FAIRFOOD for a smart life

The purpose of FairFood for a Smart Life project is to contribute to the improvement of health through a nutritional education inspired by the way our ancestors ate, with natural products, typical of the territory, treated in a simple way and consumed in its season...

SWEET

Sweeteners and sweetness enhancers: Impact on health, obesity, safety and sustainability

SWEET, a European Commission Horizon 2020 funded project, is supported by a consortium of 29 pan-European research, consumer and industry partners, who will develop and review evidence on long term benefits and potential risks...

Chorizo

Changing practices and Habits through Open, Responsible, and social Innovation towards ZerΟ fοod waste

CHORIZO is a project co-funded by Horizon Europe programme that aims to improve the understanding between social norms, consumer behaviours and economic...

CITYFOOD

Feeding rapidly growing urban populations requires innovative solutions that ensure efficient water, energy, and nutrients management.

CITYFOOD investigates quasi-closed loop integrated aqua-agriculture (IAAC) systems to address this global challenge.IAAC systems produce fish and plants, while re-using the fish water as fertiliser in nearly emission-free facilities.

URBACT

Food and sustainable local systems

The URBACT Knowledge Hub brings together good practices from across the EU, with the latest urban trends, to fill the gaps and make sure that the learning is within everyone's reach. URBACT has supported many working on topics linked to sustainable food and urban agriculture and pulled together their insights to help others take action –some good food for thought!

PLANEAT

Food systems transformation towards healthy and sustainable dietary behaviour

PLAN’EAT is an applied research project that aims to:
– better understand how environmental, social, cultural and individual factors affect people’s food choices
– co-design interventions to effectively reverse trends in dietary behaviour

Clickfood

A provider of high-quality systems for Restaurants & Entertainment

Professional app, website and software solutions for restaurants or delivery services to increase sales by reaching customers more effectively with an individual and customized app and website.

Plant Health Project Pack

Plant health: Keeping plants healthy while protecting the environment

Plants are at the centre of life itself. They are a primary source of food for us, as well as for the animals we eat. They help regulate the climate and are a part of the natural environment in which we live

Agroecology Project Pack

Agroecology: Transitioning toward sustainable, climate and ecosystem-friendly farming and food systems

Farming in Europe has been transformed over the last 70 years by policies, technologies and practices that sought to guarantee a stable supply of affordable food.

Legumes translated

Translating knowledge for legume-based farming for feed and food systems

Supporting the production and use of grain legumes. Research is providing the data needed to help Europe transition towards more sustainable plant protein production.

FoodSafety4EU

FOODSAFETY4EU - multi-stakeholder platform for food safety in Europe

FoodSafety4EU is a collaborative action to support the European Commission (EC) in shaping the Food Safety System of the future. During 3 years life, the project is delivering solutions to support the EC in its endeavour in aligning research, policy and innovation with the societal needs and perspectives and improving food safety across Europe.

BIOFRUITNET

Boosting Innovation in ORGANIC FRUIT production through stronger networks

The BIOFRUITNET project has produced a multitude of materials with the aim of bringing scientific knowledge to growers and advisors, to help them improve...

BRESOV

Breeding for Resilient, Efficient and Sustainable Organic Vegetable production

BRESOV aims to tackle the nutritional challenges of a growing world population and changing climatic conditions by enhancing productivity of different vegetable crops in an organic and sustainable farming infrastructure.

COSOLE

CONtract SOLutions for Effective and lasting delivery of agri-environmental-climate public goods by EU agriculture and forestry

CONSOLE project, focuses on promoting the delivery of Agri-Environmental Climate Public Goods (AECPGs) by agriculture and forestry through...

Contracts2.0

Co-design of novel contract models for innovative agri-environmental-climate measures and for valorisation of environmental public goods

The main objective of Contracts2.0 is to develop novel contract-based approaches to incentivise farmers for the increased provision of environmental public goods.

CORE Organic

Coordination of European Transnational Research in Organic Food and Farming Systems Cofund

CORE Organic is an ERA-NET - a network of European ministries and research councils funding research in organic food systems at national levels.

DiverIMPACTS

Diversification through Rotation, Intercropping, Multiple cropping, Promoted with Actors and value-Chains Towards Sustainability

The overall goal of DiverIMPACTS - Diversification through Rotation, Intercropping, Multiple Cropping, Promoted with Actors and value-Chains towards Sustainability...

EUCLEG

Breeding forage and grain legumes to increase EU's and China's protein self-sufficiency

EUCLEG aimed at providing tools and knowledge to improve the genetic progress in five major legume species: two forages, alfalfa and red clover...

RELACS

Replacement of Contentious Inputs in organic farming Systems

RELACS will foster the development and facilitate the adoption of cost-efficient and environmentally safe tools and technologies...

ALL-Ready

The European Agroecology Living Lab and Research Infrastructure Network: Preparation phase

ALL-Ready aims to prepare a framework for a future European network of Living Labs (LL) and Research Infrastructures (IR) that will enable the transition towards...

ECOBREED

Increasing the efficiency and competitiveness of organic crop breeding

ECOBREED will improve the availability of seed and varieties suitable for organic and low- input production.

VALPRO Path

New VALue landscapes for plant PROtein Pathways

As the European Union heavily depends on imported plant protein for food and livestock feed, the VALPRO Path project recognizes the urgency to build a self-sustainable Europe. With a focus on harnessing plant protein production, this transformative initiative aims to facilitate a seamless transition from traditional practices to innovative approaches.

SOLO

Soils for Europe

SOLO identifies current knowledge gaps, drivers, bottlenecks, and novel research and innovation approaches to be considered in the European Soil Mission research and innovation roadmap. The project aims to create a knowledge hub for...

Tools4CAP

Innovative Toolbox empowering effective CAP governance towards EU ambitions

Tools4CAP is a Coordination and Support Action in Horizon Europe (2023-2026). The project aims to support the design and monitoring of the national Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plans...

K4P

Knowledge for Policy / We mobilise people and resources to create, curate, make sense of and use knowledge to inform policymaking across Europe

The EU Commission's Knowledge4Policy (K4P) platform supports evidence-based policymaking...

VALUMICS

Food Systems Dynamics

The overall objective of the VALUMICS project is to provide decision makers throughout food value chains with a comprehensive suite of approaches and tools that will enable them to evaluate the impact of strategic and operational policies to enhance the resilience, integrity and sustainability of food value chains for European countries.

TheFSM

The Food Safety Market: an SME-powered industrial data platform to boost the competitiveness of European food certification

The FSM aims to deliver an industrial data platform that will significantly boost the way that food certification takes place in Europe.

FoodSafeR

A joined-up approach to the identification, assessment and management of emerging food safety hazards and associated risks

The European Commission funded FoodSafeR project was launched in October 2022 and over the next 4 years will focus on the advancement...

DRG4Food

Empowering a fair and responsible European FoodRegister, fostering citizen sovereignty and creating a data-driven food system

DRG4FOOD is an EU project about achieving trust in a data-driven food system by implementing Digital Responsibility Goals (DRGs) for the food sector.

AE4EU

Agroecology for Europe

AE4EU is a three years project, that started in January 2021 and aims to enable a successful transition to agroecology through a strong development with ambitious and longer-term joint actions at the European level in research, innovation, networks, training and education.

EMPHASIS-PREP

Preparation for EMPHASIS: European Infrastructure for multi-scale Plant Phenomics and Simulation for food security in a changing climate

Sustainable food security and increased plant biomass availability pose a critical challenge in the coming decades.

FutureFoodS Partnership

European partnership for a sustainable Future of Food Systems

The Commission joins forces with 84 partners from 29 countries through the FutureFoodS Partnership to accelerate food systems transformation. The inaugural meeting of the FutureFoodS Partnership was held in Dijon on 19 June 2024.

FORENV

EU Foresight System for the Environment

FORENV is a collaborative process, implemented by members of the EKC, with the overall aim: To identify, characterise and assess emerging issues that may represent risks or opportunities to Europe’s environment, and to communicate these results to policy-makers and other stakeholders, encouraging appropriate and timely action to be taken.

agroBRIDGES

Building bridges between producers and consumers

Enable the implementation of new SFSCs business models that address producers, consumers, and agri-food industry needs. The project will empower farmers with practical knowledge and support to rebalance their market position through new and sustainable business models based on Short Food Supply Chains (SFSCs).

BEATLES

Behavioural change towards climate-smart agriculture

BEATLES aspires to identify the individual, systemic and policy lock-ins and levers that influence entire food systems behavioural change and to develop transformation pathways of change to accelerate the systemic and systematic transition to climate-smart agriculture and smart farming technologies, fully aligned with the ambitions of the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies, and the new CAP at regional and EU levels.

CO-FRESH

Working together to create sustainable and competitive European value chains for fruit and vegetables, including high protein yields

Covering the entire spectrum from farm to fork, Europe’s agri-food systems are evolving and embracing more innovative approaches to increase productivity and sustainability.

CODECS

Maximising the CO-benefits of agricultural Digitalisation through conducive digital ECoSystems

CODECS will co-develop, together with farmers and AKIS actors, user-friendly approaches, methods, and tools able to document the co-benefits and the costs of technologies applied to real contexts. In this way, it will improve the collective capacity to understand, assess and foresee the full range of benefits and costs of farm digitalisation, and to build digital ecosystems that maximise the net benefits of digitalisation.

CoDiet

Combatting diet-related non-communicable disease through enhanced surveillance

CoDiet is an international research project that aims to combat diet-related diseases through innovative monitoring technologies and personalised nutrition. Unhealthy diets are associated with changes in the body that increase our risk of common diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

COEVOLVERS

Coevolutionary approach to unlock the transformative potential of nature-based solutions for more inclusive and resilient communities

We are exploring how nature-based solutions (NBS) can contribute to the societal change needed to address the ongoing biodiversity and climate crisis. We are working on co-designing fair NBS governance techniques, models, and practices that are fair for humans (especially for vulnerable people) and non-humans.

COREnet

Connecting advisors toward a European Network for consumer-producer chains

The EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy (F2F) and EU Green Deal look to SFSCs as an opportunity to rebuild a fairer, more resilient, sustainable and food-secure economy with family farming, small-scale food processing, agroecology and locally produced food for local markets. The Covid-19 pandemic prompted interest in developing new SFSC models based on IT-enabled solutions, social solidarity and a sharing economy in line with the ambitions of the F2F Strategy.

CULTIVATE

Co-designing food sharing innovation for resilience

In a world experiencing continuous and unexpected changes, urban and peri-urban (UPU) food systems are replete with inequities and inequalities that make them fragile and vulnerable to shocks. An urgent transition towards more just and sustainable food systems is required.
Many FSIs (Food Sharing Initiatives) already contribute towards this transition yet their activities are often hampered by complex, fragmented food governance, uncertain finance, and insecure tenure.

Data4Food

Pathways towards a fair, inclusive and innovative Data Economy for sustainable food systems

Data4Food2030 aims to improve the data economy for food systems by expanding its definition, mapping its development, performance and impact to create new insights and opportunities.
The project wants to specify the relevant concepts for ‘Data Economy’ in the agrifood sector and develop a tool to monitor the progress in developing data economy. The concepts and tools will be validated in 9 cases focused on data sharing in the value chain and network.

DigitAF

Digital tools to boost agroforestry

Combining trees with crops or livestock on the same land has the potential to mitigate climate change. As a resilient agricultural practice, agroforestry (AF) can sequester carbon, preserve biodiversity and contribute to food security by diversifying agricultural production. The EU-funded DIGITAF project will promote AF systems. Specifically, it will co-develop digital tools tailored to the needs and concerns of AF target groups, including policy actors, practitioners and actors involved in the AF value chain.

DOMINO

Harnessing the potential of fermentation for healthy and sustainable foods

DOMINO is a Horizon Europe funded research project aiming to attribute health benefits to traditional fermented foods, and to develop novel plant-based fermented foods which address the changing societal demands for healthier and more sustainable nourishment.
The project will last 5 years (2023-2028) and gathers 19 partners from 10 countries, in a collaboration between top universities and research centres, as well as expert non-profit organisations and the private sector.

ECO-READY

Achieving Ecological Resilient Dynamism for the European food system through consumer-driven policies, socio-ecological challenges, biodiversity, data-driven policy, sustainable futures

The ECO-READY project will develop a real-time surveillance system, an Observatory offered as an e-platform and as a mobile application. This will function as the necessary singular source of information, provide real-time assessments for the food system, and update forecasts frequently and consistently.

EdiCitNet

Edible Cities Network Integrating Edible City Solutions for social resilient and sustainably productive cities

The systemic use of urban landscapes for food production is a major step towards more sustainable, liveable and healthier cities. A multitude of initiatives around the World, however fragmented, are prospering, forming a global movement of Edible Cities.

ENFASYS

ENcouraging Farmers towards sustainable farming SYstems through policy and business Strategies

Today’s farmers find it difficult to deal with the several lock-ins within food systems that keep them from transitioning to sustainable farming systems. Policies, together with business models and social innovations, need to be strengthened to overcome lock-in challenges.

FAIRCHAIN

Innovative technological, organisational and social solutions for FAIRer dairy and fruit and vegetable value CHAINs

The EU-funded FAIRCHAIN project addresses the growing need for a significant transformation of current food systems by developing competitive intermediate food chain alternatives adapted to small and mid-sized actors.

FER-PLAY

Multi-assessment of alternative fertilisers for promoting local sustainable value chains and clean ecosystems / Circular fertilisers for healthy soils

FER-PLAY is a comprehensive approach to gather, harmonise, select and complement the knowledge on alternative fertiliser value chains and diffuse it to promote the wide-scale production and application of alternative fertilisers...

FLORA

Sustainable and healthy food solutions: system dynamics and trade-offs

Food systems are crucial to end hunger, but also to mitigate and adapt to climate change, to protect and restore biodiversity, to ensure human health and well-being, to end poverty, and to support sustainable communities. While hunger has receded, food systems are causing increasingly severe damage to our environment and health.

FNS-CLOUD

Food Nutrition Security Cloud

Food and nutrition security (FNS) is about ensuring that everybody can access sufficient, affordable and nutritious food. A big challenge that Europe faces is that a vast amount of FNS resources is fragmented. The main aim of the EU-funded FNS-Cloud project is to overcome fragmentation by federating FNS data on diet, health, and consumer behaviour as well as sustainable agriculture and the bio-economy.

FOLOU

Bringing knowledge and consensus to prevent and reduce Food Loss at the primary production stage. Understanding, measuring, training and adopting

The EU-funded FOLOU project aims to challenge the issue of food loss (FL) in primary production. It will set a forceful, coherent multidisciplinary approach to set up a mechanism allowing a change based on monitoring and measuring.

FoodCLIC

Integrated urban FOOD policies – developing sustainability Co-benefits, spatial Linkages, social Inclusion and sectoral Connections to transform food systems in city-regions / Connecting people food policy places

The EU-funded FoodCLIC project will create more sustainable urban food environments by building strong science–policy–practice interfaces...

FOODCoST

FOOD Costing and Internalisation of Externalities for System Transition / Redefining the value of food

FOODCoST aims to support the transition towards sustainable food systems by proposing a harmonising methodology to calculate externalities in climate, biodiversity, environmental, social and health along the food value chain.

FOODITY

FOod and nutritiOn Data-driven innovation respectful of citizen's Data SovereIgnTY / FOODITY puts the control of your food and nutrition data in your hands

FOODITY is an impact-driven project funded under the Horizon Europe programme involving 7 partners from 7 countries.

GenB

Informing and educating young people on more sustainable behaviours and choices to build a future Generation informed and interested in Bioeconomy / Young biovoices for a sustainable future

The EU-funded GenB project will involve several other EU projects and initiatives.

GIANT LEAPS

Gap resolutIon in sAfety, NuTritional, alLergenicity and Environmental assessments to promote Alternative Protein utilization and the dietary Shift / Reshaping nutrition across Europe

The EU-funded GIANT LEAPS project seeks to accelerate this dietary shift, which is in line with the farm-to-fork strategy and contributes to the EU Green Deal target that aims to improve the well-being and health of citizens...

GOLF

Integration of Global and Local Agri-Food Supply Chains towards Sustainable Food Security

The EC-Asia Research Network on Integration of Global and Local Agri-Food Supply Chains Towards Sustainable Food Security (GOLF) combines world-leading research, in cooperation with agri-food, logistics and retail stakeholders, to ensure secure sustainable, resilient and healthy food supplies for all.

HealthFerm

Innovative pulse and cereal-based food fermentations for human health and sustainable diets

HealthFerm is a European research project investigating innovative pulse and cereal-based food fermentations together with the health effects and consumer perception of novel fermented foods.

Hungry EcoCities

AI enabled artistic solutions for sustainable food systems / Towards a more healthy, sustainable, responsible and affordable agri-food system enabled by AI

Hungry EcoCities aims at exploring one of the most pressing challenges of our times: the need for a more healthy, sustainable, responsible, and affordable agri-food system for all.

InBestSoil

A closer look at investment in soil health

Europe’s soil is being irreversibly lost and degraded mainly due to natural factors such as climate change and human activities such as agriculture. While an investment in soils is necessary, soils can take decades to recover.

INCiTiS-FOOD

Integrated and Circular Technologies for Sustainable city region FOOD systems in Africa / African food innovations: partnering for a sustainable future

Started in January 2023, the EU-funded project INCiTiS-FOOD will focus on sustainable agri-food practices. It will address the pressing challenges of food and nutritional security, environmental pressures of food production, and the topic of environmental justice in several African countries, like Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, and Gabon.

LESTRA

Transactional investigations of learning in view of sustainability transitions

As sustainability challenges such as climate change represent ever-present dangers to all of us, we must find and implement fruitful pathways towards a more sustainable society.

PIMENTO

Promoting Innovation of ferMENTed fOods

Present in all European diets, fermented foods (FF) hold a strategic place due to the benefits they offer in terms of nutrition, sustainability, innovation, cultural heritage and consumer interest.

RESPONSE

Response - to society and policy needs through plant, food and energy sciences

The RESPONSE Doctoral Programme (DP) «RESPONSE – to society and policy needs through plant, food and energy sciences» is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No 847585.

RURALITIES

Climate smart, ecosystem-enhancing and knowledge-based rural expertise and training centres

RURALITIES aims at playing a structural role in contributing to the current Africa-EU partnership, which is designed to build on this historical relationship, and to create a framework for deeper dialogues between the two regions in a vast panoply of fields, such as rural development.

SecureFood

An integrated approach to enhance food systems resilience, advocating for food security and uninterrupted food supply / Taking a bite out of food insecurity

Rising global food insecurity is a significant threat, exacerbated by complex challenges in the intricate web of food systems.

ShapingBio

Shaping the future bioeconomy across sectoral, governmental and geographical levels

ShapingBio will promote innovation in the European bioeconomy across sectoral, governmental and geographical levels by providing evidence-based information and recommendations for better policy alignment as well as supporting and integrating stakeholders in the bio-based sectors.

Smart Protein

The next generation of smart protein food

Smart Protein is a €10 million, EU-funded project that seeks to develop the next generation of foods which are cost effective, resource efficient, and nutritious.

SWITCH

Switching European food systems for a just, healthy and sustainable dietary transition through knowledge and innovation

The transition to sustainable, safe, healthy and inclusive food systems is a key priority for EU policies, in line with UN sustainable development goals (SDGs).

TrustEat

Building a trusty future food system by using blockchain tech

Food safety risks occur along the food chain from a number of biological and chemical contaminants.

TRUSTyFOOD

Providing future scenarios and a roadmap for a wide agri-food blockchain implementation

The project’s main goal is to learn from existing experiences, understanding why communities (users) accept or reject blockchain-based projects, the mistakes made by others so as not to repeat them, the best and most innovative practices in blockchain development in different sectors to shape different possible futures for blockchain applications in the agrifood domain.

URBAG

Integrated System Analysis of Urban Vegetation and Agriculture

Urban and peri-urban agriculture is currently experiencing rapid growth. This covers a variety of forms, such as vertical farming, greenhouse rooftops, local foodsheds, which together with green spaces like parks and green roofs, are referred to as green infrastructure.

VISIONARY

Food Provision through Sustainable Farming Systems and Value Chains / making Europe’s food provision more sustainable

VISIONARY is a network of scientists, NGOs, and practitioners spread across Europe who have come together to steer Europe’s food system toward a more sustainable future.

WASTELESS

Waste Quantification Solutions to Limit Environmental Stress

The WASTELESS project will develop and test a mix of innovative tools and methodologies for Food Loss and Waste (FLW) measurement and monitoring, will recommend a harmonised methodological Framework for FLW quantification, and will develop a decision support systemic Toolbox targeting all food value chain stakeholders. Additionally, WASTELESS will carry on research activities concerning innovative processes and streams to valorise unavoidable FLW.

EU4ADVICE

The Network of Advisors in Short Food Supply Chains across Europe

The main objective of EU4Advice project is to settle the foundations and structures required to ensure effective capacity building of Short Food Supply Chains (SFSC) actors through fluent knowledge transfer.

SCAR

Standing Committee on Agricultural Research

The Green Deal has put Europe in a favourable position to be a ground breaker in the transition to sustainable agriculture, forestry, and food systems. European research and innovation (R&I) in these areas play a key role in accelerating the European Green Deal agenda.

RefrSCAR

Improved coordination of national and European bioeconomy research and innovation programmes in the ERA through strengthened SCAR Working Groups

The European Research Area (ERA) aims to build a common scientific and technological area for the EU.

FLABEL

Food labelling to advance better education for life

The work in FLABEL has been structured by a model of labelling effects. If label information is indeed available on food products, any effect on food choice is contingent on that consumers pay attention to the label and that they understand the label information.

SPICED

Securing the spices and herbs commodity chains in Europe against deliberate, accidental or natural biological and chemical contamination

SPICED principles: • Natural, accidental or intentional contaminations within the food chain are realistic events and have to be considered together, not individually...

Foodscale hub

Impact Venture Studio driving tech-enabled innovations in the agrifood sector

At Foodscale Hub we believe that by choosing the food we eat today, we decide what our world will look like in the future. Our commitment to building and improving scalable solutions, as well as creating disruptive business models that reshape the agrifood sector and have a positive impact on society is the essence of who we are.

EuBioNet

The European Bioeconomy Network

The European Bioeconomy Network (EuBioNet) is a proactive alliance of 160 EU funded projects and initiatives dealing with Bioeconomy promotion, communication and support. The main goal is to maximise the efforts, increasing the knowledge sharing, networking, mutual learning, coordination of joint activities and events.

Agroecology Project Pack

Agroecology: Transitioning toward sustainable, climate and ecosystem-friendly farming and food systems

Farming in Europe has been transformed over the last 70 years by policies, technologies and practices that sought to guarantee a stable supply of affordable food. But success has come at the cost of mounting environmental degradation. This CORDIS Results Pack highlights 11 EU-funded research projects that demonstrate the potential of more sustainable alternatives.
A holistic approach that supports sustainable agricultural production while maintaining robust stewardship of the environment, agroecology works with nature and ecosystem services, increasing the resilience and diversity of farms, and that holds the potential to drive a full transformation of farming and food systems.
Agroecology has implications for a span of agricultural practices, from breeds and varieties used, to soil management practices and crop diversification strategies, integration in value chains, and business models that can sustain locally adapted practices and provide greater market opportunities for farmers and consumers. Examples of farming practices implementing agroecological principles are organic farming, agroforestry and mixed farming.
Agroecology has the potential to become a fundamental tool for the EU in its effort to promote a sustainable farming sector that respects planetary boundaries and is able to respond to changing needs of society both in terms of sustainable and healthy diets and with regard to the environmental and climate issues related to primary production.
Research and innovation in this area is opening up new opportunities in farming systems, making it possible to use ecosystem services to benefit sustainable and resilient land use systems without jeopardising profitability of the farming activity.
Agroecology has been identified as a practice that can be supported through the eco-schemes under the first pillar of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). It has also been singled out as one of the sustainable farming practices that can help achieve the targets of the EU Green Deal and its related Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies. Under Horizon 2020, the EU has funded several research projects dedicated to advancing agroecological research. These projects are contributing to an increased understanding of the practical implementation of ecological and low-input farming practices, along with their environmental, climate and social benefits.

AE4EU

Agroecology for Europe

AE4EU is a three years project, that started in January 2021 and aims to enable a successful transition to agroecology through a strong development with ambitious and longer-term joint actions at the European level in research, innovation, networks, training and education.
Thanks to a European network and the involvement of different actors from diverse horizons and sectors, the project will analyse agroecology through its different pillars: as a science, a set of practices, and a social movement.

agroBRIDGES

Building bridges between producers and consumers

Enable the implementation of new SFSCs business models that address producers, consumers, and agri-food industry needs. The project will empower farmers with practical knowledge and support to rebalance their market position through new and sustainable business models based on Short Food Supply Chains (SFSCs).
The outputs of the project are: A multi-actor framework pursuing demand-driven innovation in 12 countries/regions.
A combination of communication materials, training programs, events organisation and IT tools gathered in the agroBRIDGES.
Toolbox as the ultimate instrument that will provide practical support to producers, consumers, contracting authorities, distributors, etc. improving farmers position in the value chain.
EU roll-out, replication and training.

BIOFRUITNET

Boosting Innovation in ORGANIC FRUIT production through stronger networks

The BIOFRUITNET project has produced a multitude of materials with the aim of bringing scientific knowledge to growers and advisors, to help them improve the management of their organic fruit orchards and make them stronger to face the threats in the sector.

ALL-Ready

ALL-Ready The European Agroecology Living Lab and Research Infrastructure Network: Preparation phase

ALL-Ready aims to prepare a framework for a future European network of Living Labs (LL) and Research Infrastructures (IR) that will enable the transition towards agroecology throughout Europe. Based on the premise that agroecology can strengthen the sustainability and resilience of farming systems, the project will contribute to addressing the multiple challenges that they are facing today including climate change, loss of biodiversity, dwindling resources, degradation of soil and water quality. It is a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) funded by the European Commission (EC).

BEATLES

Behavioural change towards climate-smart agriculture

BEATLES aspires to identify the individual, systemic and policy lock-ins and levers that influence entire food systems behavioural change and to develop transformation pathways of change to accelerate the systemic and systematic transition to climate-smart agriculture and smart farming technologies, fully aligned with the ambitions of the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies, and the new CAP at regional and EU levels.
The project’s activities include:
Investigate the full range of individual, systemic and policy factors that affect farmers’ transition to climate-smart agriculture (CSA).
Set up 5 Use Cases to account for the diversity of farming systems (wheat, apples, dairy, pigs and potatoes and onions) and EU regions (Lithuania, Spain, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands) Conduct behavioural experiments in the context of 5 Use Cases to identify effective behavioural interventions for the shift to CSA.
Assess the overall sustainability, environmental and socioeconomic impact of the proposed behavioural interventions Develop fair business strategies for the transition to sustainable, productive, climate-smart agriculture.
Formulate policy recommendations and innovative policy tools to foster large-scale and long-term behavioural shifts.

BRESOV

Breeding for Resilient, Efficient and Sustainable Organic Vegetable production

BRESOV aims to tackle the nutritional challenges of a growing world population and changing climatic conditions by enhancing productivity of different vegetable crops in an organic and sustainable farming infrastructure. BRESOV works on broccoli, snap bean and tomato as those staple vegetable crops have significant roles in meeting our global food and nutritional security goal, and under organic conditions can contribute to storing carbon and introducing nitrogen improving organic soil quality.

Chorizo

Changing practices and Habits through Open, Responsible, and social Innovation towards ZerΟ fοod waste

CHORIZO is a project co-funded by Horizon Europe programme that aims to improve the understanding between social norms, consumer behaviours and economic actor decisions and FLW generation and use this knowledge to improve the effectiveness of decision-making and engagement of food chain actors, towards zero food waste.
The project´s main goal is to address existing research gaps and will use its outcomes to deliver and advance innovations helping actors to engage more effectively in food waste prevention and reduction activities.

Circles

Controlling mIcRobiomes CircuLations for bEtter food Systems

CIRCLES will provide the scientific knowledge to exploit natural microbiomes for the sustainable production of high-quality food, with the ultimate objective to deliver new and healthier food applications. CIRCLES will explore microbiome interactions and circulations across 6 food chains: spinach, tomatoes, poultry, swine, farmed & wild salmon, and farmed & wild seabream.
During the project, both European citizens and workers in these food chains will be informed and engaged, as to better understand the interlink between microbiomes, healthy and sustainable food and working environment.

Cities 2030

Cities2030 fosters the participation of citizens via moving consumers from being passive recipients to active engagement and motivated change agents

The main goal of Cities2030 is to create a future-proof sustainable Urban food systems and ecosystems (CRFS) via a connected structure centered in the citizen, built on trust, with partners encompassing the entire CRFS value chain.
Cities2030 result-oriented consortium commits to working towards the transformation and restructuring of the way systems produce, transport and supply, recycle and reuse food in the 21st century. Cities2030 vision is to connect short food supply chains, gathering consumers, strategic and complement industry partners, the civil society, promising start-ups and enterprises, innovators and visionary thinkers, leading universities and research across the vast diversity of disciplines addressing CRFS, including food science, social science, and big data.

CITYFOOD

Feeding rapidly growing urban populations requires innovative solutions that ensure efficient water, energy, and nutrients management.

IAAC systems produce fish and plants, while re-using the fish water as fertiliser in nearly emission-free facilities. CITYFOOD will develop strategies to further the popularity and application of this space and resource friendly food production system in urban areas.
The multidisciplinary project team will involve city planners, urban farmers, scientists, entrepreneurs, community leaders, and engaged citizens to reach its goals.

CLEVERFOOD

Connected Labs for Empowering Versatile Engagement in Radical Food system transformation

CLEVERFOOD will facilitate a society-wide mobilisation of European citizens, including children and youth, farmers, entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, educators, knowledge brokers and policy makers to transform the European food system in alignment with the EU Food 2030 Policy Framework, Farm to Fork Strategy and Fit for 55 Package.
By providing targeted support for ongoing and emerging projects, partnerships and networks, implementing a pan-European Food 2030 multi-actor and public engagement mechanism and operationalizing an interlinked multi-level structure of connected Policy Labs and Living Labs, CLEVERFOOD will pave the way for a more regenerative, resilient and plant-based food system.

Clickfood

Click... und satt

Professional app, website and software solutions for restaurants or delivery services to increase sales by reaching customers more effectively with an individual and customized app and website. It offers a customer support team to help with the implementation and use of the new service.
"Engage your customers with your own personalised and customised app and website. With the Clickfood modules, you can offer your customers a completely new experience in online catering and are right in line with the marketing trend."

COACH

Collaborative Agri-food Chains: Driving Innovation in Territorial Food Systems and Improving Outcomes for Producers and Consumers

COACH is a 3-year EU funded project focusing on collaborative agri-food initiatives anchored in territorial food systems.
The project aims to facilitate collaboration between farmers, consumers, local governments and other actors to scale up short agri-food chains which rebalance farmers’ position, create win-wins for producers and consumers and drive innovation in territorial food systems. The project began on 1st November 2020.
COACH will help coordinate strategies and disseminate good practices on how to strengthen territorial food systems and collaborative agri-food chains based on three building blocks: short food supply chains, civic food networks and sustainable public sector food procurement.

CODECS

Maximising the CO-benefits of agricultural Digitalisation through conducive digital ECoSystems

CODECS will co-develop, together with farmers and AKIS actors, user-friendly approaches, methods, and tools able to document the co-benefits and the costs of technologies applied to real contexts. In this way, it will improve the collective capacity to understand, assess and foresee the full range of benefits and costs of farm digitalisation, and to build digital ecosystems that maximise the net benefits of digitalisation.
CODECS will develop a vision of “sustainable digitalization” which will contribute to a multi-level transition that links social, economic, and ecological aspects together, by adopting an innovative system based / actor centred approach, and an action research methodology based on coordination of 21 Living Labs through interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary teams.
The research will study the role of ‘digital ecosystems’ in the rate of uptake of digital technologies and in the distribution of their costs and benefits; will develop and test three indicators (farmers’ digital readiness, scaling readiness, digital ecosystem conduciveness) to monitor the level of digitalisation and foresee its potential costs and benefits. It will assess and compare the full range of social, economic, and environmental costs and benefits of farm digitalisation, identifying synergies and trade-offs between different sources of costs and benefits; it will test and demonstrate digital technologies in 21 Living Labs through in physical and virtual demonstration.
The CODECS platform will host search, demonstration, and assessment tools. CODECS has a strong commitment to get an impact in the AKIS domain and in the policy field, which will be put into practice through a dedicated work package on policy analysis and policy tools a set of policy briefs and webinars and an engagement strategy at local, national, European level through Living Labs, a science-policy interface, an AKIS network and a demofarm network.

CoDiet

Combatting diet-related non-communicable disease through enhanced surveillance

CoDiet is an international research project that aims to combat diet-related diseases through innovative monitoring technologies and personalised nutrition. Unhealthy diets are associated with changes in the body that increase our risk of common diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and obesity. These diseases are also known as non-communicable diseases i.e. diseases that can’t be transmitted from person to person.
According to the World Health Organisation, non-communicable diseases kill 41 million people each year, equivalent to 74% of all deaths globally.
However, little is known about the actual steps that link what we eat to the development of non-communicable diseases, and the current tools used to collect dietary information rely on self-reporting, such as through food journals, which can be inaccurate and unreliable.
Importantly, there is also a lack of data relating to vulnerable groups, such as those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, where NCDs are often over-represented.
Led by AZTI, a research centre based in the Basque County, Spain, the EU-funded CoDiet project plans to address these gaps in our knowledge and develop new ways to personalise dietary advice and help society to become healthier.
We aim to create the most comprehensive overview of the relationships between diet, bodily processes, and non-communicable diseases ever produced.
We will test an intelligent, wearable camera that can be worn on the ear to passively record what the wearer eats, and use AI to automatically recognise food types and estimate portion sizes.
CoDiet plans on combining the information we gather from existing research, the information we get from new ways to monitor diets, as well as other information that often isn’t considered, such as genetics, metabolism, and gut bacteria, to improve our understanding of this pathway and discover new indicators of disease risk. The project will also use AI to help us analyse this information and to connect the dots that humans usually wouldn’t be able to find.
By using the information gathered throughout the project we will develop an AI tool that can deliver personalised dietary advice based on a person’s genetics, blood profile, gut bacteria and more.
We plan to trial this tool across four of our partner countries: Spain, Ireland, the UK, and Greece.
CoDiet is assessing the current policies in place that are aimed at improving diets in six EU countries, and creating a tool that can simulate how diet and other risk factors affect the development of diseases at a population level. This will allow us to estimate the impact of potential policies for particular countries.
Through Codiet, we are building evidence around what policies would be best to help society to become healthier and lower the burden of non-communicable diseases.

COEVOLVERS

Coevolutionary approach to unlock the transformative potential of nature-based solutions for more inclusive and resilient communities

We are exploring how nature-based solutions (NBS) can contribute to the societal change needed to address the ongoing biodiversity and climate crisis. We are working on co-designing fair NBS governance techniques, models, and practices that are fair for humans (especially for vulnerable people) and non-humans.
The activities consist of co-creation of Nature-based Solutions in seven Living Labs. We are working with seven communities in eight European countries on new practices and models for nature-based solutions that can help local, vulnerable communities adapt sustainably and resiliently to social and environmental change.
The 7 labs are in: Tartu, Estonia; Catalonia, Spain; Turku, Finland; Hungary; Scotland; Sardinia, Italy; Beskydy.

CO-FRESH

Working together to create sustainable and competitive European value chains for fruit and vegetables, including high protein yields

Covering the entire spectrum from farm to fork, Europe’s agri-food systems are evolving and embracing more innovative approaches to increase productivity and sustainability. Therefore, redefining the agri-food value chains is key. To assist in this process, the EU-funded CO-FRESH project will develop techniques, tools and insights centering on the redesign of fruit and vegetable value chains. With a consortium that brings together farmers, cooperatives and consumers as well as technological, environmental and economic experts, the project will study models of collective innovation action within and across organisations. The aim of the project is to design innovative systemic approaches to improve the economic, social and environmental performance of these value chains and ensure sustainability through the smart integration of innovations.
The CO-FRESH project aims to provide techniques, tools and insights on how to make agri-food value chains more environmentally sustainable, socio-economically balanced and economically competitive. The project will implement technological and non-technological innovations in several pilots of agri-food value chains (Pilot Cases included in the CO-FRESH consortium), to test how the combination of technological and non-technological (i.e. organisational) innovations at several levels and steps (from farmer to the food-processing to consumer) can improve environmental and socio-economic benefits impact in terms of sustainability.

Contracts2.0

Co-design of novel contract models for innovative agri-environmental-climate measures and for valorisation of environmental public goods

The main objective of Contracts2.0 is to develop novel contract-based approaches to incentivise farmers for the increased provision of environmental public goods.
Newly developed contract-based approaches should be environmentally effective, economically viable for farmers and support the longevity of contractual arrangements.

CORE Organic

Coordination of European Transnational Research in Organic Food and Farming Systems Cofund

CORE Organic is an ERA-NET - a network of European ministries and research councils funding research in organic food systems at national levels. The objective of the ERA-NET is to join forces and fund transnational research projects support a focused and coordinated research and innovation effort covering the most important challenges along the organic value chains. CORE Organic is the acronym for "Coordination of European Transnational Research in Organic Food and Farming Systems".

COREnet

Connecting advisors toward a European Network for consumer-producer chains

The EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy (F2F) and EU Green Deal look to SFSCs as an opportunity to rebuild a fairer, more resilient, sustainable and food-secure economy with family farming, small-scale food processing, agroecology and locally produced food for local markets.
The Covid-19 pandemic prompted interest in developing new SFSC models based on IT-enabled solutions, social solidarity and a sharing economy in line with the ambitions of the F2F Strategy. Yet SFSCs remain of marginal importance in a food system that needs to be reformed due to variety of factors.
These include: information and knowledge gaps; institutional and regulatory barriers; weak position of farmers in the value chain; logistics and distribution barriers; no customized policy and related advisory or support in most member states.
The activities aim to promote the creation of a EU Short food supply chain advisors’ network and the exchange of good practices related to this field and to structure an European network of actors advising the development of efficient and sustainable short food supply chains. Some of the outputs are: Online database of SFSC models, golden cases and possibility to replicate them into lighthouse projects, a permanet advisors network specialised on SFSC developed in cooperation with the sister project EU4 Advice.

STREFOWA

Strategies to Reduce Food Waste in Central Europe

Project aimed to develop new strategies to prevent food waste. The main objective of the project was to improve food waste management (prevention and utilisation) in selected cities in Central Europe and thereby contribute to the prevention of negative environmental impacts. The results of the project contribute significantly to improving the level of knowledge about food waste among all stakeholders along the value chain. STREFOWA ended in September 2019.

EUFIC

European Food Information Council / Food facts for healthy choices

EUFIC, is a consumer-oriented non-profit organisation, founded to make the science behind food and health more accessible and easier to understand among the public.
Our mission is to produce science-based content to empower and facilitate healthier and more sustainable diets and lifestyles among European citizens.

FEAST

Food systems that support transitions to hEalthy And Sustainable dieTs

FEAST aims to advance the state of the art by leveraging current best practice and co-designing novel solutions throughout Europe with food system stakeholders, including diverse vulnerable groups, to identify how they can be supported and empowered to facilitate and benefit from the just transition to healthier and more sustainable dietary behaviour – at all levels (micro, meso and macro) and in all sectors (producers, distributors, retailers and consumers) of the food system.

DIVERSIFOOD

Embedding crop diversity and networking for local high quality food systems

DIVERSIFOOD is an international project funded under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Programme. By integrating existing networks across Europe, the project will strengthen the “food culture” to achieve local high quality food systems.
DIVERSIFOOD will evaluate and enrich the diversity of cultivated plants within diverse agroecosystems so as to increase their performance, resilience and quality through a multi-actor approach. By integrating existing experienced networks and using specific and relevant cases across Europe the project will strengthen “food culture” to improve economic viability of local chains resulting in a greater diversity of produce with a cultural identity.

ZEROW

Systemic Innovations Towards a Zero Food Waste Supply Chain

ZeroW is a €12 million EU project about systemic innovations for zero food waste, funded under the Green Deal call of the Horizon Programme 2020 (Grant Agreement no. 101036388).
The European Commission will closely monitor the project's results and progress over the next four years in relation to future EU legislation on reduction of food waste.
The project runs from 2022 to 2025 and is implemented in collaboration among 46 stakeholders from 17 countries.

Strength2Food

Strengthening European Food Chain Sustainability by Quality and Procurement Policy

Strength2Food will identify and implement strategies for upscaling: creating new and expanding existing markets for quality food products and fostering the development of an ‘economy of quality’. Specifically it will:
• Aid policy makers and other relevant stakeholders in improving the effectiveness of current policies on food quality designations and public sector food procurement to enhance their sustainability and promotion of healthy and nutritious diets.
• Develop and deliver effective policies for improving the overall sustainability of agriculture and capacity for balanced nutrition.
• Demonstrate and validate how to stimulate the development of new quality markets and local food chains through pilot initiatives and innovative actions.
• Maximise the impact of the project’s activities and achievements through effective knowledge exchange and communication with a wide range of relevant stakeholders on up-to-date sustainable practices

NextFood

Educating the next generation of professionals in the agrifood system

The aim of the Nextfood Toolbox is to support teaching practitioners in implementing action-based education. The Nextfood approach is a response to the need for education that enables us to deal with complex sustainability challenges. In this approach, a main focus is to train and develop the competences of observation, dialogue, reflection, participation, visionary thinking and facilitation through action learning in agrifood- and forestry systems.

FoodChains4EU

Strengthening regional innovation policies to build sustainable food chains

FoodChains 4 Europe will focus on innovation that contributes to the environmental sustainability of the food chain whilst contributing to social sustainability through increased access to high quality food. The consortium will support food sector businesses to deliver these innovations, both on financial and technological aspects.
The aim of the FoodChains 4 Europe project is to improve the implementation of regional policies that stimulate the delivery of innovation to create sustainable food chains in five participating regions: Flevoland (NL), Plovdiv/Sofia (BG), Emilia-Romagna (IT), Maramures (RO) and Greater Manchester (UK).

SISTERS

Systemic Innovations for a SusTainable reduction of the EuRopean food waStage

The SISTERS project aims to reduce food loss and waste in the main stages of the Food Value Chain in Europe through innovations targeted to each stage of the chain:
New tools for primary producers for promoting direct and Short Chain sales (farmers); new technological innovations in packaging for processors and retailers; and awareness campaigns for retailers and consumers on food loss and waste.

LOWINFOOD

Multi-actor design of low-waste food value chains through the demonstration of innovative solutions to reduce food loss and waste

Efforts to tackle food waste are being and must be done at each stage of the food supply chain. A food waste hierarchy has been defined to prioritise waste management strategies. It ranks the preferred strategies. LOWINFOOD focusses on the first levels of this hierarchy, that is, on prevention and reuse. The innovations that have been selected for the project are designed among promising solutions that have already been developed and tested by some partners and include technological tools and devices as well as organizational and managerial solutions.

TITAN

Transparency solutions for transforming the food system

TITAN is an EU-funded project that will demonstrate the latest transparency-related solutions to help drive the formation of a demand-driven European economy predicted on the production and consumption of healthy, sustainable, and affordable food.
Through a co-creation approach, 15 innovative solutions including exploiting DNA-based Rapid Detection Methods, Blockchain, AI, and IoT will be demonstrated in the first wave of TITAN transparency-related innovations.

InnoFoodAfrica

Locally-driven co-development of plant-based value chains towards more sustainable African food system with healthier diets and export potential

InnoFoodAfrica will explore climate-smart African crops in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda. It will develop and demonstrate optimal solutions for cropping practices, processing and productisation of crops to foodstuffs and bio-packagings via new value chains to markets. It will enhance adoption of nutritionally balanced food consumption in urban Africa and create opportunities to launch the new foodstuffs to international markets. The main output is to demonstrate the waste potential of African crops as healthy food raw materials in combating malnutrition in the continent.

Food Wave

Empowering Urban Youth for Climate Action

Food Wave is co-funded by the EU and promoted by the Municipality of Milan together with 29 partners across 17 countries. The Food Wave consortium involves 16 cities and municipal agencies plus 13 civil society organizations closely linked with the cities. C40, the international network of cities engaged in the fight against climate change, is also affiliated to the project.

DRIFT-FOOD

Advanced technologies for high quality, safe and sustainable regional food production

The first main aim of the project is to establish a state-of-the-art research centre of advanced technologies for high quality, safe and sustainable regional food production. This centre will connect the fields of primary agricultural food production, and food quality and safety determination via food processing and technology experts, namely the ERA-Chair holder and his/her research team.
The second main objective is to enhance scientific excellence in the field of food technology, food processing and nutrition, and more widely on food quality and safety, promoting scientific cooperation and integration. The activities of ERA Chair team will support new food processing method development as well as basic and frontier research, education and training in the field of agriculture, food technology and nutrition.
The third main objective of the project is to improve the accessibility of innovative technologies to regional farmers through cooperation with the strategic partner and further international collaborators. The project will bring the main research outputs in the field of agri-food production, agricultural products quality, and food processing and technology presented one house to the farmers and small producers not only in the Czech Republic, but through all European countries.

FOODPathS

Co-creating the prototype 'Sustainable FOOD Systems PArTnersHip'

FOODPathS is a project that aims to offer a concrete pathway and necessary tools for establishing an appropriate operational environment for the future European Partnership for Sustainable Food Systems (SFS) for People, Planet & Climate. The project seeks to engage actors from the entire food system to create the framework in which the Partnership will operate, such as the definition of a Strategic Research & Innovation Agenda (SRIA) supporting Food2030 priorities, the creation of a network of European universities working on food systems, a Hub for all Living Labs working in the sector, and much more.
Interactions between all actors are necessary to address the barriers that may arise due to their different perspectives and interests. To ensure all voices are heard, the project engages actors from across the food system to create the framework in which the Partnership will operate.

Life Foster

Training, education and communication to reduce food waste in the food service industry

Co-financed by the EU Commission LIFE Programme and led by the Italian network for VET, ENAIP NET, the LIFE FOSTER project aims at reducing waste in the restaurant industry.
The project focuses on these main fields: TRAINING AND EDUCATION, PREVENTION AND COMMUNICATION.
The interconnection between environmental, social and economic dynamics identifies training and education as key instruments to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by the UN.

HoloFood

Holistic solution to improve animal food production through deconstructing the biomolecular interactions between feed, gut microorganisms and animals in relation to performance parameters / Hologenomics for sustainable food production

HoloFood was a 'hologenomic' approach that helped to improve the efficiency of food production systems by understanding the biomolecular and physiological processes affected by incorporating feed additives and novel sustainable feeds in farmed animals.
The HoloFood consortium showcased the potential of an innovative solution that held enormous potential for optimising modern food production. Specifically, HoloFood was a framework that integrated a suite of current analytical and technological developments, that was applicable to any major animal food production system, spanning the full production line.
Thus it was as relevant for farmers producing livestock, as it was to the associate industries such as those producing the feed and feed additives upon which the animal’s growth, quality, health, and wellbeing depends.

ECO

Empowering consumer organisations to tackle dual food quality

The ECO project aims at limiting dual quality practices in food and strengthening consumer organisations in the EU and intends to strengthen the capacity of consumer organizations to test food products for dual quality, disseminate test results, and identify and report potential unfair practices.
Dual quality is a practice in which companies use different recipes, formulations or standards for items sold under the same brand name and with very similar looking packaging.

Enough

European food chain supply to reduce GHG emissions by 2050

The ENOUGH project has set objectives to address and reduce the emissions of the food sector. Food systems are globally responsible for between 20 to 40 % of total greenhouse gas emissions.
The project will provide tools and methods to contribute to the EU Farm to Fork strategy to achieve climate neutral food businesses.
Goals:
• Identify how to achieve climate neutrality for food businesses.
• Improve integrated sustainability and meet societal goals.
• Increase awareness among policy makers, businesses, investors, entrepreneurs, institutions, stakeholders and citizens of selected innovative systemic solutions and their potential for uptake at EU scale.

TCC Food Safety Project

Online Platform on EU Food Safety

The project strives to support faster social and institutional development of the Turkish Cypriot community (TCc) and higher economic growth of its agri-food chain sector. The aim is to achieve improved food safety, public health, animal health, and protection of the environment, and to mitigate the impact of potential exotic animal diseases, in particular those posing imminent threats.

European Food Banks federation

To contribute to reducing food insecurity mainly through the prevention of food loss and the support and development of Food Banks in countries where they are most needed.

The European Food Banks Federation (FEBA) works in collaboration with 24 Full Members and 6 Associate Members in 30 European countries. Its mission is to contribute to reducing food insecurity in Europe, through food waste prevention and the call for solidarity, by supporting and developing Food Banks in countries where they are most needed.
Food Banks are non-profit organizations, and their operating model may vary from country to country.
They are at the service of independent charities combatting food insecurity or they incorporate such charities in their own organization. They organize food distributions through their network of local charities, groups or communities or directly to final beneficiaries, where needed.

Fairfood

FAIRFOOD for a smart life

The purpose of FairFood for a Smart Life project is to contribute to the improvement of health through a nutritional education inspired by the way our ancestors ate, with natural products, typical of the territory, treated in a simple way and consumed in its season, while contributing to preserve a European culinary cultural heritage and to stop climate change. The rich European gastronomic culture counts on the Mediterranean diet, an intangible heritage of Humanity.

SWEET

Sweeteners and sweetness enhancers: Impact on health, obesity, safety and sustainability

SWEET, a European Commission Horizon 2020 funded project, is supported by a consortium of 29 pan-European research, consumer and industry partners, who will develop and review evidence on long term benefits and potential risks involved in switching over to sweeteners and sweetness enhancers (S&SEs) in the context of public health and safety, obesity, and sustainability.
The 5 year multidisciplinary project engages stakeholders from across the food chain — consumers, patients, health professionals, scientists, policy makers, and regulators — to address the role of sweeteners in weight control, and potentially move viable products to market. Stakeholders, including consumers, patients, health professionals, scientists, policy makers, and regulators will engage in the project.

URBACT

Food and sustainable local systems

The URBACT Knowledge Hub brings together good practices from across the EU, with the latest urban trends, to fill the gaps and make sure that the learning is within everyone's reach. URBACT has supported many working on topics linked to sustainable food and urban agriculture and pulled together their insights to help others take action –some good food for thought!
Cities are at the forefront of today’s greatest challenges and opportunities. Climate change, intergenerational gaps and digital disruption are just some common turning points for European cities. And yet, cities are also home to cultural diversity, economic opportunities and essential services. It’s by sharing experiences with other cities that we can harness the many opportunities of sustainable urban development. This is where URBACT comes in.
URBACT promotes integrated development to support cities implement horizontal and vertical policy integration. Positive change can best be made when local authorities collaborate with different levels of governance (regional, national, EU) –vertical integration – and when they tackle challenges and problems in a holistic way that considers environmental, economic, and social dimensions at the same time – horizontal integration.
URBACT has developed a series of processes and tools, as a part of the URBACT Method. It encourages cities to re-think centralised governance structures and shift towards more inclusive and holistic models. URBACT’s participatory approach recognises that sustainable urban development is driven by action-oriented strategies, which are co-created and implemented with local people.

PLANEAT

Food systems transformation towards healthy and sustainable dietary behaviour

PLAN’EAT is an applied research project that aims to:
– better understand how environmental, social, cultural and individual factors affect people’s food choices
– co-design interventions to effectively reverse trends in dietary behaviour.
THE MAIN OBJECTIVES OF PLAN’EAT ARE:
to understand the underlying factors and drivers influencing dietary behaviour, to measure, compare and ‘monetize’ the environmental, social and health impacts of 3 dominant European dietary patterns through True Cost Accounting (TCA), and to co-design effective recommendations, tools and interventions that allow food system actors to steer a transition towards healthier and more sustainable dietary behaviour.

Plant Health Project Pack

Plant health: Keeping plants healthy while protecting the environment

Plants are at the centre of life itself. They are a primary source of food for us, as well as for the animals we eat. They help regulate the climate and are a part of the natural environment in which we live. With millions of people regularly employed in the agricultural sector, plants are also a key part of the EU economy. Ensuring plant health is therefore paramount to safeguarding the bloc’s economic stability and its citizens’ well-being. This new edition of the CORDIS Results Pack on Plant Health showcases 12 EU-funded projects at the forefront of research and innovation activities in this domain.

Legumes translated

Translating knowledge for legume-based farming for feed and food systems

Supporting the production and use of grain legumes. Research is providing the data needed to help Europe transition towards more sustainable plant protein production. The EU-funded Legumes Translated project is gathering that knowledge and turning it into practical action. With the goal of providing practical data that can support decision-making, the project has already delivered several important results. For example, it analysed the whole-farm impact of introducing legumes into cropping systems.

FoodSafety4EU

FOODSAFETY4EU - multi-stakeholder platform for food safety in Europe

FoodSafety4EU is a collaborative action to support the European Commission (EC) in shaping the Food Safety System of the future. During 3 years life, the project is delivering solutions to support the EC in its endeavour in aligning research, policy and innovation with the societal needs and perspectives and improving food safety across Europe.
We’ve designed, developed and released a multi-stakeholder platform and new digital tools to facilitate citizens, scientists, companies, European Commission, EFSA, Food Safety Authorities in co-designing and shaping together the future Food Safety System of Europe. The platform is a dynamic space, being continuously updated according to the last novelties and with input from our Supporting Partners!
Involvement, participation, sharing tools and ideas are the basis of our action! Starting from a pool of 23 partners from 12 EU Member States and Associated countries, we would like to open our network to the most relevant voices from civil society, consumers, companies, young actors and feed the platform with outstanding contributions!
We've obtained relevant results that can support the Food Safety System actors to update their knowledge, catch new input from our multi-stakeholder participatory process, including pilot actions run in Czech Republic and Tunisia. Find out the main results in our Zenodo Open Access space, contributing to feed EU Open Science!

COSOLE

CONtract SOLutions for Effective and lasting delivery of agri-environmental-climate public goods by EU agriculture and forestry

CONSOLE project, focuses on promoting the delivery of Agri-Environmental Climate Public Goods (AECPGs) by agriculture and forestry through the development of improving contractual solutions (that is, the relationships between the public administration (at different scales) and the farmers).
The general objective of CONSOLE is to boost innovation in the lasting delivery of AECPGs by EU agriculture and forestry, by building a Community of Practice (CoP), by designing and testing effective and efficient cooperation models and by developing a contractual framework supporting implementation by multiple actors.

DiverIMPACTS

Diversification through Rotation, Intercropping, Multiple cropping, Promoted with Actors and value-Chains Towards Sustainability

The overall goal of DiverIMPACTS - Diversification through Rotation, Intercropping, Multiple Cropping, Promoted with Actors and value-Chains towards Sustainability - was to achieve the full potential of diversification of cropping systems for improved productivity, delivery of ecosystem services and resource-efficient and sustainable value chains. DiverIMPACTS had 34 partners and was coordinated by Dr. Antoine Messéan of INRAE, the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment. Dr. Didier Stilmant of CRA-W, Belgium, acted as deputy coordinator. The project was funded under Horizon 2020, the European Union's framework programme for research and innovation.

EUCLEG

Breeding forage and grain legumes to increase EU's and China's protein self-sufficiency

EUCLEG aimed at providing tools and knowledge to improve the genetic progress in five major legume species: two forages, alfalfa and red clover, and three grain legumes, pea, faba bean and soybean. This implied genotyping, phenotyping and statistical work.

RELACS

Replacement of Contentious Inputs in organic farming Systems

RELACS will foster the development and facilitate the adoption of cost-efficient and environmentally safe tools and technologies, to phase out the dependency on and use of inputs considered contentious in organic farming systems.
As a system approach to sustainable agriculture, organic farming aims to effectively manage ecological processes whilst lowering dependence on off-farm inputs.

ECOBREED

Increasing the efficiency and competitiveness of organic crop breeding

ECOBREED will improve the availability of seed and varieties suitable for organic and low- input production. Activities will focus on four crop species, selected for their potential contribution to increase competitiveness of the organic sector, i.e. common wheat, potato, soybean and common buckwheat.

VALPRO Path

New VALue landscapes for plant PROtein Pathways

As the European Union heavily depends on imported plant protein for food and livestock feed, the VALPRO Path project recognizes the urgency to build a self-sustainable Europe. With a focus on harnessing plant protein production, this transformative initiative aims to facilitate a seamless transition from traditional practices to innovative approaches.
In order to create value for all food-chain actors and enhance plant protein production in Europe, VALPRO Path will launch five large-scale pilots (Innovative Production Systems) in Germany, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Denmark. Covering 5 pedo-climatic areas and protein crops with the highest value potential like pea, lupin, chickpea, faba bean and lentils, VALPRO Path will ensure sustainable growth of protein crops through variety selection of nutritionally best plant- protein sources and their combinations.

SOLO

Soils for Europe

SOLO identifies current knowledge gaps, drivers, bottlenecks, and novel research and innovation approaches to be considered in the European Soil Mission research and innovation roadmap. The project aims to create a knowledge hub for soil health research and innovation that will last beyond the project’s lifespan by establishing strategic partnerships and by implementing a participatory and transparent process.

Tools4CAP

Innovative Toolbox empowering effective CAP governance towards EU ambitions

Tools4CAP is a Coordination and Support Action in Horizon Europe (2023-2026). The project aims to support the design and monitoring of the national Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plans (SPs) 2023-2027 and lay the foundations for sound preparation of Post-2027 Strategic Plans through a bottom-up adaptation of innovative methods and tools.
Tools4CAP ambition is to provide end users with suitable tools for a more evidence-based policy design, ultimately improving capabilities to design next-generation Strategic Plans and to perform monitoring tasks.

K4P

Knowledge for Policy / We mobilise people and resources to create, curate, make sense of and use knowledge to inform policymaking across Europe

The EU Commission's Knowledge4Policy (K4P) platform supports evidence-based policymaking: bridging the world of policymakers — who ideally develop public policy based on sound scientific evidence — and the scientists who develop that evidence in the first place. K4P is not limited to the Commission’s scientists and policymakers — we aim to organise scientific knowledge from across Europe, for policymakers across Europe. This is a vast mission, however, so we're taking it step by step.

VALUMICS

Food Systems Dynamics

The overall objective of the VALUMICS project is to provide decision makers throughout food value chains with a comprehensive suite of approaches and tools that will enable them to evaluate the impact of strategic and operational policies to enhance the resilience, integrity and sustainability of food value chains for European countries. This overall objective is divided into specific aims, which are associated with the four operational phases of the project where key activities have been defined, and these are supported by efficient project management and communication strategies to achieve the overall objective.

TheFSM

The Food Safety Market: an SME-powered industrial data platform to boost the competitiveness of European food certification

The FSM aims to deliver an industrial data platform that will significantly boost the way that food certification takes place in Europe. It brings together and builds upon existing innovations from innovative ICT SMEs to deliver a uniquely open and collaborative virtual environment that will facilitate the exchange and connection of data between different food safety actors who are interested in sharing information critical to certification.

FoodSafeR

A joined-up approach to the identification, assessment and management of emerging food safety hazards and associated risks

The European Commission funded FoodSafeR project was launched in October 2022 and over the next 4 years will focus on the advancement of innovations to combat emerging microbial and chemical food safety hazards and associated risks of contaminants based on cutting edge science.
The project will develop a comprehensive suite of future-oriented Frameworks, Tools, Methods, Strategies, Models, Guidance, Training materials, for Food Safety Risk Identification, Assessment and Management, all of which will be widely accessible via the FoodSafeR Open Digital Hub as a key delivery platform for the project outputs.

DRG4Food

Empowering a fair and responsible European FoodRegister, fostering citizen sovereignty and creating a data-driven food system

DRG4FOOD is an EU project about achieving trust in a data-driven food system by implementing Digital Responsibility Goals (DRGs) for the food sector.
Food safety, security, sustainability, reduction of food waste and fairness throughout the food chain are at the heart of Europe’s food strategy. Digitally enhanced approaches to more transparency in the food chain are crucial. The EU-funded DRG4Food project will develop and demonstrate a set of solutions including a roadmap and a structured open funding program.
The experienced consortium partners will provide measures to guide and support the food ecosystem of third-party beneficiaries, citizens and stakeholders.
Designing for trust, the project will promote and live values such as responsibility, privacy and user sovereignty. To create a data-driven food system the project aims to set new standards by taking orientation in the European Digital Rights and Principles and the Digital Responsibility Goals.

EMPHASIS-PREP

Preparation for EMPHASIS: European Infrastructure for multi-scale Plant Phenomics and Simulation for food security in a changing climate

Sustainable food security and increased plant biomass availability pose a critical challenge in the coming decades. However, the analysis of crop performance, known as ‘phenotyping’, remains the primary bottleneck hindering the exploitation of crop genetic diversity and advancements in plant breeding. To address this issue, the European Strategic Forum for Research Infrastructure (ESFRI) has identified plant phenotyping as a top priority. In this context, the EU-funded EMPHASIS-PREP, an infrastructure project listed on the ESFRI ROADMAP, aims to establish a sustainable and innovative pan-European plant phenotyping infrastructure. By fostering collaboration with the European plant phenotyping community and stakeholders, EMPHASIS-PREP will map existing infrastructure, identify gaps, develop strategies, and create a comprehensive business plan.

FutureFoodS Partnership

European partnership for a sustainable Future of Food Systems

The Commission joins forces with 84 partners from 29 countries through the FutureFoodS Partnership to accelerate food systems transformation. The inaugural meeting of the FutureFoodS Partnership was held in Dijon on 19 June 2024. The Partnership is expected to mobilise EUR 175 million in European Union contributions, with a total indicative budget of EUR 525 million over the next 7 to 10 years. The mission of FutureFoodS is to accelerate the transformation of national, EU, and global food systems, ensuring they are safe, sustainable, healthy, resilient, and trusted by all, while respecting planetary boundaries. This initiative aligns with the European Green Deal objective to create fair, healthy, and environmentally friendly food systems, from primary production to consumption. The Partnership has outlined several planned actions, including:
Open calls for research and innovation, with the first call expected to be launched by the end of 2024.
Living Labs
a new European food system observatory multiple knowledge-sharing events ANR, the French National Research Agency organised the launch event, in collaboration with the German Federal Office for Agriculture and Food. Over 120 attendees participated in person.
Discussions covered synergies with other complementary initiatives, such as the Food 2030 policy, Horizon Europe Cluster 6 “Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment”, the EU Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe”, and the work carried out under the Standing Committee for Agricultural Research (SCAR).

FORENV

EU Foresight System for the Environment

FORENV is a collaborative process, implemented by members of the EKC, with the overall aim: To identify, characterise and assess emerging issues that may represent risks or opportunities to Europe’s environment, and to communicate these results to policy-makers and other stakeholders, encouraging appropriate and timely action to be taken. Ultimately the aim is to enable policy makers and other stakeholders to prevent or effectively manage emerging risks, and to ensure that opportunities are identified and exploited.

CULTIVATE

Co-designing food sharing innovation for resilience

In a world experiencing continuous and unexpected changes, urban and peri-urban (UPU) food systems are replete with inequities and inequalities that make them fragile and vulnerable to shocks. An urgent transition towards more just and sustainable food systems is required.
Many FSIs (Food Sharing Initiatives) already contribute towards this transition yet their activities are often hampered by complex, fragmented food governance, uncertain finance, and insecure tenure.
Through the Food Sharing Compass CULTIVATE addresses the problem, helping cities navigate towards resilient and sustainable food sharing. The project identifies drivers and implementation gaps, and challenges existing theories and practices which currently constrain food sharing.
Distinctive implementation steps structure the project, each being indispensable to deliver on the objectives. The project engages the Cultivators (FSIs, policy makers, food supply actors, researchers, and citizens) throughout all the phases.
Urban and peri-urban (UPU) food systems are not only lacking in sustainability they are replete with inequalities and inequities which make them fragile and vulnerable to shocks. Addressing these issues is essential and has long been a driver of food sharing initiatives (FSIs) where food sharing is defined as collective acts around food across the food system, from seed sharing and surplus food redistribution to community composting. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought these matters into even sharper relief, reinforcing the urgent need to act on the food-related priorities outlined in the European Green Deal’s Action Plan, Food 2030, and the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy. Building on the foundational work of the ERC project SHARECITY, which was led by CULTIVATE’s Principal Investigator, CULTIVATE will use a multi-actor approach to create impact through a ground-breaking online social innovation support platform – The Food Sharing Compass (TRL8).
Built with and for five key groups: FSIs; policy makers; food supply actors; researchers; and citizens, the platform will help them navigate UPU food sharing landscapes and cultures, to understand, develop, replicate, scale out and strengthen food sharing, creating more sustainable, resilient and healthy UPU food systems supporting the EU’s inclusive climate mitigation and adaptation ambitions.
CULTIVATE has main innovation hubs in: Milan, Italy; Utretcht, Netherlands; Barcelona, Spain. And six replication hubs in: Lisbon, Brno, Freiburg, Dublin, Athens, Brighton.

Data4Food

Pathways towards a fair, inclusive and innovative Data Economy for sustainable food systems

Data4Food2030 aims to improve the data economy for food systems by expanding its definition, mapping its development, performance and impact to create new insights and opportunities.
The project wants to specify the relevant concepts for ‘Data Economy’ in the agrifood sector and develop a tool to monitor the progress in developing data economy. The concepts and tools will be validated in 9 cases focused on data sharing in the value chain and network.
The objectives are to:
• Enlarge the knowledge base and insight into the data economy for food systems
• Develop a system that monitors and evaluates the development, performance and impact on relevant EU policies of the data economy for food systems
• Identify drivers and barriers and turn these into opportunities, recommendations and solutions
• Test solutions and evaluate recommendations in case studies and through stakeholder dialogues
• Provide future scenarios and a roadmap and sustain the monitoring system to support policy development and accelerate the desired future state of the Data Economy for Food Systems
• The project’s 9 case studies are developing data driven solutions for the food system. providing an opportunity to analyze the data economy in real life scenarios.

DigitAF

Digital tools to boost agroforestry

Combining trees with crops or livestock on the same land has the potential to mitigate climate change. As a resilient agricultural practice, agroforestry (AF) can sequester carbon, preserve biodiversity and contribute to food security by diversifying agricultural production. The EU-funded DIGITAF project will promote AF systems. Specifically, it will co-develop digital tools tailored to the needs and concerns of AF target groups, including policy actors, practitioners and actors involved in the AF value chain. The project will implement six Living Labs in different countries to ensure an end-user-centred multi-actor approach. Bringing together 25 partners from 20 countries, DIGITAF will cover the entire AF value chain. It will contribute to farm sustainability, climate change mitigation, biodiversity preservation and soil conservation.
Starting from a full understanding of benefits of Agroforestry in terms of climate change mitigation, biodiversity and farming sustainability goals, DigitAF provides tailored, user-friendly and open-source digital tools for everyone involved in the farming industry, from policymakers and farmers to final consumers.
We will develop knowledge and tools to:
• Support policy actors at regional, national and European level in order to design more efficient and effective policies to support agroforestry adoption and monitor their impact on biodiversity, climate change mitigation and agricultural sustainability
• Support farmers in designing and managing agroforestry systems in order to optimize agronomic, economic, social and environmental performances
• Allow actors in agroforestry value chains in order to verify and market benefits, including enhanced biodiversity, carbon sequestration, soil health
• DigitAF also supports consumers looking for food of high nutritional quality and farmed respecting the environment.

DOMINO

Harnessing the potential of fermentation for healthy and sustainable foods

DOMINO is a Horizon Europe funded research project aiming to attribute health benefits to traditional fermented foods, and to develop novel plant-based fermented foods which address the changing societal demands for healthier and more sustainable nourishment.
The project will last 5 years (2023-2028) and gathers 19 partners from 10 countries, in a collaboration between top universities and research centres, as well as expert non-profit organisations and the private sector.
The activities of the project regard:
• Food and Gut Microbiome science;
• Human Nutrition, Computational Biology, Bioinformatics and data sciences;
• Pilot scale plant-based fermented food production from sustainable sources;
• Food system economy;
• Citizen sciences & living labs;
• Food safety.
The expected outputs consist of:
• Impact of fermented food-based diet on health.
• Standardize diagnosis tools based on healthy microbiome biomarkers.
• Public release of food and gut microbiome data for scientific community and food production engineers.
• Demonstration and delivery of sustainable plant-based fermented food prototypes with strong positive evaluation for having enhance healthy benefit.
• Demonstration of multi-actor fermented food design with transparancy towards consumers and enhance trst in the food value chain and computational methods.
• Promotion of holistic understanding of microbiome to general public.

ECO-READY

Achieving Ecological Resilient Dynamism for the European food system through consumer-driven policies, socio-ecological challenges, biodiversity, data-driven policy, sustainable futures

The ECO-READY project will develop a real-time surveillance system, an Observatory offered as an e-platform and as a mobile application. This will function as the necessary singular source of information, provide real-time assessments for the food system, and update forecasts frequently and consistently. The Observatory will be available to society, policymakers, the scientific community, and the agri-food industry, and integrated with a network of 10 Living Labs, supported through the third party funding process, covering all bioclimatic regions in Europe, forming the ECO-READY project knowledge infrastructure.
ECO-READY will produce knowledge based resilience strategies, and develop tools that will be embedded on the Observatory. The underlining principle behind the ECO-READY approach is, resilient dynamism, or tackling immediate problems and long-term challenges at the same time. The Living Labs network will facilitate ‘concept to action’ through the co-creation of scenarios addressing their regional needs, the development of policy recommendations, contingency plans, and resilience strategies, and embed them on the Observatory. Furthermore, ECO-READY will develop an early warning system and decision support tools using innovative Artificial Intelligence based on holistic prediction models and Life Cycle Assessment results.
ECO-READY will ensure that European farmers and society’s interests be reflected in future policymaking and monitoring, through early-stage active engagement incorporating bottom-up recommendations, facilitated by the increased usership of the digital tools developed, and resulting in increased awareness for climate-adaptive and mitigating agri-food products.
Furthermore, the Observatory smart application will include tools that will empower the citizens to actively engage in policy making, and interact directly with the scientific community, farmers, and industry and policy makers, thus driving change in consumption habits.

EdiCitNet

Edible Cities Network Integrating Edible City Solutions for social resilient and sustainably productive cities

The systemic use of urban landscapes for food production is a major step towards more sustainable, liveable and healthier cities. A multitude of initiatives around the World, however fragmented, are prospering, forming a global movement of Edible Cities. Their products, activities and services – the Edible City Solutions (ECS) – empower local communities to overcome social problems by their inclusive and participatory dynamics and to create new green businesses and jobs, and thereby generating local economic growth and fostering social cohesion.
EdiCitNet will leverage the substantial benefits that ECS effect today at local level and catalyse their replication EU- and world-wide by launching a fully open and participatory network of cities, empowering their inhabitants by a common methodology
• to systematically explore the wealth and diversity of existing ECS,
• to adapt, plan and implement successfully proven ECS in their specific urban context.
Activities of the project include:
• Growing a network of edible cities, initiatives, entrepreneurs and enthusiasts.
• Exploring the integration of edible nature-based solutions (edible city solutions) into different cities through Living Labs.
• Co-creating masterplans for future edible cities with diverse local stakeholders.
• Developing strategies for upscaling and mainstreaming of edible nature-based solutions and the maintenance and strengthening of edible city businesses and initiatives.
• Gathering lessons learned and partner expertise on the social, economic, ecological + governance aspects of edible city development into a broad range of learning resources for different target groups.

ENFASYS

ENcouraging Farmers towards sustainable farming SYstems through policy and business Strategies

Today’s farmers find it difficult to deal with the several lock-ins within food systems that keep them from transitioning to sustainable farming systems. Policies, together with business models and social innovations, need to be strengthened to overcome lock-in challenges. The EU-funded ENFASYS project aims to better understand lock-ins and levers in farming and food systems, as well as factors stemming from the behaviour of farmers, consumers, and other food chain stakeholders. It will test the possible effectiveness of policy and business interventions in European countries and screen 160 current intervention cases. The project will design policy mixes, business strategies, and social innovations that encourage farmers to transform their production systems.
The main objective of the project is to move farmers towards more sustainable farming systems through policies and private strategies. In a first stage in ENFASYS, we identify system and behavioural lock-ins and integrate these into ‘theories of change’, i.e. stylized descriptions of the farming systems indicating which handles we need to push. Next, we conduct a number of co-creation activities to design policies and private strategies that could help to overcome these lock-ins. Around some of these policies and strategies, economic experiments will be conducted to provide on their effectiveness.
Expected outputs will consist of insight and evidence on effectiveness of policies and private strategies to encourage farmers to move towards more sustainable farming systems.

FAIRCHAIN

Innovative technological, organisational and social solutions for FAIRer dairy and fruit and vegetable value CHAINs

The EU-funded FAIRCHAIN project addresses the growing need for a significant transformation of current food systems by developing competitive intermediate food chain alternatives adapted to small and mid-sized actors.
FAIRCHAIN specifically aims to:
• Foster the emergence of innovative intermediate food value chains that support the scaling-up of small and mid-sized actors facing unsustainable conventional dominant agri-food system.
This requires to specific technological, organisational and social innovations as well as regulatory and policy adaptations to widely deliver food in a fair and sustainable way. • Inspire and encourage larger actors to down-scale conventional food value chains and better address the growing need of consumers to consume local high quality and safe products. The emergence of intermediate food value chains should put pressure on dominant actors, forcing them to align with best practices in terms of offering opportunities to local suppliers and ensuring an equitable distribution of costs and benefits.
FAIRCHAIN seeks to enable small and mid-size farmers and food producers to scale up and expand production and nutritious food through the promotion and development of intermediate value chains.
The expected outputs of the projects consist in the implementation of practical innovative solutions to facilitate the establishment of solid and competitive value chains, from shorter and longer to the advantages of the intermediate ones.

FER-PLAY

Multi-assessment of alternative fertilisers for promoting local sustainable value chains and clean ecosystems / Circular fertilisers for healthy soils

FER-PLAY is a comprehensive approach to gather, harmonise, select and complement the knowledge on alternative fertiliser value chains and diffuse it to promote the wide-scale production and application of alternative fertilisers with best environmental, social and economic performance as well as technical and regulatory viability.
The core activities are the production of high value products from biowaste and other raw biomaterials. In the specific case of fer-play, promotion of their positive performance.
FER-PLAY employs a unique methodology for mapping the value chains, select the most promising ones and assess their impacts. FER-PLAY engages key stakeholders in co-creation of results and broadly disseminates them.
The outputs of the projects are the creation of an alternative fertilisers database, the selection of the 7 most promising value chains and full sustainability assessment of those value chains.

FLORA

Sustainable and healthy food solutions: system dynamics and trade-offs

Food systems are crucial to end hunger, but also to mitigate and adapt to climate change, to protect and restore biodiversity, to ensure human health and well-being, to end poverty, and to support sustainable communities. While hunger has receded, food systems are causing increasingly severe damage to our environment and health.
FLORA is funded by a Starting Grant from the European Research Council (number 101039402) and led by Carole Dalin, senior researcher in the Department of Geosciences at ENS-PSL.
The FLORA project (“Sustainable and healthy food solutions: system dynamics and trade-offs”) will contribute to a transformation of global agri-food production, trade, and consumption necessary to achieve sustainable and healthy food systems. The project will create essential evidence to identify and implement the shifts in practices and behaviours needed to effectively achieve this transformation, by:
• making a diagnosis of the integrated health and environmental outcomes of food systems globally, from the production and consumption perspectives, with innovative measures of sustainability
• identifying key threats and opportunities with system dynamics and complex network analyses
• targeting and evaluating tailored solutions with an interdisciplinary modelling framework.
The project will enable the identification of most effective, targeted solutions by considering trade-offs, synergies, and dynamics of key food systems components. Global in scope, it sets the ambitious goal to overcome barriers in current approaches by taking a systemic approach and establishing a robust, interdisciplinary framework supported by empirical advancements to tackle complex food systems challenges.

FNS-CLOUD

Food Nutrition Security Cloud

Food and nutrition security (FNS) is about ensuring that everybody can access sufficient, affordable and nutritious food. A big challenge that Europe faces is that a vast amount of FNS resources is fragmented. The main aim of the EU-funded FNS-Cloud project is to overcome fragmentation by federating FNS data on diet, health, and consumer behaviour as well as sustainable agriculture and the bio-economy. The implemented cloud solution will increase the exploitation of FNS knowledge and will contribute to reducing knowledge gaps that inhibit public health and agricultural policy. Furthermore, it will support the food industry in reducing development and production costs and increasing sustainable production. Ultimately, the cloud solution will facilitate informed and healthy choices by consumers.
FNS-Cloud will overcome fragmentation problems by integrating existing FNS data, which is essential for high-end, pan-European FNS research, addressing FNS, diet, health, and consumer behaviours as well as on sustainable agriculture and the bio-economy. Current fragmented FNS resources not only result in knowledge gaps that inhibit public health and agricultural policy, and the food industry from developing effective solutions, making production sustainable and consumption healthier, but also do not enable exploitation of FNS knowledge for the benefit of European citizens.
FNS-Cloud will, through three Demonstrators; Agri-Food, Nutrition & Lifestyle and NCDs & the Microbiome to facilitate:
• Analyses of regional and country-specific differences in diet including nutrition, (epi)genetics, microbiota, consumer behaviours, culture and lifestyle and their effects on health (obesity, NCDs, ethnic and traditional foods), which are essential for public health and agri-food and health policies;
• Improved understanding agricultural differences within Europe and what these means in terms of creating a sustainable, resilient food systems for healthy diets;
• Clear definitions of boundaries and how these affect the compositions of foods and consumer choices and, ultimately, personal and public health in the future.
Long-term sustainability of the FNS-Cloud will be based on Services that have the capacity to link with new resources and enable cross-talk amongst them; access to FNS-Cloud data will be open access, underpinned by FAIR principles (findable, accessible, interoperable and re-useable).
FNS-Cloud will work closely with the proposed Food, Nutrition and Health Research Infrastructure (FNHRI) as well as METROFOOD-RI and other existing ESFRI RIs (e.g. ELIXIR, ECRIN) in which several FNS-Cloud Beneficiaries are involved directly.

FOLOU

Bringing knowledge and consensus to prevent and reduce Food Loss at the primary production stage. Understanding, measuring, training and adopting

The EU-funded FOLOU project aims to challenge the issue of food loss (FL) in primary production. It will set a forceful, coherent multidisciplinary approach to set up a mechanism allowing a change based on monitoring and measuring. The aim is to build an understanding of the impact of FL. The action plan will include a knowledge transfer to primary producers, retailers, consumers, policymakers and researchers that will enable the implementation of proposed recommendations leading to a reduction of food loss.
The Folou project aims to:
• Develop standardized methodology for the measurement of food losses
• Develop innovative tools to facilitate food loss measurement
• Develop a national and eu food loss registry framework
• Food loos learning center
• Actions to facilitate the adoption oof the FOLOU outputs
The outputs of the project consist in:
• a methodology for food loss measurement
• a registry for food loss registry
• new food loss sustainability tools
• innovative solutions (auv, ia, etc.) for food loss measurements
• a food loss learning centre

FoodCLIC

Integrated urban FOOD policies – developing sustainability Co-benefits, spatial Linkages, social Inclusion and sectoral Connections to transform food systems in city-regions / Connecting people food policy places

The EU-funded FoodCLIC project will create more sustainable urban food environments by building strong science–policy–practice interfaces (i.e. food policy networks) and experimenting with innovative approaches and business models in Living Labs across eight European city-regions. Activities will be supported by an innovative conceptual framework (the CLIC), which emphasises sustainability co-benefits, spatial linkages, social inclusion and sectoral connectivity. FoodCLIC will also support multi-stakeholder engagement, including deprived and vulnerable groups.
FoodCLIC wants to ensure that all inhabitants have access to affordable, healthy and sustainably sourced food. The EU-funded project supports the creation of sustainable urban food environments in eight city-regions, consisting of an urban centre and its surrounding rural (agriculturally used) area. These city-regions share the ambition of a food system transformation that is brought forward through the improvement of their urban food environments (and the interrelated urban food systems).
The project has 8 living labs:
• Aarhus Denmark
• Amsterdam Netherlands
• Barcelona Spain
• Berlin Germany
• Brasov Romania
• Budapest Hungary
• Lisbon Portugal
• Lucca Italy

FOODCoST

FOOD Costing and Internalisation of Externalities for System Transition / Redefining the value of food

FOODCoST aims to support the transition towards sustainable food systems by proposing a harmonising methodology to calculate externalities in climate, biodiversity, environmental, social and health along the food value chain.
The project will provide a set of improved and harmonised analytical instruments for valuation and internalisation of externalities to assess their direct and indirect impact, co-create solutions and provide guidance to policymakers, businesses, and other actors.
We hope to realise a harmonised methodology to measure externalities and a roadmap for internalising externalities in policy making and business strategies/value chain strategies.