We are part of the Future of European Food Systems Partnership! ✨

Last week, RIVM – the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (Netherlands) – organized the first session in a series of three international workshops together with the University of Food Technologies in Plovdiv, as part of the FutureFoodS partnership.

This first workshop, held in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, focused on the Eastern European region and served as an in-depth case study exploring the trends shaping the future of European food systems. The event brought together a diverse group of scientific experts, policymakers, and stakeholders from the private sector and civil society to exchange insights and perspectives.

🔎 Goal of the Workshop

The main objective of the meeting was to identify, discuss, and prioritize key trends that will influence the future of European food systems up to 2050. These trends span across several dimensions — demographic, economic, socio-cultural, technological, ecological, and political-institutional developments.

Each trend was analyzed in terms of its potential impact and level of uncertainty, forming the basis for future scenario development. The outcomes of this workshop will serve as a valuable input for the FutureFoodS foresight report, which aims to inform policymakers, researchers, and innovators about the challenges and opportunities ahead.

🤝 A Big Thank You

We extend our heartfelt thanks to all participants for their active engagement and valuable contributions throughout the workshop.Special thanks go to:Velitchka Gotcheva, Angel Angelov, Mariya Hristova, Svetlana Savova, Vesselka Duleva, Evgeniya Ivanova, Rada Dinkova, Dida Iserliyska, Peter Borisov, Rumyana Georgieva, Georgi Dimitrov, dr. Stoilko Apostolov, Aleksandar Yovchev, Marta Paunova, Barbara Koroušić Seljak, Jelena Milesevic, PhD, Rozemarijn Haselhoff Lich Kasteleijn, Mila Garcia Valicente, Reina Vellinga, PhD, Jippe Miedema, and Henk Hilderink.

Your insights are helping shape a shared vision for a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive European food future. 🌍🥗

📅 What’s Next

The next two workshops in the FutureFoodS series will take place in:

• December – Germany (North-Western Europe)Co-hosted by the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB) – Naser Reyhani

• January – Italy (Southern Europe)Co-hosted by CREA Ricerca – Marika Ferrari

Together, these sessions will form a comprehensive foresight perspective on Europe’s diverse regional food systems and the transitions required to make them future-proof and sustainable.

About FutureFoodS

FutureFoodS is an innovative European partnership focused on transforming Europe's food production and consumption towards more sustainable and resilient systems. This partnership brings together leading experts, research institutions, businesses and policymakers to develop joint solutions to the complex challenges facing our food systems, such as climate change, biodiversity loss and food security.

By integrating breakthrough technologies, circular economy principles and sustainability strategies, FutureFoodS aims to minimise the environmental footprint of food production, improve consumer health and ensure the economic viability of the food chain. This collaboration is committed to innovation and knowledge sharing to achieve a resilient and sustainable future for the European food systems.

Find the leaflet here, or download a printable version.

💭 Join the Conversation

What do you think are the most important trends shaping the future of food in Europe?Share your thoughts with us — the dialogue continues!

FutureFoodS hereby pre-announces the 2nd co-funded call for transnational research projects.

Preliminary call topics

1. Domestic food practices enhancing sustainable and healthy diets — systemic work at the household level covering food safety, cultures, nutritional needs and consumer behaviour.

2. Towards diverse, sustainable and circular food processing systems — improved processing/packaging, valorisation of by-products and side-streams, and compositions tailored to diverse consumer groups.

3. Trust and transparency in sustainable food systems — identify leverage points; assess tools, methods, metrics, indicators and quality signals (e.g. labelling) towards a more unified framework, co-created with system actors.

Applicant & consortium requirements (non-exhaustive)

• Minimum three partners from at least three different countries that are eligible for — and request — funding from organisations participating in this call.

• Guiding elements in evaluation: transformative perspective; inter- and transdisciplinarity; multi-stakeholder engagement; sustainability.

• Mandatory Impact Plan showing progress towards food-systems transformation.

• Proposals may be “research-oriented” or “innovation-oriented” (self-assignment).

Who can apply

Tertiary education institutions, research institutes, non-profit legal entities, enterprises (SMEs and large), and public bodies, subject to national/regional rules.

Key dates (two-step procedure; indicative)

Pre-announcement

Details presented in this document may be subject to change before the opening of the call.

Further information and updates can be found on:

https://futurefoods.ptj.de