EIT Food

What will be on your plate this year? And more importantly—what will shape it? 🍽🌱 Imagine walking into a grocery store. The shelves may look the same, but the way our food is grown, sourced, and delivered has transformed. 🐟🍗 The #FoodSystem stands at a turning point as we enter 2025. AI and deep technologies are unlocking innovation and personalisation like never before—but concerns over data privacy and inequality are rising. Meanwhile, the climate crisis is no longer a distant threat. Record-breaking heat, wildfires, and floods are disrupting food production and livelihoods. One thing is clear: our food system must evolve. 📢 We’ve identified 5 food trends shaping the #FutureOfFood in 2025. 👉 Swipe through the slides to explore these trends, and read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dfsd4kut #ImprovingFoodTogether #FoodInnovation #SustainableFood

What will the future of food look like? And what should we be doing more – or less – of to improve it? 🌾🌍 Imagine a world where food systems are sustainable and equitable: ✨ Where agricultural emissions are reduced without compromising food security. ✨ Where food waste and loss become relics of the past. ✨ Where innovation and purpose collide, leveraging cutting-edge technologies to make healthier, net-zero food systems – leaving no one behind. The next 25 years will bring more transformation to food systems than we saw in the entire 20th century. From climate-smart technologies to AI, targeted nutrition, and novel foods, the potential for disruption is immense. 🚀 But disruption must be just. Farmers need support to adapt, supply chains need reconfiguring, and everyone must have a seat at the table. This is our moment to harness innovation to build #FoodSystems that work for people and the planet. The big question is: will we act fast enough? Share your thoughts with us 👇 #ImprovingFoodTogether

Food fraud takes many forms, from diluting beverages to mislabelling allergens, damaging the agrifood industry and harming consumers and businesses. It costs the economy an estimated €8-€12 billion annually. 💸 In Europe, the highest rates of food adulteration are reported in Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands, with products like fats, oils, fish, meat, and poultry being most affected. Alarmingly, only 40% of Europeans trust the authenticity of their food, as highlighted in our Trust Report. 🐟🍗 Tackling food fraud requires collaboration across the agrifood industry and the use of technologies such as blockchain. For example, EIT Food RisingFoodStars SwissDeCode has developed a DNA test to verify food authenticity and prevent fraudulent products from entering the supply chain. 🔬 Raising awareness about how to identify food fraud is another way to reduce risks and increase confidence. Education initiatives such as our online courses give consumers and stakeholders the chance to learn more about trust, food safety and the complexity of supply chains. 📚 How can we collaborate to reduce food fraud, improve consumer trust and make the food system safer? 🌍 https://lnkd.in/dt_tY2pj #ImprovingFoodTogether #FutureOfFood #SustainableFood #RegenerativeFoodSystems

Most plastic does its job well. Robust packaging protects food from contaminants during transport and storage, reducing spoilage and food waste. But not all packaging is harmless, raising concerns about its environmental impact and potential health risks. Can we truly do without it? 🥫❓ In Europe, the average person generates nearly 180 kg of packaging waste per year (food and non-food) – a figure that has risen by over 20% in the past decade. 📈 (EIT Food Consumer Observatory). This trend underscores the urgent need for resource conservation, waste reduction strategies, and greater efficiency in material use and recycling processes. ♻️✨ If left unchecked, plastic waste across the EU is projected to increase by 46% by 2030. 🛑 (European Commission). What’s your take? How can we actually achieve a sustainable future for food packaging? 🤔 Explore the challenges of single-use plastic food packaging and meet the inspiring people developing sustainable solutions. 🌱🌟 https://lnkd.in/dm-daxdD #SustainablePackaging #PlasticWaste #ImprovingFoodTogether #FoodSystemsTransformation

Childhood obesity is a major global health issue and affects every European country. 🌍 Our children are increasingly growing up in environments that make it very difficult for them to eat well and be active. Worryingly, obesity acts as a gateway to a range of diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and at least 13 different types of cancer. (EPRS report) Tune in to our #EITFoodFight 👊 podcast to explore how food environments and both physical and emotional surroundings influence children’s health 🥦🏃♂️ https://lnkd.in/dGgmC2be How do you think we can ensure childhood nutrition and health? #ImprovingFoodTogether

Investors face the delicate balance between short-term profits and long-term sustainability, especially when it comes to funding healthier, greener, and more resilient food systems. ⚖️💰 So how can we invest in a prosperous future for all, while ensuring profits? 🤔 To create #FoodSystems that works for people and the planet, we need to rethink where and how money is invested. If done smartly, socially responsible investment (SRI) can deliver reliable financial returns while driving measurable impacts that benefit everyone. 💡 From funding alternative proteins to supporting regenerative agriculture, SRI can transform the food systems – creating long-term value for businesses, investors, and society. 🌱 Read our latest blog to explore how SRI can reshape food systems, the role of banks in financing sustainability, and the opportunities for impact-driven innovation. Plus, discover how our Impact Funding Framework is enabling innovations and collaborating across the value chain to drive systemic change. 🌱 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/d8uNAs2k What are your thoughts on Socially Responsible Investment? 🌍 #ImprovingFoodTogether #FutureOfFood #SustainableInvestment #GreenFinance #SociallyResponsibleInvestment

Reduced depression, boosted morale, and better eating habits – these are just some of the improvements noticed among residents at the Annie Girardot Nursing Home, thanks to their gardening initiative. 🍅🥕👴👵 In the heart of Paris, Gardens4Good has transformed the rooftop of this nursing home into a cost-effective, community-driven solution to reduce food waste while fostering a meaningful connection to the food residents grow themselves. “My goal is to inspire others to take up similar projects in their local areas and, with the support of the EIT - European Institute of Innovation and Technology Community, create a strategy for as widespread an impact as possible,” says Christophe Gadenne, founder of Gardens4Good. Discover how this #NewEuropeanBauhaus project is promoting non-profit food gardens for healthier lives and a healthier planet: https://lnkd.in/d6VjsWst 🌍🌿 How can we enable healthier living in urban areas? 🌆 #ImprovingFoodTogether #FutureOfFood #FoodSystems #GreenCities

If we want to tackle deforestation, we need to answer two key questions: What’s driving it, and how can we find solutions? 🤔 Every year, the world loses around 5 million hectares of forest. 95% of this deforestation occurs in the tropics, and at least 75% is driven by agriculture – clearing forests for crops like palm oil and soy, or raising livestock. Shockingly, cattle pasture expansion alone accounts for 41% of tropical deforestation. (Our World in Data) 🌳💔 So, what can European #FoodSystems do to help reduce the loss of these vital natural landscapes? Localising sustainable food production 🌱 Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) methods, such as vertical farming, allow food to be grown in a wider range of locations, including indoor environments – reducing the need to clear forests. Scaling #RegenerativeAgriculture and agroforestry across Europe 🌾 Cross-sector initiatives like The Regenerative Innovation Portfolio are fostering partnerships across the agrifood chain to provide farmers with practical tools and business models to transition to regenerative practices. Promoting tech and innovation to boost yield, crop diversity, and profit 🤖 For example, EIT Food RisingFoodStars Computomics has created a machine-learning system that helps farmers optimise crops for different climates, reducing the need to clear natural landscapes and keeping food production local. Increasing protein diversity while reducing livestock farming 🌍 Adopting plant-based proteins like AnuLife – which upcycles vegetable waste into sustainable ingredients – can replace animal-based ingredients in meat and dairy alternatives. Fostering policies to protect natural landscapes 📜 Regulations that ensure only ‘deforestation-free’ products enter the market, require companies to trace and report where commodities are produced and how they reach consumers. Read more in our blog: https://lnkd.in/deSZupFn What else can our food systems do to conserve natural landscapes? 💬👇 #ImprovingFoodTogether #FutureOfFood #SustainableFood

Water scarcity is complex and caused by a range of factors, including climate change, overconsumption, and pollution.💧🌍 With 2/3 of the population predicted to live under ‘water stress’ by 2050, how can #FoodSystems mitigate the pressure on water sources? 🤔💦 Demand for water to grow crops and livestock has grown by 100% in the last century (WRI) and farming accounts for approximately 70% of all freshwater withdrawals (freshwater taken from ground or surface water sources and conveyed to a place of use) (FAO). When compared to crop production, livestock farming is extremely water intensive, and as meat consumption continues to increase across the world, water use will grow alongside it. 🥩🌾 So how do you think we could tackle this issue? 👉 https://lnkd.in/dPm2an6w

Protein is essential for a healthy diet, but the overproduction of animal-based protein is taking a toll on the environment. 🥩🥛 The good news? We already have sustainable ways to produce high-quality, safe, and nutritious proteins to support our growing population. 🌱🥦🌍 Protein diversification offers a promising solution to many challenges in our current food system. The introduction of new, innovative foods could be the key to building future-ready #FoodSystems. 👇 • Edible insects are rich in high-quality protein, vitamins, and amino acids. They can diversify diets, enhance nutrition security, and lower the ecological footprint of protein consumption. 🦗 EIT Food RisingFoodStars Essento Food creates sustainable insect-based products like snacks, protein bars, and burgers. • Algae is the ocean’s superfood, offering protein, dietary fibre, and bioactive compounds. It also helps regulate marine ecosystems, conserve freshwater, and scale carbon capture. Revo Foods, winner of our Marketed Innovation Prize, has developed plant-based seafood alternatives using pea proteins, algae extracts, and plant oils. 🌿 • Cultivated meat eliminates the need for animal slaughter and resource-intensive farming, offering a sustainable and customisable alternative to conventional meat. Innovators like Aleph Farms, Mosa Meat, and Peace of Meat are creating cultivated meat that replicates traditional meat in both taste and texture. 🥩 Could these novel foods become the new normal in Europe? 🌍 Read more: https://lnkd.in/d-rpN3uB #Veganuary #ProteinDiversification #ImprovingFoodTogether