Fair, healthy and environment-friendly food systems from primary production to consumption (2023/24)

National, EU and global food systems are facing sustainability challenges, from primary production to consumption that could jeopardise food and nutrition security. The farm to fork strategy, and its follow-up initiatives, aim to address these challenges and supports transition to more resilient and environmentally, socially and economically sustainable food systems on land and at sea that provide healthy diets for all and respect planetary boundaries. It is key to ensuring that the fit for 55 package[[https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52021DC0550&from=EN]] and the European Green Deal[[EUR-Lex - 52019DC0640 - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu)]] are successful and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)[[THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development (un.org)]] are achieved. Research and innovation (R&I) under this destination will steer and accelerate the transition to sustainable, safe, healthy and inclusive food systems from farm to fork, ensuring food and nutrition security for all and delivering co-benefits for the environment, health, society and economy.

Sustainable, climate neutral and biodiversity friendly farming systems provide economic, social (including health), environmental and climate benefits, and are the main prerequisite for food and nutrition security. For farmers, who are the backbone of food systems and principal managers of natural resources, the new common agricultural policy (CAP) and the European Green Deal set ambitious targets and objectives concerning the sustainability and safety of feed, food and non-food production. These targets and objectives are included in the core European Green Deal policy priorities, in particular the farm to fork strategy, the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, zero pollution ambitions and climate action, and their follow-up initiatives. R&I in line with the strategic approach to EU agricultural research and innovation[[https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en/news/final-paper-strategic-approach-eu-agricultural research-and-innovation]] will be key enablers for achieving these ambitious targets and objectives.

The partnership on ‘Accelerating farming systems transition: agroecology living labs and research infrastructures’ will unlock the potential of agroecology to make agri-food systems environmentally friendly and regenerative, climate-neutral, inclusive, competitive and resilient. It will enable farmers and value chain actors to successfully apply agroecology principles thanks to: i) a stronger R&I system integrating science and practice; ii) increased knowledge on the benefits, challenges and potential of agroecology for farming, food and society; iii) improved sharing of and access to knowledge, place-based tailored solutions and innovations; and iv) improved and transformative governance and policies.

Besides the partnership, R&I under the destination will help farmers in monitor and manage natural resources (e.g. soil, water, nutrients, biodiversity, etc.) in innovative, sustainable ways by, among other things, boosting organic food and farming in line with the action plan for the development of organic production[[https://eur-lex.europa.eu/resource.html?uri=cellar:13dc912c-a1a5-11eb-b85c-01aa75ed71a1.0003.02/DOC_1&format=PDF]]. New knowledge and innovative solutions will also promote plant health, reduce farmer’s dependency on pesticides and reverse biodiversity loss.

Through the partnership on ‘Animal health and welfare’, farmers and other actors will be better equipped to protect animals against infectious diseases, including zoonoses, and to improve animal welfare, while reducing the dependency on antimicrobials, maintaining productivity, improving food safety and quality, and protecting the environment and public health. In addition to the partnership, sustainable livestock production will be enhanced by improved knowledge on nutritional requirements and innovative on-farm practices and technologies for optimised production and use of local feedstuffs. A common EU approach to optimise the management of the co-existence of outdoor livestock systems and wildlife will be implemented by integrating science, local knowledge and practice on the preservation, protection and valorisation of wildlife and agro-pastoral systems.

Synergies will be created with other destinations and instruments. Under the Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’, 100 living labs and lighthouses will be established to lead the transition towards healthy soils by 2030[[https://ec.europa.eu/info/research-and-innovation/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe/eu-missions-horizon-europe/soil-health-and-food_en]]. Thanks to R&I, farming systems will also maximise the provision of a wide range of ecosystem services from more sustainably managed EU agro‑ecosystems and landscapes and help reverse the loss of biodiversity while ensuring resilient primary production (Destination ‘Biodiversity and ecosystem services’). R&I under the Destination ‘Land, ocean and water for climate action’ will better equip farmers to make a significant contribution to climate-neutrality and become more resilient to climate change. Farmers will be empowered and interconnected by means of advanced digital and data technologies (e.g. AI, IoT, and robotics) that support sustainable farming approaches (Destination ‘Innovative governance, environmental observations and digital solutions in support of the Green Deal’). New sustainable business models and strengthened EU quality schemes will improve the position of farmers in value chains and enable them to seize opportunities provided by the green transition (Destination ‘Resilient, inclusive, healthy and green rural, coastal and urban communities’). Effective agricultural knowledge and innovation systems (AKIS) will speed up innovation and the uptake of R&I results from farm to fork (Destination ‘Innovative governance, environmental observations and digital solutions in support of the Green Deal’).

Better evidence-based knowledge and analytical capacity will help policymakers develop and implement effective policies, in particular the CAP post 2027, the contingency plan and sustainable food systems framework law, enabling farmers to transition to sustainable and resilient farming and food systems (Destination ‘Innovative governance, environmental observations and digital solutions in support of the Green Deal’). Furthermore, knowledge and innovative solutions generated under Horizon Europe will be circulated and tested in local innovation projects and networks that are financed by rural development programmes, and which are managed by the European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (EIP-AGRI).

Sustainable fisheries and aquaculture contribute directly to environmentally friendly, resilient, inclusive, safe and healthy food production by providing highly nutritional proteins, lipids and micronutrients for a healthy diet. Sustainable aquatic production can and should account for a much bigger proportion of our overall food consumption. Following the farm to fork strategy, production methods should make the best use of nature-based, technological, digital and space-based solutions, optimising the use of inputs (e.g., nutrients and antimicrobials), therefore increasing climate-neutrality and resilience and safeguard aquatic biodiversity. R&I in fisheries and aquaculture will contribute to the relevant Food 2030 pathway for action ‘food from oceans and freshwater resources’[[https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/86e31158-2563-11eb-9d7e-01aa75ed71a1]]. It will support the ‘strategic guidelines for a more sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture for the period 2021 to 2030’, that propose specific actions on, e.g. i) access to space and water, ii) human and animal health, iii) environmental performance, iv) climate change, v) animal welfare, vi) the regulatory and administrative framework, and vii) communication on EU aquaculture. In addition, the new EU algae initiative - to unlock the full potential of sustainable algae-based food and alternative feed sources - can support the transition to sustainable food systems. R&I will also contribute to the success of the common fisheries policy and deliver compliant, inclusive, diversified ecosystem-based fisheries approaches to allow fisheries management to adapt to different realities, including in the international context. The destination will also support the new policy initiative on the sustainable blue economy and its offshoot initiatives, including the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership.

R&I will help fisheries and aquaculture become more precise, technologically advanced, and fully embedded in the natural and socio-ecological context including by reducing the footprint on aquatic biodiversity. It will better equip fisheries and aquaculture to become more resilient to the adverse consequences of climate change and to make a significant contribution to climate neutrality. It will enable the European aquaculture industry to achieve its full potential to ensure global food security in terms of volume, methods, variety of species, aquatic species welfare, safety and quality of products and services.

R&I will help to provide a better understanding of the impacts of climate change in terms of habitat change and ecological functioning and the consequent repercussions on stock shifts, species composition, health, and altered growth and reproduction rates. This will help in the adaptation of fishing vessels, fishing gear and catch methods to reduce their carbon footprint as well as help in their adaptation to the changing climate regime. It will also enable aquaculture to: i) become more sustainable – by using resources in a highly efficient manner - and climate-neutral; and ii) adapt to a changing climate and its consequences, such as temperature rise, acidification, altered water quality and availability, extreme weather events, and other emerging risks, notably in geographical areas particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts such as the EU's outermost regions (defined in article 349 TFEU).

Sustainable, healthy and inclusive food systems rely on systemic, cross-sectoral and participatory, multi-actor approaches and on integration between policy areas at all levels of governance. Food systems are to be understood as covering, 'from farm to fork', all the sectors, actors and disciplines relevant to and connecting i) environment protection requirements, ii) natural resources, iii) primary production on land and at sea, iv) food processing and packaging, v) food distribution and retail, vi) food services, vii) food consumption, viii) food safety, ix) nutrition and public health, and x) food waste streams. An important driver for transforming food systems should be the integration of sectors, actors and policies[[Scientific Advice Mechanism, Towards a sustainable food system - Publications Office of the EU (europa.eu)]]. This should occur in order to better understand the multiple interactions between the actors and components of current food systems, the lock-ins and potential leverage points for synergistic changes and of the interdependencies of outcomes (linkages between nutritional climate and sustainability outcomes). Such implementation/approaches can provide solutions that maximise co-benefits with respect to the four priorities of the Commission’s Food 2030 R&I initiative:

• nutrition and health, including food safety;
• climate and environmental sustainability;
• circularity and resource efficiency;
• innovation and empowering communities.

This destination will deploy solutions to the 10 Food 2030 pathways for action[[https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/86e31158-2563-11eb-9d7e-01aa75ed71a1]] and will help build innovation ecosystems to bring together relevant public and private sector actors, researchers and society. R&I will provide food-related businesses, including those involved in food processing and packaging, retail, distribution, and food services, with opportunities and incentives to stimulate environmentally friendly, healthy, circular and diversified practices, products and processes that are biodiversity-friendly, climate-neutral and less reliant on fossil fuels. It will also help devise tools and approaches that enable the shift to healthy, sustainable diets and responsible consumption for everyone, boosted also by social innovation, technology, behavioural change and marketing standards, and by inclusively engaging with different consumers, citizens and communities. R&I will accelerate the transition to sustainable, healthy and inclusive food systems by:

• eradicating micronutrient deficiencies in vulnerable population groups;
• developing new high quality, healthy, minimally processed and sustainable food products and processes;
• assessing innovative and novel foods based on sustainable alternatives sources of proteins;
• preventing and reducing food loss and waste to tackle environmental and climate challenges, including through improved marketing standards;
• unlocking and maximising the potential of the microbiome to improve food safety, fight food waste and develop alternative sources of proteins;
• networking and exchanging knowledge on food fraud and food safety and exploring the influence of climate change on food safety;
• developing new strategies and detection methods on products derived from new genomic techniques, and strengthening the resilience of European food systems;
• promoting citizen science and creating smart tools to improve diets.

R&I will also:

• reduce the environmental impacts of and pollution from food value chains (see Destination ‘Clean environment and zero pollution’);
• help transform urban food systems, including via the use of nature-based solutions in the context of the New European Bauhaus initiative (see Destination ‘Resilient, inclusive, healthy and green rural, coastal and urban communities’); and
• improve the governance of food systems and further develop digital and data-driven innovation ecosystems for sustainable, healthy and inclusive food systems (see Destination ‘Innovative governance, environmental observations digital solutions in support of the Green Deal’).

In addition, R&I under the partnership on ‘Sustainable food systems for people, planet and climate’ will accelerate the transition towards sustainable, healthy and inclusive food systems in Europe and beyond via EU-wide targeted research and innovation. It will help to close knowledge gaps, increase health and food literacy, and deliver innovative solutions, e.g. social innovation, which provide co-benefits for nutrition, the environment, climate, circularity and communities. It will also leverage investments and align multiple actors towards common goals and targets and help further build up the European Research Area in order to support the transformation of sustainable food systems at various scales from local to global.

The EU also aims to promote a global transition to sustainable food systems. It’s relationship with Africa is a key priority. Targeted R&I activities, in particular under the EU-Africa Partnership on Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA) and global initiatives involving international research consortia, will help achieve this ambition and contribute to the AU-EU High Level Policy Dialogue (HLPD) on Science, Technology and Innovation.

In line with the farm to fork strategy, and its promotion of global transitions on sustainable food systems, a comprehensive and integrated response to current and future challenges benefiting people, nature and economic growth in Europe and in Africa will be provided. Advances will be made particularly in the following key areas: agroecology, including agroforestry, food safety and fair trade.

In encouraging multi-actor approaches and to be more effective in achieving impact, the proposals in this destination shall, where relevant, be complementary or build on synergies with the activities of the EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities, such as EIT Food.

Where appropriate, proposals are encouraged to cooperate with actors such as the European Commission Knowledge Centre for Global Food and Nutrition Security[[https://knowledge4policy.ec.europa.eu/global-food-nutrition-security_en]] and the Africa Knowledge Platform[[https://africa-knowledge-platform.ec.europa.eu/]], also for the purpose of dissemination and exploitation of results.

Expected impact

Proposals for topics under this destination should set out a credible pathway contributing to fair, healthy, safe, climate- and environment‑friendly, sustainable and resilient food systems from primary production to consumption, ensuring food and nutrition security for all within planetary boundaries in Europe and across the world.

More specifically, proposed topics should contribute to one or more of the following impacts:

• enable sustainable farming systems that i) provide consumers with affordable, safe, healthy and sustainable food, ii) increase the provision of ecosystem services, iii) restore and strengthen biodiversity, iv) minimise pollution and pressure on ecosystems and greenhouse gas emissions, v) foster plant, animal and public health, vi) improve animal welfare, and vii) generate fair economic returns for farmers;
• enable sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, in marine and inland waters, increasing aquatic multi-trophic biomass production in a way compatible with the protection of aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity, and the diversification of fisheries and aquaculture products, for fair, healthy, climate-resilient and environment-friendly food systems with a lower impact on aquatic ecosystems and improved animal welfare;

accelerate the transition to sustainable, healthy and inclusive food systems, delivering co-benefits for climate change mitigation and adaptation, environmental sustainability and circularity, sustainable healthy diets and nutrition, food poverty reduction, empowered citizens and communities, and flourishing food businesses, while ensuring food safety and the economic sustainability of EU food systems during the transition.