Food 2030 is the EU's research and innovation policy framework supporting the transition towards sustainable, healthy and inclusive food systems, that respect planetary boundaries.

It is in line with, and supports the goals of the European Green Deal, Farm to Fork strategy and Bioeconomy strategy. Food 2030 is underpinned by the need to foster a multi-actor and systemic approach to research and innovation capable of delivering co-benefits for people’s health, our climate, our planet and communities.

Why food systems need to change

Our food systems today are unsustainable. They are both affected by and drivers of

• climate change
• resources scarcity
• pollution and waste
• environmental degradation
• loss of biodiversity
• population growth
• malnutrition and diet-related non-communicable disease

How the policy works

Food 2030 sets out a vision for research and innovation that covers the entire food system, linking multiple sectors from primary production (from land and water) to food processing, retail and distribution, packaging, waste and recycling, food services and consumption.

It joins up research and innovation actors and activities in different areas and across disciplines to find answers to interconnected and pressing challenges.

Its ambition is to

• strengthen the science-policy-society interface
• improve research and innovation policy coherence and alignment
• boost and leverage research and innovation funding and investment
• narrow the innovation gap (the gap between actual innovation and the innovation that is needed)
• increase market take-up and societal relevance of food systems solutions that can include food products, new ways of doing things, tools and technologies, and services
• support the role of disruptive technologies, new approaches and business models, as well as social, institutional and governance innovation relevant to the food systems transition

The ambition of Food 2030 is to support research and innovation that can deliver co-benefits to these 4 thematic priorities:

Nutrition for sustainable and healthy diets

• tackling malnutrition and obesity
• improving nutrition (for example, to support healthy ageing)
• sourcing and developing new protein alternatives to foster plant-based diets
• improving food authenticity, traceability and safety systems
• fostering consumption of forgotten crops for nutrition and resilience
• supporting the shift towards sustainable healthy diets with a focus on Europe and Africa

Food systems supporting a healthy planet

• climate-smart food systems that adapt to climate change, preserve natural resources and help reduce the flow of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere
• environmentally friendly and resilient food systems that boost biodiversity, ensure healthy ecosystems and soils and foster sustainable agriculture and aquaculture

Circularity and resource efficiency

• reducing food waste
• using unavoidable biomass and waste as a resource
• reducing water and energy use via more efficient and greener industrial processes and logistics
• providing more local food on demand for short supply-chains
• fostering sustainable and biodegradable food packaging and reducing plastics in food

Innovation and empowering communities

• creating thriving innovation ecosystems and living labs that generate new business models, approaches, technologies and products
• empowering towns, cities, regions and local actors as agents of change
• fostering education, skills-building and awareness raising and getting people engaged in food science and local food policies
• supporting a place-based food systems sharing economy from farm to fork and fostering social innovation
• developing data-driven food and nutrition systems that meet societal needs

Funding will be made available under Horizon Europe to help find answers to Food 2030 priorities.

It will concentrate on 11 areas known as pathways for action

1. Governance and systems change
2. Urban food system transformation
3. Food from the oceans and freshwater resources
4. Alternative proteins and dietary shift
5. Resource-efficient food systems
6. The microbiome world
7. Nutrition and sustainable healthy diets
8. Food safety systems of the future
9. Food systems Africa
10. Data and digital transformation
11. Zero Pollution food systems

Food 2030 has inspired and led to the creation of the Horizon Europe Partnership for Safe and Sustainable Food Systems for People, Planet and Climate and is supportive of the goals of the  EU Mission: A Soil Deal for Europe.

• Report
• 25 June 2023
• Directorate-General for Research and Innovation

Mapping ERC frontier research sustainable food production and consumption

This report outlines the rich diversity of ERC funded projects which are in various ways relevant for the pathways identified in the EU’s Food 2030 research and innovation policy.

• Report
• 30 May 2023
• Directorate-General for Research and Innovation

Urban food system transformation in the context of Food 2030

This report on urban food system transformation reflects on the future of sustainable food systems in line with the priorities of the Food 2030 initiative.

• Study
• 10 March 2023
• Directorate-General for Research and Innovation

Food systems: Research and innovation investment gap study

This comprehensive report presents the results of a comparative study of food systems research and innovation (R&I) investment levels in the EU, considering public and private R&I spent at both national and EU level.

More publications