The high-level EIT Food Roundtable, The Future of Europe’s Food Systems: Leveraging Innovation for Strategic Resilience and Competitiveness
What can we achieve together to strengthen Europe’s food systems for resilience and competitiveness? On May 26, over 100 leaders from government, science, startups, agriculture, and industry gathered in Warsaw to explore solutions.
The EIT Food Roundtable, titled The Future of Europe’s Food Systems: Leveraging Innovation for Strategic Resilience and Competitiveness, hosted by EIT Food North-East, was part of a broader dialogue under the Polish presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Building strategic resilience requires collaboration across scientists, entrepreneurs, farmers, and policymakers.
While new technologies promise to address fragmentation in European agriculture, adoption tends to favor larger farms.
Our mission is to foster knowledge exchange, talent growth, and international cooperation.
This forum is meant to foster active exchange and discussion about the future of Europe’s food systems.
We aimed to create an open platform for dialogue to tackle key challenges in Europe’s food system resilience and competitiveness.
Building Resilience and Competitiveness in Europe’s Food System
This event brought together leaders from across the food system to discuss the most pressing challenges and opportunities for Europe’s food sector.
The roundtable provided a platform for open dialogue and exchange of perspectives, with a focus on building resilience and competitiveness.
Panelists contributed their insights on the role of innovation, technology, and collaboration in shaping the future of food in Europe. The discussions highlighted both the challenges and the potential solutions for a more resilient and competitive food system.
Farmers are already under economic pressure. If we want them to embrace new, diversified protein production systems, governments need to provide financing, education, and long-term incentives.
AI should have a seat at the table.
We launched climate-friendly products in 2017. Back then, only few consumers cared. Now, finally, they’re starting to listen.
From Dialogue to Action: Securing Europe’s Food Systems
This meeting was just the beginning. In Warsaw, policymakers, scientists, entrepreneurs, farmers, and industry leaders sat down together. Not to deliver statements, but to listen, exchange views, and seek common ground.
Now is the time for action!
Political, financial, and technological. There’s no time to waste. Because food is more than just an industry, it’s our identity. It’s our security.
Challenges and Realities for Food Startups and Innovators
Insights from interviews by Katarzyna Sypniewska (EIT Food North-East) further emphasized the realities faced by startups and innovators in the food sector:
Many startups face challenges as consumers aren’t quite ready to accept the future of food. Tradition runs deep, but with the right approach, we can build trust and drive acceptance.
Currently, Poland is investing virtually nothing in agritech innovation. There are no pre-accelerators, no early-stage support funds. And yet we’re the fifth-largest food producer in Europe.
Photo Gallery: Highlights from the EIT Food Roundtable in Warsaw
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