The Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025 – released on May 14, 2025, by the European Commission – includes Cluster 6 |“Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment”—at its core. The cluster is pivotal in advancing sustainability, biodiversity, and climate resilience across agrifood chains and food systems.

Key initiatives include:

  • Circular Economy & Bioeconomy for innovative business models and digital solutions to drive sustainable value chains.
  • Zero Pollution for targeting environmental biotechnology for ecosystem remediation and pollution reduction.
  • Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services focusing on large-scale biodiversity observations and nature restoration measures. Research and innovation
  • Sustainable Food Systems for enhancing food security, nutrition, and mental health through innovative practices.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has published the report “FOOD SAFETY in personalized nutrition – A focus on food supplements and functional foods“, highlighting the evolving challenges in ensuring the safety of these products. Key aspects include ingredient safety (especially those without a history of consumption), interaction with medications, and the importance of appropriate dosage.
The report also compares global regulatory practices on classification, labelling, and oversight of supplements and functional foods. It offers strategic insights for strengthening food safety governance, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, promoting both innovation and consumer protection.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has published the report “Precision Fermentation – With a Focus on Food Safety“, which examines the emerging technology of precision fermentation and its implications for food safety.
Precision fermentation involves using specifically engineered microorganisms to produce targeted food ingredients such as proteins, lipids, and vitamins, often as sustainable alternatives to animal-derived products.
The report highlights the lack of a global definition for precision fermentation, complicating harmonised international regulations. It provides an in-depth analysis of the production process, potential food safety hazards-including allergenicity concerns-and compares regulatory frameworks across various countries. Through three detailed case studies and consultations with regulatory experts worldwide, the publication aims to guide policymakers and food safety authorities in establishing effective, adaptive regulatory approaches to ensure the safe introduction of precision-fermented foods globally.

A comprehensive resource for the EU Food and Drink Industry

The Data & Trends 2024 report by FoodDrinkEurope is now available. This essential resource offers detailed statistics and insights into the EU food and drink industry, highlighting its position as the largest manufacturing sector in the EU.

The report reveals that the industry employs 4.7 million people, generates a turnover of €1.2 trillion, and adds €250 billion in value. It also explores the cost of transitioning to more sustainable food systems, input costs, and future industry trends.

Additionally, the report provides a market outlook, showing that 65% of EU food and drink exports go to the Single Market, with exports outside the EU reaching €182 billion and a trade surplus of €80 billion. It includes a ranking of the top 50 food and drink companies worldwide.

This comprehensive report is an invaluable tool for professionals looking to understand the current landscape and future direction of the EU food and drink industry.

The FutureFoodS partnership is seeking qualified experts to participate in evaluating proposals for their upcoming funding calls. This could be an excellent opportunity for professionals in food sustainability, research, and innovation to contribute their expertise and shape the future of food systems.

The International Expert Panel (IEP) will review proposals that align with FutureFoodS’ goals of advancing sustainable food practices and innovations. By joining, experts will play a key role in selecting high-impact projects aiming to address pressing global food challenges, such as food security, sustainable production, and the environmental impact of food systems.

Information about the specific qualifications and requirements needed to join the panel is available in the call for experts is available at this link.

The European Commission has announced the adoption of the 2025 Work Programme for the European Innovation Council (EIC), introducing over €1.4 billion in funding opportunities. This programme aims to accelerate Europe’s progress in strategic technologies and support high-growth companies, focusing on innovation with significant potential for market disruption and societal impact.

Key Funding Schemes in the 2025 Programme

The 2025 EIC work programme allocates funding across four major schemes:

  1. EIC Pathfinder
    Funding: €262 million
    Grants up to €4 million will be awarded to multi-disciplinary research teams tackling visionary, high-risk projects that have the potential to deliver breakthrough technologies.
  2. EIC Transition
    Funding: €98 million
    Aimed at turning research results into viable innovation opportunities, the EIC Transition scheme will offer grants of up to €2.5 million to further develop promising results from EIC Pathfinder projects, ERC Proof of Concept, and Horizon Pillar 2 collaborative projects.
  3. EIC Accelerator
    Funding: €634 million
    Designed to help start-ups and SMEs develop and scale high-impact innovations, EIC Accelerator will provide grants of up to €2.5 million, along with equity investments ranging from €0.5 million to €10 million. This scheme focuses on innovations with potential to create new markets or transform existing ones.
  4. STEP Scale Up
    Funding: €300 million
    The STEP Scale Up programme will provide additional equity funding to promising SMEs, start-ups, spin-offs, and small mid-caps operating in critical technology areas. Investments range from €10 million to €30 million, helping these companies secure private co-investment for further scaling.

Supporting Innovation Across Europe

The EIC 2025 programme offers numerous resources to support applicants and highlight the programme’s impact, including information days, downloadable factsheets, FAQs, and a dedicated podcast series. The programme also includes videos on key challenges and statements from the EIC Board, all aimed at guiding innovators toward realizing their potential in strategic sectors.
More info here

The white paper “Food Supplements“ by LGC AXIO, an EU FOOD SAFETY PLATFORM member, explores regulatory gaps in the EU and US markets, emphasizing the need for improved standards, given the ease of access to these products in these regions.

The supplements market is growing rapidly, with a diverse range of active ingredients, degradation products, and contaminants requiring careful safety assessment. Recent scientific research supports the health benefits of dietary supplements—including vitamins, minerals, botanicals, and fatty acids—for aspects like athletic performance, cardiovascular health, weight management, and neurological support.
This trend has significantly fueled the supplements industry; however, concerns over quality and safety are rising.
Issues such as discrepancies between labelled and actual ingredient concentrations and the presence of contaminants highlight the need for rigorous oversight. Recent studies highlight significant regulatory gaps in the EU and US, stressing the need for improved methods to ensure reliable measurement of supplement quality and safety. Botanical supplements, in particular, raise concerns over potential side effects and drug interactions, as they lack the strict standards applied to pharmaceuticals. This variability underscores an opportunity for scientists and regulators to collaborate internationally to enhance public health. To meet the demands of informed consumers, more manufacturers are differentiating themselves through testing in accredited labs and participation in Proficiency Testing (PT) schemes, ensuring quality and compliance.

PT is critical in fostering transparency and accountability, helping quality brands distinguish themselves from those of lower quality. Insights from the LGC AXIO PT team reveal that quality markers and contaminants vary widely across products, presenting technical challenges for manufacturers striving to maintain high standards.

The white paper “Unmasking Mycotoxins in Spices” by LGC AXIO, an EU FOOD SAFETY PLATFORM member, provides an in-depth analysis of mycotoxin contamination in spices and underscores its significance for public health and food safety.
With a particular focus on contaminants like aflatoxins and ochratoxin A, the report emphasizes the persistent risks mycotoxins pose to human health due to their toxicity and resilience, even through various processing stages. Mycotoxins, produced by mould species such as Aspergillus and Penicillium, are prevalent in various spices including chilli, nutmeg, and turmeric, often exceeding regulatory limits in the EU and international markets.

The report highlights proficiency testing (PT) as a key quality control measure to evaluate laboratory accuracy and reliability in detecting mycotoxins. Data from LGC AXIO PT schemes reveal that rapid testing methods, such as ELISA and LC-MS/MS, are essential for precise detection, though differences in method sensitivity persist. Additionally, the report considers the broader context of spice contamination beyond mycotoxins, addressing other hazards like pesticide residues, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and illegal dyes.

The regulatory framework for mycotoxins, led by the EU’s Commission Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006, sets strict permissible limits for mycotoxins in spices, aligning with international standards such as the Codex Alimentarius. Yet, as the document indicates, ongoing challenges necessitate harmonized testing protocols and technological advancements to ensure food safety. This paper serves as a vital resource for experts, providing insights into the complexity of spice contamination, the need for global collaboration in standardizing testing, and the importance of enhancing laboratory capabilities to safeguard the spice supply chain

A new study on virtual social labs implementation has been published in the Journal of Responsible Technology (2024), by Maria Schrammel and Ilse Marschalek of ZSI, Zentrum für Soziale Innovation GmbH, as a partner of the FoodSafety4EU project.
The FoodSafety4EU participatory process gave the stage for exploring, experimenting, testing and standardizing how to conduct successful social laboratories in a virtual mode, through the implementation of four FSOLabs, that have been successfully organized online and conducted by Social Lab Managers:
FSOLab 1: Niels van der Linden & Pieternel Luning – Wageningen University & Research
FSOLab 2: Michael Rychlik & Tamara Steltz -Technical University of Munich
FSOLab 3: Denisa E. Duta IBA BUCURESTI & Biancamaria Ciasca CNR ISPA
FSOLab 4: Line Friis Lindner ISEKI-Food Association
supported by Food Safety Hub Leaders:
Monika Tomaniová UCT Prague – Veronica Lattanzio CNR ISPA – Sarah De Saeger UGENT – Hanna-Leena Alakomi VTT.

Abstract:

In response to the challenges posed by the complex field of food safety, the FOODSAFETY4EU project established social labs. Due to COVID-19 pandemic the lab process, typically held in-person, had to be converted to the virtual space. This means that all workshops, meetings, and collaboration processes and the pilot activity implementation solely took place online. This resulted in the novel situation of teams collaborating virtually throughout the labs. Virtual collaborations were already on the rise before the pandemic, evidenced by an increase in virtual meetings and workshops.
This study examines the requirements and limitations for online settings to be effective in virtual social lab processes. It investigates virtual collaboration, team dynamics, and the use of online tools. Findings reveal advantages such as increased participation, but also drawbacks including technical issues and role accountability. Despite challenges, all four virtual social labs finally succeeded in engaging diverse stakeholders and achieving significant outcomes.


Download the publication below!