FOODDRINKEUROPE AISBL

Their core work

FoodDrinkEurope is the main European trade association representing the food and drink manufacturing industry. In H2020 projects, they bring the industry voice to policy dialogues, food safety platforms, and research agenda-setting — ensuring that EU food policy and research priorities reflect the needs of actual producers. They specialize in bridging the gap between scientific research, regulatory frameworks, and industry practice across the European food system, with particular strength in multi-actor engagement and responsible innovation processes.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their earlier H2020 involvement (2016–2018), FoodDrinkEurope focused on broad societal engagement themes — citizen science, barriers and incentives for public participation, and policy guidance spanning food, health, nanotechnology, and bio-economy. From 2018 onward, their focus sharpened considerably toward food-specific concerns: risk assessment, risk communication, food safety transparency, and digital platforms for participatory policy-making. The shift signals a move from general RRI advocacy toward concrete food safety governance and science communication infrastructure.

FoodDrinkEurope is moving toward digital infrastructure for food safety governance and science-to-public communication, making them a strong partner for projects requiring industry buy-in on food transparency initiatives.

How they like to work

FoodDrinkEurope consistently participates as a partner rather than a coordinator, which is typical for a major industry association — they bring sector-wide representation and policy access rather than research leadership. With 86 unique partners across 21 countries from just 4 projects, they operate in large, diverse consortia. Their role is that of the industry representative who ensures research outputs are relevant and adoptable by the food manufacturing sector.

Despite only 4 projects, FoodDrinkEurope has collaborated with 86 distinct partners across 21 countries — an exceptionally broad network reflecting their position as a pan-European industry body. Their reach spans nearly all EU member states, with no single geographic cluster dominating.

What sets them apart

FoodDrinkEurope is not a research performer — they are the collective voice of Europe's largest manufacturing sector (food and drink). Their value in a consortium is unmatched access to industry networks, policy channels, and the ability to validate whether research outputs will actually be adopted by producers. If your project needs credible industry endorsement or a dissemination channel into the food manufacturing sector, few organizations carry more weight.

Highlights from their portfolio

• FIT4FOOD2030
  Largest funding (EUR 122,621) and most strategically significant — directly shaped the EU's FOOD 2030 research and innovation policy agenda.
• FOODSAFETY4EU
  Most recent project, building a permanent multi-actor platform for food safety across Europe — signals their current strategic direction.
• PROSO
  Earliest project, notable for crossing sector boundaries (food, health, nanotechnology, bio-economy) to address societal engagement with science.