In Rome, where the ancient Forum was the heart of social happenings, another kind of forum took place last week: one that reimagines what food systems of the future might be. The Center of Excellence in Food, Tourism & Leisure (CoEFTL), represented by Toula Perrea, stepped into this dialogue as part of EIT Food’s much-anticipated “Next Bite” gathering. Over two days, October 15-16, 2024, Europe’s foremost food visionaries, innovators, and thinkers exchanged ideas, visions, and perhaps even a sense of urgency in the face of our planet’s looming ecological and nutritional challenges.

The EIT Food Next Bite event, which drew a crowd of 900 diverse minds from the agri-food industry, offered a snapshot of the future of food — a future, it seems, that is as much about innovation as it is about cooperation. Supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), this flagship event highlighted the core pillars of EIT Food’s agenda: healthier lives, a net-zero food system, and a fair and resilient food future. These are lofty goals, but last week’s gathering was anything but idle talk.

Throughout the event’s sessions, held across three bustling stages, industry heavyweights, researchers, and eager startups explored a range of ideas, from eco-labelling to sustainable farming practices. According to EIT Food CEO Richard Zaltzman, this community’s aim is to create tangible impact. “We need three ingredients: hope, inspiration, and connections”, he noted, describing the startup, the farmer pioneers, and the entrepreneurs who fuel this vision of transformation.

Event highlights include:

• Corporate Collaboration Recognition: The Südzucker Group, one of the world’s largest sugar producers, received the Corporate Startup Collaboration Award for its exemplary partnerships with agrifood startups, demonstrating how large corporates and agile startups can collaborate to fuel innovation.
• Eco-Labelling Standards Initiative: The International Alliance for Impact Data was launched, an initiative led by EIT Food to standardize eco-labelling across global food systems, paving the way for clearer and consistent environmental scoring of food products.
• Startup Awards: The 2024 EIT Food Accelerator Network Tech Validation Awards were presented to 15 innovative startups, each receiving funding to accelerate their cutting-edge technologies in partnership with EIT Food’s extensive European network.

Professor Perrea attended this gathering with an open agenda: to learn, to share, and to build partnerships that can strengthen Greece’s role within Europe’s shifting food landscape. As CoEFTL participates in similar forums, it adds its voice to an evolving narrative about food’s future — one where each actor has a role to play, as Viktoria de Bourbon de Parme, EIT Food’s Chief Partnership Officer, reminded participants.