Food and nutrition security (FNS) – having access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food – supports society and communities by ensuring good health, sustainable jobs and lifelong enjoyment. To ensure that future generations achieve FNS, certain global pressures, such as population growth, urbanisation, resource scarcity and climate change, must be addressed. For example, feeding an estimated global population of 9 billion by 2050 will require a near 60 % increase in food demand. At the same time, the global and growing appetite for meat and animal protein is becoming unsustainable and is leading to a further rise in greenhouse gas emissions from the sector.

The European Commission aims to tackle the FNS challenge with research and innovation (R&I) policies designed to future-proof our food systems to make them sustainable, resilient, diverse, inclusive and competitive for the benefit of society. This systemic approach, which aims to connect, scale-up and boost EU R&I, is referred to as FOOD 2030, and will provide solutions to four overarching priorities: Nutrition, Climate, Circularity, and Innovation.

These priorities are being addressed through public and private investments, open science, research breakthroughs and increased global cooperation. The FOOD 2030 initiative connects the ‘whole food value chain’ by linking: land and sea; producers to consumers; and ‘farm-tofork to gut and back’. In doing so it focuses heavily upon on scale up, digitisation, and promoting open innovation, education and skills.

A new brochure "Future-Proofing our Food systems through Research and Innovation" (PDF download) presents European research projects and their diverse contributions to food and nutrition security. REFRESH is featured in the brochure.