🍽️ Innovation on the menu: Driving change in how we eat

Would you like to share this email? View online Been sent this email by a friend and want to receive The Feed yourself? Subscribe

The Feed - October 2025 Hello joe,   It’s been a busy month at EIT Food. From the success of our flagship event, Next Bite 2025, and the announcement of the European Agrifood Biotech Alliance to the launch of two new Consumer Observatory reports, there’s been plenty to celebrate.  Building on the momentum of Next Bite, this month’s edition explores how food innovation is helping us to lead healthier, more sustainable lives.   Whether it’s innovating fermentation techniques, creating healthier vending machines or producing plastic-free coatings for fresh produce, there are so many exciting developments happening in this space.  Read on to discover more!  The EIT Food Team

News and Insights

EIT Food is launching the European Agrifood Biotech Alliance, a cross-sector effort to drive progress in innovative areas such as protein diversification, plant and microbiome engineering, and bioprocessing. CEO Richard Zaltzman and Director of Biotech and Protein Thematic Leadership Lorena Savani spoke to Forbes about why it’s needed.  EIT Food to launch European Agrifood Biotech Alliance More via Forbes

EIT Food and Wageningen-based accelerator StartLife have announced a new strategic partnership, marking a major milestone for Europe’s agrifood startup ecosystem. The collaboration, covered by Food Ingredients First, will make StartLife’s startups eligible for EIT Food investment funding of up to €1.5 million, accelerating innovation across the sector.   EIT Food and StartLife join forces to boost agrifood innovation  Read the article The Future Farm Lab is a 3D, browser-based augmented reality simulation for farmers, students, professionals and policymakers. Developed in partnership with MetaChef, it’s designed to advance regenerative agriculture learning and delivers a highly engaging, interactive learning experience.  Future Farm Lab launched at Next Bite 2025  Check it out

Impact and Inspiration

Exploring consumer perceptions of the EU Biotech Act  This report from EIT Food’s Consumer Observatory sheds light on how Europeans view biotechnology and the current regulatory framework. Designed to support EU policymakers and industry leaders, the findings reveal how the Act can be shaped and communicated to align with public values and build confidence in biotech-based foods.  Download the report

EIT Food awards €600,000 to 18 AgriFoodTech Startups  Winners of EIT Food’s 2025 Tech Validation Funding have been awarded a total of €600,000 to help them scale breakthrough technologies across Europe. From AI pollination tools to potato-based proteins, these innovative ventures are helping to transform how we grow, process and consume food. Read all about it in Vegconomist!  Discover the winners

Celebrating the conclusion of the AMPLE Warsaw project  The AMPLE Warsaw Project empowers people with intellectual disabilities to build skills and confidence for work in the food sector. The closing event featured the launch of the “You Can Do It! 5 Steps to Employment” guide, new video resources on supported employment, and a community celebration.  Find out more

Events and Opportunities

🌱 Agrifood Investment Launchpad Programme [24 November - 15 December, online]  Are you taking your first steps as an agrifood investor? Our Agrifood Investment Launchpad is a hands-on online programme designed for aspiring investors eager to explore the fast-growing agrifood sector. Learn the fundamentals of angel investing, connect with innovative startups, and build your network of investors and industry experts.  Join the programme

🚀 Next Bite: Accelerating innovation through women leadership  [4 December, Warsaw]  Join us in Warsaw on 4 December for a celebration of women shaping the future of agrifood innovation. Meet 13 EWA Innovators, hear from leading experts and investors and connect with peers driving change across Europe’s food ecosystem.   Sign up to attend

🔭 Corporate Venturing Launchpad Türkiye  [17 December, Istanbul]  Join EIT Food for a dynamic half-day programme designed for agrifood corporates exploring open innovation. This session is ideal for innovation leaders, R&D directors, and executives seeking to strengthen their innovation journey and gain practical tools to align corporate venturing with strategy.  Register for the session

Innovation Spotlight

How can food literacy transform our food system for the better?   EIT Food has commissioned a new report from the University of Gothenburg: “Towards a shared understanding of food literacy across Europe”. It explores how food literacy can drive positive change in Europe’s food systems, and finds that this goes far beyond cooking or nutrition education.  Explore the findings

Creating sustainable cucumber packaging with Saveggy  Saveggy, a Swedish startup supported by EIT Food, was recently featured in Food Ingredients First for tackling packaging waste with an additive-free, plant-based coating for fresh produce. Made from rapeseed and oat oil, their solution offers a sustainable  alternative to plastic packaging.  Read the full story

MATR Foods: blending biotech and tradition  What happens when Nordic vegetables meet biotech? MATR Foods, who recently completed a €40 million fundraise, is using fungi fermentation to turn simple local crops into rich, plant-based proteins. With just five natural ingredients, they’re creating delicious burger patties, mince and other meat alternatives. Discover MATR's journey

Watch this

New podcast episode: Making healthy eating as easy as buying a coffee  In this episode of The Food Fight podcast we speak to Glenn Mathijssen, co-founder and CEO of Alberts, the Belgian startup reinventing vending machines to serve fresh, healthy snacks on demand. Discover how smart food robotics could make nutritious eating effortless, affordable and waste-free.  Tune in here

You are receiving this email because you have signed up or shared your details. You can update the way you receive emails from EIT Food via the preferences centre. EIT Food · Ubicenter A · Philipssite 5 Bus 33, Heverlee · Leuven 3001 · Belgium Copyright © 2024 EIT Food, All rights reserved. Contact newsletter@eitfood.eu for more info Unsubscribe | Subscription Prefrences | Privacy Policy