EU Food Research & Innovation

Food 2040: What the EU's New Food Plan Proposes

The European Commission is reorganising research on food and food systems. Six areas are intended to guide projects through 2040, but the strategy does not create immediate new rules.

By Kochzauber editorial team · Published · Updated

Pulses, grains, vegetables, bread and a reusable box on a table in a food-research setting.
Pulses, grains, vegetables, bread and a reusable box on a table in a food-research setting.

In short: The European Commission is reorganising research on food and food systems. Six areas are intended to guide projects through 2040, but the strategy does not create immediate new rules.

Therefore, the publication does not mean that labels, prices or products change overnight for consumers. Food 2040 will become relevant if concrete research programmes, pilot projects and solutions that are suitable for practice arise from it. The time horizon extends until 2040; important funding decisions are to be incorporated into the planning for the years 2028 to 2034.

Two connected frames instead of a single feed pot

The strategy consists of two interrelated parts. "AgRI 2040 is focused primarily on agriculture, forestry and rural areas. "Food 2040 is looking at the entire food system including fisheries and aquaculture. Together, both frameworks are intended to link research more closely from production to consumption and recycling of residues.

The European Commission's official communication identifies competitiveness, food security, resilience, protection of natural resources, health, fairness and international cooperation as common priorities. Food 2040 sets out this direction for processing, packaging, trade, gastronomy, consumption and food loss and recycling. (Source)

The six fields of action of Food 2040

  1. Regional and local food systems: Research should develop solutions that match the ecological, economic and social conditions of a region, including short supply chains and local innovation networks.
  2. Healthy and sustainable nutrition: The aim is to better combine nutrition and food, health and environmental goals, ranging from composition and processing to actual acceptance in everyday life.
  3. Resource efficiency and zero-pollutant goal: Water, energy and raw materials should be used more efficiently, waste avoided and problematic entries reduced. Cycles are a central motive.
  4. Food Environments and Consumer Competence: Research aims to clarify how supply, price, information and everyday situations influence decisions. Consumers should be able to obtain reliable information and choose more easily sustainable, healthy options.
  5. Scaling innovations, business models and fair solutions: Successful pilot projects should be easier to achieve in markets and supply systems. This also involves fair value creation and the participation of different actors.
  6. Aquatic food: Fisheries, aquaculture and other aquatic foods are included as their own research area. Sustainability, safety and nutrition are to be considered together.

This list is broad. It does not prescribe which specific product must be in the supermarket. Rather, it should prioritize research questions and prevent technical innovation, nutritional effects, environmental consequences and social aspects from being dealt with separately.

What consumers might notice later

If the framework is successfully implemented, for example, it could result in better procedures against food losses, more understandable decision-making aids, new regional marketing models or more resource-efficient processing and packaging solutions. The question of how healthy offers become more readily available and affordable in everyday life is also part of the research field.

However, such effects are objectives, not guaranteed results. Development, safety assessment, approval, investment and acceptance are between a funded project and a comprehensive application. A research strategy does not replace these steps.

What role vegetable proteins play

EU research under the previous name Food 2030 has already worked on alternative protein sources, fermentation and sustainable processing. In the consultation on the new strategy, a broader protein supply was also mentioned as an important topic. This can strengthen research on pulses and other raw materials, but is not a duty to replace meat or a flat-rate authorisation of new ingredients.

Those who want to use vegetable proteins in practice today do not have to wait for a future research program. Proven foods such as beans, lentils, peas and chickpeas are already available. Our recipes with pulses and vegetable recipes offer suggestions. Food 2040 can help to systematically process open questions about processing, nutritional value, acceptance and sustainable cultivation.

631 responses are participation, but no referendum

The Commission based the preparation on a public consultation. The published evaluation report lists 631 questionnaire replies and 63 additional written contributions. Among other things, it highlighted environmental impacts, healthier nutrition, crisis resistance, circulatory economy, strategic autonomy and protein diversity.

These figures show an organised participation of citizens and stakeholders. However, they are not automatically representative of all people in the EU. An open consultation is not a random population survey. Formulations such as "Europeans want" would therefore be stronger than the data base allows.

When does money flow – and how much?

The strategy will shape the direction of research and innovation by 2040, and will feed into Horizon Europe's next programming period for 2028 to 2034. The Commission also points out that the strategy does not prejudge negotiations on the next multi-annual EU budget.

The following follows: Food 2040 is not an already fully quantified funding decision. Individual budgets, tenders and participation conditions are only defined in the relevant programmes. Therefore, a topic mentioned as a priority does not yet have a guaranteed amount of money.

Four questions help to classify future messages

  • Strategy or law? A research framework sets goals. Binding obligations arise only through own legal acts.
  • Pilot or finished product? An experiment under controlled conditions is not yet a scaled solution for trade and household.
  • Funding priority or proven impact? Money for research enables testing, but does not guarantee the desired result.
  • Long-term goal or today's change? A horizon until 2040 is important for planning, but says little about the next purchase.

These distinctions protect against exaggerated headlines. At the same time, they make it clear why the strategy is relevant: many problems of the food system can only be investigated over several years and along the entire chain.

Conclusion: A direction of research, not a new rule of everyday life

Food 2040 gives European food research a common structure. The six fields of action combine nutrition, the environment, consumer decisions, fair business models, regional systems and food from water bodies. This is broader than the development of individual products.

For the day-to-day life, nothing changes immediately with the adoption. It will be crucial which programs, projects and measurable solutions follow – and whether they actually bring together health, sustainability and affordability. Until then, each concrete product or price claim should be examined separately from the strategy.

Sources and status

Author: Kochzauber Redaktion. Information and updating status: 9 September 2026. The article assigns a political research strategy and is not a funding, legal or investment consulting. The title image is an AI-generated symbol image.

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