Food Science and Technology Pub Date : 2020-05-28 , DOI: 10.1002/fsat.3402_10.x
Laura Elphick outlines the goals and aspirations of EIT Food and explains how it is working to increase collaboration and innovation in the food sector .
Arguably now more than ever our agri‐food system faces multiple threats and challenges. From a growing population that is expected to reach 9.8bn people by 2050 (UN, 2017)[ 1] , to a global food waste crisis where one‐ third of all food is lost or wasted (FAO, 2020)[ 2] , to the effects of climate change on soil health and quality[ 3] , our food system is experiencing increased pressure. The current COVID‐19 outbreak is increasing the pressure even further as we experience the impact on food supply chains across the globe[ 4] .
EIT Food is Europe's leading food innovation initiative, aiming to overcome some of the food system's biggest challenges. To do this, EIT Food is building an inclusive community that fosters innovation and collaboration to transform the system into one which is more sustainable, healthy and trusted. This community consists of actors from across the food value chain including key industry players, agri‐food start‐ups, research centres and universities from across Europe, all working together with citizens and consumers to deliver an innovative and entrepreneurial food sector.
EIT Food is one of eight EIT‐funded innovation communities that supports entrepreneurs, innovators and students across Europe to create and find innovative solutions to major societal issues.
Through building connections with organisations, such as IFST, EIT Food is reaching out to individuals across the food sector to encourage participation in innovation to deliver a secure, sustainable and healthy future of food. There are many ways for individuals and companies to engage directly with EIT Food and its partner base. Our UK‐based team are always available to discuss and share information about ways to engage.
EIT Food: making innovation happen
EIT Food was formed in 2018 by a public‐private consortium funded by The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). EIT itself is an EU body created by the European Union in 2008 to strengthen Europe's ability to innovate. EIT Food is one of eight EIT‐funded innovation communities that supports entrepreneurs, innovators and students across Europe to create and find innovative solutions to major societal issues. It is this motivation to understand the food system from multiple perspectives and solve its challenges that underpins the determination to achieve real impact in a sector that needs transforming.
At EIT Food we align ourselves with UN Sustainable Development Goals[ 5] to define the wider societal challenges where we want to deliver influence, and the specific societal indicators that we need to focus on to achieve this. We have six target areas where we aim to deliver real impact including targeted nutrition, sustainable agriculture, digital traceability, sustainable aquaculture, circular food systems and alternative proteins. In an industry which is traditional and largely unchanged, innovations within each of these areas will allow the digital transformation of the food system as a whole, where new technologies can help overcome many of the industry's challenges.
EIT Food has built a community with 86 innovative partners and 58 enterprising start‐ups, which deliver over 100 projects each year that are helping to transform the food system. This community is continuing to grow, as we welcome other networks, organisations and start‐ups with different skills and capabilities to join us. At the core of the EIT Food community is the consumer, as it is the inclusion of consumers in the process of innovation itself that is paramount to achieve change. We are all responsible for and connected to the food that we eat so all stakeholders need to work together to make innovation happen.
Delivering innovation during a crisis
Creating and implementing innovative solutions during the most challenging of times including the COVID‐19 pandemic can be daunting. However, in times of crisis the food system pulls together to display the upmost resiliency. At EIT Food we are no different. We enable collaboration via a digital platform and facilitated workshops and discussions to support online joint innovation when face‐to‐face collaboration is not possible. This platform enables us to reach out to our network and beyond, providing our community with a space to collaborate and exchange ideas. This includes how we can remain proactive and impact‐driven during the COVID‐19 pandemic. In a European organisation which spans dozens of countries, the platform will remain useful when face‐to‐face collaboration is once again possible, as digital working can be just as effective whilst having the added benefit of reducing our carbon footprint.
Supporting the next generation innovators
EIT Food offers opportunities for students, entrepreneurs and professionals, who want to transform the food system, by helping these groups develop key skills including critical thinking and business modelling. 
We offer a variety of education programmes, including free massive open online courses (MOOCs), Masters Programmes and Summer Schools designed for all levels of learning and professional development. For instance, if you are a startup or SME wanting to learn how to safeguard your business, our ‘Intellectual Property Management in the Food Sector’ online course, can equip you with the knowledge to do this. Or if you are a farmer wanting to learn more about sustainable production methods, we have a course exploring how farmers produce food sustainably. We also have a new course on how panic buying affects food supply chains in response to the COVID‐19 outbreak. We think everyone should have the opportunity to learn more about the food system and develop the skills and competencies necessary to improve it, which is why we offer a range of programmes to suit different needs and workloads.
Those who have developed their food sector skills can transition to our entrepreneurship programmes where we support agri‐food start‐ups in launching, accelerating and scaling their ideas and businesses. Here, we offer long‐term support and mentoring through a variety of programmes. These include our EIT Food Accelerator Network, which helps high impact agri‐food start‐ups maximise their success and our Seedbed Incubator, which helps aspiring entrepreneurs develop their minimum viable product or service from a commercial proposition to a validated business. We focus on supporting entrepreneurs and start‐ups as they bring exciting new ideas and solutions that pave the way for transformation.
Partnering for innovation
A consortium which brings together all key players in the food system is equipped to deliver impact, as different players can bring different skills and capabilities into the mix. Start‐ups, industry and researchers each have something different to offer, whether it is a start‐up's agile way of embracing innovation, industry's unique perspective on end‐consumers or a researcher's ability to offer unique evidence and insight.
EIT Food's SmartFoodLogging project is an example of a start‐up, two universities and an industry partner working together to help deliver a solution to targeted nutrition. The start‐up, BeYou, offers mobile development skills, KU Leuven and the University of Warsaw offer expertise and the industry partner, Colruyt Group, offers the means to deliver digital shopping solutions for consumers. Their different skills have enabled them to develop a platform which connects health coaches and consumers to help them make better food choices. This is just one EIT Food project which demonstrates the value an inclusive network can bring to innovation and collaboration.
CASE STUDIES
The case studies below demonstrate how the network is delivering impact in our target areas .
Focus on farmers
Farmers have always been an integral part of the food system, yet they face multiple threats on a daily basis including degrading soil, pest problems and difficult weather conditions, emphasising the need for sustainable agriculture. Agricultural technologies offer solutions to many of these problems including optimising yields and reducing the negative impact of agriculture on climate change, while increasing efficiency and profitability. For example, agri‐food start‐up GrainSense has developed the world's first hand‐held device for grain quality measurement, enabling farmers to measure the key parameters of their crops in real‐time. This technology empowers farmers to manage crop quality using big data to improve profitability, demonstrating the positive impact technology can have on farmers and their businesses.
To help agricultural start‐ups test and validate their solutions, EIT Food's ‘Test Farms’ project connects start‐ups with technologies that needs testing with farmers who have the available land for carrying out tests. The programme unites potential clients with their customers, where farmers can see first‐hand how technologies could help them in their day‐to‐day activities and build trust in the product by interacting directly with its creators. The unique context offers an opportunity for collaboration as farmers can give direct feedback and start‐ups can ask for suggestions for improvement. This project emphasises how collaborating with end‐consumers can help innovative solutions reach their full potential and in this case, support the wider technological transformation in European Agriculture.
Unfortunately, farmers do not always work alongside start‐ups in the creation of farming solutions. As such, they are often faced with new technologies that are difficult to install and learn how to use. This has led to the slow adoption of innovative technologies with farmers often sticking to traditional, less climate‐friendly methods.
‘Focus on Farmers’ is a project led by the University of Reading that connects farmers with mentors who can teach them about the benefits of using innovative technologies and train them in their use. This project aims to overcome the slow adoption of farming technologies by recruiting farmer champions and technology ambassadors who encourage the wider farming community to adopt new methods. So far, the project has engaged with 4,500 farmers, who have learned how to adopt useful, new technologies at scale.
Digital Waste Streams
To address food loss in the food value chain, our Digital Waste Streams project is giving food surplus and other waste materials from the food industry a new purpose. These materials are known as side‐streams and can be anything from leftover dough from bakery products to chocolate husks from cocoa beans. The start‐up involved in the project ‘Rethink Resource’ has created a matchmaking platform where companies can sell their side‐streams to other companies which need them. For example, a company that produces seedless raspberry jam can sell their raspberry seeds to a company that uses these seeds in cosmetics products. So far the project has identified over 50 side‐streams for its platform, but is hoping to reach thousands, to enable as many materials as possible to be saved from landfill.
The project demonstrates that there are innovative solutions to minimising waste and achieving a circular bioeconomy. As more companies realise the value in their waste streams, more materials can be reused and repurposed. Throwing away side streams can also be an expensive option compared to selling them on the project platform. With this in mind, reducing waste can be both more economically and environmentally sustainable and can help to achieve a zero‐waste circular economy.
To help agricultural start‐ups test and validate their solutions, EIT Food's ‘Test Farms’ project connects start‐ups with technologies that needs testing with farmers who have the available land for carrying out tests.
Engaging consumers in collaboration
Engaging with the public and listening to their opinions is important because ultimately their shopping and eating behaviours shape demand for food producers across the system. Therefore, citizens should have the opportunity to have their voices heard. 
In 2019, EIT conducted a series of street and group interviews across Europe to enable consumers to comment on important sector topics including, whether food is affordable and accessible, the health and environmental impacts of animal‐based proteins versus alternative proteins and the role of technology in farming to improve traceability. We learned that consumers are highly aware of certain issues within the food industry and this highlighted the importance of passing on their opinions to those who can influence change at a macro level.
Policymakers and food innovation experts were shown a collection of these interviews at our first EU conference in Brussels, which debated the future of food. Participants were encouraged to consider consumer perspectives and needs and how they can participate in transforming the food system. It was widely accepted that consumers should be given more opportunities to participate in the future of food. As an organisation that is actively involving consumers in the food innovation process we hope to keep delivering on this.
Families and school children should also have the opportunity to learn about the food system and be motivated to improve it. EIT Food gave shoppers at Poland's largest shopping mall the opportunity to learn about the science behind food, by taking science out of the laboratory and bringing it to the people for a day of fun and learning.
This hands‐on learning experience was organised by the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Maspex Group, where over 70 researchers offered a variety of experiments and activities and gave away 1,500 prizes. Audiences had the opportunity to learn about the foods that astronauts eat in space in a cosmic food workshop, including how to extend the shelf‐life of products while maintaining their nutritional value.
Other activities included the hot topic of fermented foods and their impact on health, where participants could observe lactic acid bacteria under the microscope and learn about types of probiotic in fermented products.
Families were also invited to try waste‐free cooking offered by local food bank volunteers and a local chef and to learn how to reduce their environmental imprint in the kitchen. The general public will again have the chance to learn more about food and how it works during EIT Food's participation at New Scientist Live in London later this year.
EIT Food engages in local community events, such as Reading Town Meal in the UK, where the public come together with grass‐roots organisations to celebrate healthy and sustainable food. During this event a locally produced lunch is provided using food donated by growers and allotment holders and cooked by students from the local college, before being served free to families and volunteers. Families enjoyed the activities on offer, including exploring the kitchen of the future through virtual reality in an activity led by Matis, a food and biotech R&D company based in Iceland, and an activity ‘Games of Food’ led by the University of Reading, where families must adopt a healthy diet to escape a zombie attack.
Transforming the food system is no easy task, but through collaboration we can create and deliver innovative solutions to overcome the challenges!
中文翻译：
倡导创新以实现具有韧性的食品系统
劳拉·艾尔菲克（Laura Elphick）概述了EIT Food的目标和愿望，并解释了EIT Food如何在食品领域加强合作和创新。
可以说，现在我们的农业食品系统比以往任何时候都面临着多重威胁和挑战。从预计到2050年将达到98亿的不断增长的人口（联合国，2017年）[ 1 ]，再到全球粮食浪费危机，在此期间，所有食物的三分之一会丢失或浪费（粮农组织，2020年）[ 2 ]，气候变化对土壤健康和质量的影响[ 3 ]，我们的食物系统正承受着越来越大的压力。当我们经历对全球食品供应链的影响时，当前的COVID-19爆发正在进一步加大压力[ 4 ]。
EIT Food是欧洲领先的食品创新计划，旨在克服食品系统的某些最大挑战。为此，EIT Food正在建设一个包容各方的社区，以促进创新和协作，以将系统转变为更可持续，更健康和更受信任的系统。这个社区由来自整个食品价值链的参与者组成，包括来自整个欧洲的关键行业参与者，农业食品初创企业，研究中心和大学，所有这些人都与公民和消费者一起致力于提供创新和创业的食品部门。
EIT Food是八个由EIT资助的创新社区之一，为整个欧洲的企业家，创新者和学生提供支持，以创建并找到针对重大社会问题的创新解决方案。
通过与IFST等组织建立联系，EIT Food正在与食品领域的每个人接触，以鼓励他们参与创新，以创造安全，可持续和健康的食品未来。个人和公司可以通过多种方式直接与EIT Food及其合作伙伴进行互动。我们位于英国的团队随时可以讨论和分享有关参与方式的信息。
EIT食品：实现创新
EIT Food于2018年由欧洲创新技术研究院（EIT）资助的公私合营组织成立。EIT本身是欧盟于2008年创建的欧盟机构，旨在增强欧洲的创新能力。EIT Food是八个由EIT资助的创新社区之一，为整个欧洲的企业家，创新者和学生提供支持，以创建并找到针对重大社会问题的创新解决方案。这种从多角度理解粮食系统并解决其挑战的动机，奠定了在需要转型的部门中实现真正影响的决心。
在EIT Food，我们与联合国可持续发展目标[ 5 ]保持一致，以定义我们希望在其中产生影响的更广泛的社会挑战，以及实现这一目标所需要关注的具体社会指标。我们有六个目标领域，旨在实现真正的影响，包括目标营养，可持续农业，数字可追溯性，可持续水产养殖，循环食品系统和替代蛋白质。在一个传统且基本上没有变化的行业中，这些领域中的每个领域的创新都将使整个食品系统实现数字化转型，其中新技术可以帮助克服该行业的许多挑战。
EIT Food建立了一个由86个创新合作伙伴和58个进取型初创企业组成的社区，这些社区每年交付100多个有助于改变食品体系的项目。随着我们欢迎其他具有不同技能和能力的网络，组织和初创企业加入我们的社区，该社区正在继续发展。EIT食品界的核心是消费者，因为在创新过程中将消费者包括在内对实现变革至为重要。我们都对所吃的食物负责并与我们联系在一起，因此所有利益相关者都需要共同努力以实现创新。
在危机中交付创新
在最具挑战性的时代（包括COVID-19大流行）中创建和实施创新解决方案可能会令人生畏。但是，在危机时期，食品系统齐心协力，以显示出最大的弹性。在EIT Food，我们没有什么不同。当无法进行面对面协作时，我们可以通过数字平台进行协作，并通过举办研讨会和讨论来支持在线联合创新。这个平台使我们能够接触到我们的网络以及更远的地方，为我们的社区提供了一个协作和交流思想的空间。这包括在COVID-19大流行期间我们如何保持主动和影响驱动力。在遍布数十个国家/地区的欧洲组织中，当再次实现面对面协作时，该平台将仍然有用，
支持下一代创新者
EIT Food通过帮助这些团体发展关键技能（包括批判性思维和业务建模），为想要改变食品体系的学生，企业家和专业人员提供了机会。
我们提供各种教育计划，包括免费的大规模开放式在线课程（MOOC），硕士课程和暑期学校，专为各个层次的学习和职业发展而设计。例如，如果您是一家初创企业或中小型企业，想要学习如何保护自己的业务，那么我们的“食品行业知识产权管理”在线课程可以为您提供相关知识。或者，如果您想了解更多关于可持续生产方法的农民，我们将开设一门课程，探讨农民如何可持续地生产粮食。我们还开设了一门新课程，说明在应对COVID-19暴发时，恐慌性购买如何影响食品供应链。我们认为，每个人都应该有机会更多地了解食品体系，并发展改善食品体系所必需的技能和能力，
那些已经掌握了食品行业技能的人可以过渡到我们的创业计划，在此我们支持农业食品初创企业启动，加速和扩展他们的想法和业务。在这里，我们通过各种计划提供长期支持和指导。其中包括我们的EIT食品加速器网络（该网络可帮助具有高影响力的农产品初创企业最大程度地发挥其成功）和我们的苗床孵化器（该平台可帮助有抱负的企业家）将其最低限度的可行产品或服务从商业提议发展为经过验证的业务。我们专注于支持企业家和初创企业，因为他们带来了令人振奋的新想法和解决方案，为转型铺平了道路。
合作创新
一个由食品系统中所有关键参与者聚集在一起的财团可以发挥影响力，因为不同的参与者可以将不同的技能和能力融合在一起。初创企业，行业和研究人员都可以提供不同的服务，无论是初创企业拥抱创新的敏捷方式，行业对最终消费者的独特见解还是研究人员提供独特证据和洞察力的能力。
EIT Food的SmartFoodLogging项目是一个初创企业的示例，两家大学和一个行业合作伙伴共同努力，为目标营养提供解决方案。新兴公司BeYou提供移动开发技能，鲁汶大学（KU Leuven）和华沙大学提供专业知识，而行业合作伙伴Colruyt Group提供了为消费者提供数字购物解决方案的方法。他们不同的技能使他们能够开发一个平台，将健康教练和消费者联系起来，以帮助他们做出更好的食物选择。这只是一个EIT Food项目，展示了一个包容性网络可以为创新和协作带来的价值。
实例探究
下面的案例研究说明了网络如何在我们的目标领域产生影响。
关注农民
农民一直是粮食系统不可或缺的一部分，但他们每天都面临多种威胁，包括土壤退化，虫害问题和恶劣的天气条件，强调了可持续农业的需求。农业技术为许多此类问题提供了解决方案，包括优化产量，减少农业对气候变化的负面影响，同时提高效率和盈利能力。例如，农业食品初创公司GrainSense开发了世界上第一台用于谷物质量测量的手持式设备，使农民能够实时测量其农作物的关键参数。该技术使农民能够使用大数据来提高农作物的质量，从而提高获利能力，从而证明该技术可能对农民及其企业产生积极影响。
为了帮助农业初创企业测试和验证其解决方案，EIT Food的“ Test Farms”项目将初创企业与需要与拥有可用土地进行测试的农民进行测试的技术联系起来。该计划将潜在客户与客户团结在一起，在这里农民可以直接了解技术如何在日常活动中帮助他们，并通过与产品创造者直接互动来建立对产品的信任。独特的环境为合作提供了机会，因为农民可以提供直接反馈，而初创企业可以寻求改进建议。该项目强调与最终消费者的合作如何帮助创新解决方案发挥最大潜力，在这种情况下，支持欧洲农业中更广泛的技术转型。
不幸的是，农民在创建农业解决方案时并不总是与初创企业一起工作。因此，他们经常面临难以安装和学习如何使用的新技术。这导致创新技术的采用缓慢，农民经常坚持使用传统的，对气候不太友好的方法。
“关注农民”是由雷丁大学牵头的一个项目，该项目将农民与指导者联系起来，指导者可以教他们使用创新技术的好处，并培训他们的使用。该项目旨在通过招募鼓励更广泛的农业社区采用新方法的农民拥护者和技术大使来克服农业技术的缓慢采用。到目前为止，该项目已与4,500名农民进行了接触，他们已经学会了如何大规模采用有用的新技术。
数字废物流
为了解决食品价值链中的食品损失，我们的数字废物流项目正在赋予食品行业剩余的食品和其他废物以新的目的。这些材料被称为侧流，可以是从烘焙产品剩下的面团到可可豆的巧克力皮等任何东西。参与“重新思考资源”项目的初创公司创建了一个婚介平台，公司可以在此平台上将其附带资源出售给需要它们的其他公司。例如，一家生产无籽覆盆子果酱的公司可以将其覆盆子种子出售给在化妆品中使用这些种子的公司。迄今为止，该项目已为其平台确定了50多个旁流，但希望达到数千个，以尽可能多地从垃圾填埋场中节省材料。
该项目表明，有一些创新的解决方案可以最大程度地减少浪费并实现循环生物经济。随着越来越多的公司在其废物流中实现价值，更多的材料可以重复使用和重新利用。与在项目平台上出售侧流相比，抛弃侧流也可能是一种昂贵的选择。考虑到这一点，减少浪费可以在经济和环境上更具可持续性，并有助于实现零浪费循环经济。
为了帮助农业初创企业测试和验证其解决方案，EIT Food的“ Test Farms”项目将初创企业与需要与拥有可用土地进行测试的农民进行测试的技术联系起来。
吸引消费者合作
与公众互动并听取他们的意见很重要，因为最终他们的购物和饮食行为会影响整个系统对食品生产者的需求。因此，公民应该有机会表达自己的声音。
2019年，EIT在欧洲范围内进行了一系列街头和团体访谈，以使消费者能够评论重要的行业主题，包括食品是否可负担得起，是否可获取，动物性蛋白质与替代性蛋白质相比对健康和环境的影响以及技术的作用在农业中提高可追溯性。我们了解到，消费者高度了解食品行业中的某些问题，这突出了将其观点传递给可以在宏观层面影响变化的人们的重要性。
在布鲁塞尔举行的第一次欧盟会议上，政策制定者和食品创新专家得到了这些访谈的集合，该会议辩论了食品的未来。鼓励与会人员考虑消费者的观点和需求，以及他们如何参与转变食品体系。人们普遍认为应该给消费者更多的参与未来食品的机会。作为一个积极使消费者参与食品创新过程的组织，我们希望继续实现这一目标。
家庭和学童也应该有机会了解食物系统，并有动力去改善它。EIT Food通过将科学带出实验室并带给人们一天的乐趣和学习，为波兰最大的购物中心的购物者提供了学习食品背后的科学的机会。
这次动手学习经验是由波兰科学院动物繁殖与食品研究所和Maspex集团组织的，有70多名研究人员提供了各种实验和活动，并颁发了1,500项奖励。观众有机会在宇宙食品工作坊中了解宇航员在太空中食用的食物，包括如何在保持营养价值的同时延长产品的保质期。
其他活动包括发酵食品的热门话题及其对健康的影响，参与者可以在显微镜下观察乳酸菌并了解发酵产品中益生菌的类型。
还邀请家庭尝试当地食品银行志愿者和当地厨师提供的无浪费烹饪，并学习如何减少他们在厨房中的环境烙印。在今年晚些时候EIT Food参加伦敦的New Scientist Live期间，公众将再次有机会了解更多有关食物及其工作原理的信息。
EIT Food参与当地社区活动，例如英国的Reading Town Meal，公众与基层组织一起庆祝健康和可持续的食品。在这次活动中，当地人提供的午餐使用了种植者和配给者捐赠的食物，并由当地大学的学生烹制而成，然后免费提供给家庭和志愿者。家庭成员享受了提供的活动，包括在由Matis领导的活动中通过虚拟现实探索未来的厨房，该活动由位于冰岛的食品和生物技术研发公司进行，并且由Reading University进行的“食物游戏”活动中，家庭必须采取健康饮食，以免遭受僵尸袭击。
改变食品体系并非易事，但通过合作，我们可以创造并提供创新的解决方案来克服挑战！
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