2026-09 EU Specialty Food Ingredients’ 4 takeaways on the Commission’s new strategic approach for Research and Innovation in the food area

Ten years after the launch of its Food2030 research & innovation policy framework, the Commission has published this week its New Strategic Approach to Research & Innovation for competitive, resilient and sustainable agriculture, forestry, rural areas and food systems – Future-proofing EU agri-food through AgRI2040 and Food 2040. 

Here are our four takeaways of this policy document: 

• “To maintain its global leadership, the [agri-food] sector must innovate and modernise more quickly”: EU Specialty Food Ingredients cannot agree more! Specialty food ingredients play a critical role in food formulation, ensuring food safety, extending shelf life, enhancing nutrition and promoting sustainable food production. By empowering food manufacturers, specialty food ingredients help maintain the EU food industry’s global competitiveness.  
• Additional R&I investments for a more adapted risk assessment: the chapter about regulatory learning from food innovations has caught our attention as it resonates with some of our asks for a high-performing EFSA. We say yes to regulatory sandboxes (which should also include Novel Foods too, in our view), or closer collaboration between risk assessment bodies. We would also recommend including food industry when the Commission seeks input on R&I needs in that field.  
• The planned launch of the JRC-managed Science for Policy Centre on Agriculture, Forestry, Rural Development and Food System Innovation and Transformation looks promising as a way to capture practical insights into developments in the food and food ingredients sectors. However, its delayed timing (Q4 2027) is regrettable. 
• Food technologies in support of Europe’s food security and evolving nutritional needs: We welcome the Commission’s recognition of the role food ingredients can play in advancing personalised nutrition. Food security, once widely assumed to have been secured in Europe after the Second World War, is now firmly back on the political agenda and identified as a cross-cutting priority alongside resilience. The Commission’s specific focus on the EU production and supply of proteins, vitamins and other essential nutrients is particularly relevant for our sector, where specialty food ingredients have a vital contribution to make. 

For our sector, innovation is far more than a concept: our members invest between 3% and 8% of their turnover in Research and Development. We look forward to seeing this new Strategic Approach strengthen the competitiveness, sustainability and resilience of the EU agri-food sector.