We spoke to Giovanni Colombo, EIT Food’s Senior Public Affairs Manager, to find out more about the event and the highlights from the day.

Why did EIT Food organise this event, and why now?

We are at a very important stage in Brussels, for two reasons. The first one is that a new Commission is about to take office, and it has pledged to come up with a new plan called the ‘Green Deal’ for Europe. The aim of this is to set the European Union society and economy on a more sustainable path, particularly in relation to climate change. As part of this Green Deal there will be a new policy on sustainable food from farm to fork.

The other reason why this is very important is that the Commission and the EU member states are currently working on the definition of the future EU programme for research and innovation, which is called ‘Horizon Europe’. This will replace Horizon 2020 and define the research innovation priorities for the seven years from 2021 to 2027. Importantly, this plan is being finalised and discussed right now.