EIT Food

PoLoPo scientist with plant cultures

© PoLoPo
Startups, Accelerators & Incubators

EIT Food Accelerator Network Reveals Cohort of 65 Innovative Agrifoodtech Startups

EIT Food Accelerator Network (EIT FAN) has revealed the 65 agrifoodtech startups chosen for its 2025 cohort. Hundreds of companies from across Europe and Horizon Europe-associated countries applied for the programme, which aims to connect innovators, experts, investors, and corporates. Selected by over 60 industry experts, the 2025 cohort is aligned with EIT FAN’s six strategic hubs: The startups are all working to address challenges in health, sustainability, transparency, and resilience. Through the programme, they will gain access to mentorship, tech validation, and direct connections with the EIT FAN Corporate Programme Partners, which include Avril, Barry Callebaut Group, Bayer AG, Cargill, Kerry Group, Lantmännen, Mars Petcare, Raisio Group, Unilever Foundry, and many more. “A spark of transformation” Since 2018, EIT FAN has supported 348 startups …

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Robot chef preparing food

© WACHI - stock.adobe.com
veg+ Opinion

Op Ed: Mario Roccaro & Maarten vander Kamp – How AI Can Power the Next Generation of Food Innovators

Dr. Maarten van der Kamp is the Director of Education at EIT Food and the President of Ecotrophelia Europe, with a strong focus on fostering innovation and sustainability in the agrifood sector. His expertise lies in developing entrepreneurial capacity and shaping educational frameworks to address emerging challenges, such as sustainability and skills gaps in the food system. Dr. Mario Roccaro, Senior Programme Manager for Education at EIT Food, brings over a decade of experience in research and innovation policy. With a strong background in life sciences and bioeconomy, Mario has played a pivotal role in developing educational programmes for the agrifood industry, as well as advising on R&I strategies at the European Commission. In this op-ed, Mario Roccaro & Maarten vander Kamp discuss the urgent …

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BettaF!sh launches SAL Nom

© BettaF!sh
Startups, Accelerators & Incubators

EIT Food Initiative Announces €875,000 in Funding for Startups Including Hooked & BettaF!sh

EIT Food, a food innovation community supported by the EU’s European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), has announced the winners of its Fast Track to Market Initiative. A total of €874,503 will be awarded to four mature agrifood startups and SMEs. The funding will help the companies accelerate their commercial success, enter new markets, and expand in existing ones. The winners are: The winners will benefit from EIT Food’s Revenue-Based Financing (RBF), a success-sharing model that provides immediate funding with flexible repayments tied to future revenues. There are no fixed repayments or equity losses, allowing businesses to scale at their own pace. Payments start after project completion and continue for 1 to 5 years until a maximum threshold (award amount + 7.5% annual premium) …

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Kern Tec

© Kern Tec
Fairs & Events

BettaF!sh and Kern Tec Among the Winners of EIT Food’s Marketed Innovation Prize 2024

EU-supported food innovation community EIT Food has announced the winners of its Marketed Innovation Prize, which recognises food startups that have successfully brought products or services to market. The prize grants €10,000 to the best-marketed innovations in each of three regions (North-East, West, and South), and €5,000 to the best-marketed innovation in five subcategories. It aims to reward startups that are supporting the transition to a more healthy, sustainable, and resilient food system. The winners BettaF!sh, a producer of fish alternatives made from regeneratively cultivated seaweed, has received the prize for Best Alternative Protein-based Solution. Meanwhile, the company’s Managing Director and co-founder Deniz Ficicioglu has received the Woman in Innovation award. Kern Tec GmbH, which upcycles waste fruit pits into high-value ingredients, was named Best …

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Future of Foods Interviews EIT Food

Future of Foods Interviews

Startups, Accelerators & Incubators

Future of Foods Podcast: Marie Brueser of EIT Food on Exciting Technologies and Innovation in the Space

Alex Crisp, writer and host of Future of Foods Interviews speaks to Marie Brueser from EIT Food on this latest podcast episode. EIT Food is charged with accelerating and driving innovation in the EU by using all the means at its disposal – including significant early-stage investment, and is described as a pan-European organization dedicated to driving innovation and entrepreneurship across the food sector to create a more sustainable and healthy food system. Supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), EIT Food brings together stakeholders from across the entire food value chain—including agritech startups, industry giants, research institutions, and universities. Brueser highlights exciting areas including generative AI for food data applications, advancements in plant genetics for faster breeding, and precision fermentation, notably …

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© Foundation Earth
Sustainability / Environment

New Alliance to Develop Internationally Accepted Standards for Environmental Scoring of Food

Food innovation community EIT Food has announced a partnership with non-profit organisation Foundation Earth to develop internationally adopted and accepted standards for the environmental scoring of food and drink. Foundation Earth already provides front-of-pack environmental scores for food products, but the new International Alliance for Food Impact Data will aim to address the lack of standards and coordination between stakeholders. The Alliance will initially focus on the EU policy landscape, with the belief that any future EU-mandated standards are likely to be of the highest level. As part of the partnership, Foundation Earth has been integrated into EIT Food, which is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (an EU body). Following the integration, Foundation Earth Chief Executive Cliona Howie will become the …

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RisingFoodStars Programme Lead Narjis Chakir

RisingFoodStars Programme Lead Narjis Chakir. Image supplied.
Startups, Accelerators & Incubators

RisingFoodStars Reveals Cohort of 14 Scaleups Addressing European Food Sustainability

EIT Food RisingFoodStars, a non-profit organisation funded by the EU and the agri-food tech community, has revealed the 14 scaleups selected for the latest cohort of its three-year program. RisingFoodStars aims to solve environmental and social challenges such as reducing net emissions by 90% by 2040, halving food waste, achieving food self-sufficiency, and improving the availability of healthy, nutritious foods. Selected startups have access to a network of over 50 investors and 160 industry leaders, along with workshops, coaching, and mentorship. The new cohort features: SeedForward GmbH — a German startup substituting synthetic agrochemicals with biobased alternatives, with an emphasis on seed treatments, biostimulants, and plant protection. The aim is to facilitate the transition towards regenerative agriculture. Notpla — a UK-based sustainable packaging producer that …

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Vegan protein sources- EIT Food calls for innovative policymaking on protein diversification to address the challenges of the food system Challenges

© Elena Schweitzer - stock.adobe.com
Protein

Think Tank Calls for Innovative Policymaking on Protein Diversification to Address EU Food System Challenges

A new policy brief by the food innovation community EIT Food, Accelerating Protein Diversification for Europe, argues that innovative policymaking is key to unlocking protein diversification to transform Europe’s food system. To feed a growing population and minimize the adverse effects of animal agriculture on the environment and human health, new policy strategies should prioritise protein diversification, including plant and algae-based, cultivated, fermented, and insect-based alternatives, states the paper. The policy brief, developed by Think Tank EIT Food Protein Diversification in consultation with experts and stakeholders across the sector provides policy recommendations for decision-makers to accelerate a change for sustainable proteins in the region. “This collaborative effort confirms the important role of EU governments in driving change — from R&I funding, to enabling policy frameworks, to support for …

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Ivy Farm and Finnebrogue partner to bring cultivated Wagyu beef to the UK  

Image courtesy of Ivy Farm
Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Biotech Firms Awarded €1.2M for Creating Animal-Free Cell Culture Media to Make Cultivated Meat a “Commercial Reality”

Commercializing cell-based products such as cultivated meat remains challenging due to the substantial costs and ethical implications of fetal bovine serum. To find solutions, EIT Food, the world’s largest and most dynamic food innovation community, and the Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe launched the Cultivated Meat Innovation Challenge to develop a more affordable and efficient animal-free cell culture media. The winners, UK biotech company 3D Bio-Tissues and Israeli biotech startup BioBetter have received €1.2 million from EIT Food. With the funds, the companies will continue their R&D efforts in developing lower-cost alternatives to bovine serum. Moreover, they will produce cultivated meat products using their innovations.  Dr. Adam M. Adamek, director of innovation at EIT Food, said: “The cost of cell-culture media is a significant barrier to scaling …

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Wildtype's cultivated salmon nigiri

© Wildtype

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

€100,000 Cultivated Meat Innovation Challenge Launched by GFI and EIT

The Good Food Institute (GFI) and the European Union’s EIT Food have launched a new  €100,000 competition for the cultivated meat sector. Searching for innovative ways of bringing down the cost of cell culture media, up to four successful teams from across Europe will be awarded €100,000 each for the challenge. Looking for applications that show the ability to bring ideas to market within three years, the GFI Europe has strategically partnered with EIT Food to launch the €100,000 prizes to overcome one of the biggest hurdles to commercializing cultivated meat. The cost of cell culture media has been identified as one of the biggest technical challenges for the burgeoning cultivated meat industry.  Called the Cultivated Meat Innovation Challenge, the GFI states that successful applicants …

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EthniChain AZTI

© AZTI
Science

EthiChain DNA Analysis System Gives One Hour Verification for Vegan Products

EthiChain, an EITFood project, is developing a portable device that in just one hour will be able to identify animal DNA in contaminated “vegan” products. EthiChain hopes its ethical food authentication system will increase trust in the European food supply system and stop food fraud. The complexity of most food supply chains makes them extremely vulnerable to food fraud, meaning some consumers in the vegan community may have food trust issues. In this context, the EIT Food-funded EthiChain highlights how transparency and proper communication of this transparency to the consumer are crucial. Also to be used for religious requirement foods such as halal and kosher, EthiChain is currently working on rapid and portable DNA analysis devices that do not require specialized personnel and will be …

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vegan options German supermarket

© Robert Kneschke-stock.adobe.com
Food & Beverage

Researchers Say Not Enough Cheese, Egg & Fish Alternatives Exist But Anticipate More Diversified Plant-Based Future

The EIT food communication project ‘The V-Place’, coordinated by Germany’s University of Hohenheim, intends to improve acceptance and reach of plant-based alternatives in Europe. Its recent research reveals insufficient levels of diversity in plant-based products available and a lack of consumer-orientation, but anticipates this will improve.

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