2025-03 INNOVATION IN FOODS, 10 YEARS AFTER EXPO MILANO

‘Innovation’ has regained prominence in EU policy circles and a key strategic goal as Europe seeks to assert its competitive edge in the global market.

However, this is not new. In October 2015, the European Commission hosted a milestone conference titled “Innovation in Foods” at the World Expo Milano “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”. This conference was preceded by a two-day workshop addressing the “Regulatory Challenges on Innovation in Food”. One of the primary conclusions of these insightful days was that “Main issue for innovators is the time to get access to the market and consequently the timelines to prepare applications and of the application procedure.”

At that event, EU Specialty Food Ingredients presented the results of an in-depth study on the “Economic impact assessment of EU food related regulations on research, innovation and competitiveness in the specialty food ingredients sector”. 10 years later, the conclusions remain applicable, and the issues highlighted in the report necessitate ongoing attention from legislators if EU regulation of specialty food ingredients is intended to foster an environment that encourages food ingredient innovation.

The report is available here, a summary brochure here.