fooddrinkeurope congress 2015...fooddrinkeurope congress 2015: a taste of tomorrow from 29 june to 3...

FoodDrinkEurope Congress 2015A Taste of Tomorrow

#tasteoftomorrow

@fooddrinkeuEXPO

Milano

29 June - 3 July

FoodDrinkEurope Congress 2015: A Taste of TomorrowFrom 29 June to 3 July 2015, the European Food and Drink Week at EXPO Milano served as the backdrop for FoodDrinkEurope’s Congress. The focus of EXPO Milano is “Feeding the planet, Energy for life” and runs from May through to October in Milan. The FoodDrinkEurope Congress was held at the EU Pavilion of the Universal Exhibition. Each day of the week addressed key challenges and opportunities the sector is facing.

The Congress was a very successful event with an impressive line-up of speakers, including Commissioner Phil Hogan and Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska.

Our hashtag #tasteoftommorrow became a trending topic on Twitter in Belgium while we also gained more than 2,600 new followers over the 5 days. in less than 5 days. The press coverage generated about 30 articles, including 4 interviews.

Three new brochures were launched:

Day 4Day 2 Day 1 Day 5Day 3

Statutory Meetings & Agri-Food Chain

Coalition event

Evolving for the future

Driving jobs & growth

Towards a more sustainable food

supply chain

Nutrition of the future

29/6/2015 2/7/2015 3/7/201530/6/2015 1/7/2015

Now that the FoodDrinkEurope 2015 Congress has come to an end, the FoodDrinkEurope team would like to thank all the participants, speakers, moderators and support team for

making this Congress a success. A special thanks goes to the EU Pavilion staff for their warm and professional welcome and to DG GROW for giving us the opportunity to host

the Congress in EXPO Milano.

One presenting the industry’s initiatives for Balanced Diets and

Healthy Lifestyles

One launching the industry’s main strategic research priorities,

supported by a set of Principles for Research Conduct

And a third one to highlight the many initiatives the industry has

already taken, and will continue to take, to minimise the impact of

climate change

1FoodDrinkEurope Congress 2015 A Taste of Tomorrow

FoodDrinkEurope Congress 2015 A Taste of Tomorrow2

FoodDrinkEurope welcomes new PresidentGilles Morel, Regional President Europe & Eurasia of MARS Chocolate, was elected President of FoodDrinkEurope during a Board meeting held on the occasion of the organisation’s Congress, at EXPO Milano.

Gilles Morel is a member of the Mars Global Chocolate board, and has been active in various industry associations representing Mars, including acting as director of the board of FoodDrinkEurope since 2014. He will serve a 3-year mandate.

During a reception held on the roof terrace of the EU Pavilion, FoodDrinkEurope’s staff and members took the opportunity to thank Jesús Serafi n Peréz, the outgoing President, for his commitment and unfailing support during the last 6 years, which saw a number of crucial developments for the organisation, including a change of name and location.

“I wish to sincerely thank Jesús for his commitment and dedication over the past six years as president. I am incredibly pleased and proud to take over this role. I am also mindful of my responsibility to keep this association on a path of productive collaboration with the European institutions and with all other stakeholders in the food and drink sector,” Gilles Morel said. “Our industry delivers one of society’s greatest traditions and pleasures. It is also a major positive contributor to the European economy. We face numerous challenges and opportunities ahead as an industry in the never-ending pursuit of delighting consumers while maintaining our competitiveness.”

Jesús Serafi n Peréz responded by saying “I have spent an enriching 6 years as president of FoodDrinkEurope, working with policy-makers, non-governmental bodies and of course colleagues and peers, both in the Board and the Secretariat. I will miss them of course but I know I am leaving the organisation in very competent hands”.

Tweets Day 1

Day 1 Statutory Meetings & Agri-Food Chain Coalition event

News coverage Day 1

Mella Frewen, FoodDrinkEurope Director General;

Gilles Morel, FoodDrinkEurope President;

Jesús Serafi n Peréz, former FoodDrinkEurope President.


29/6/2015

The Agri-Food Chain Coalition EventLeading EU industry associations call for policy support for innovation in the agri-food sector.

The Agri-Food Chain Coalition (AFCC) presented how innovation can fuel a strong and competitive EU agri-food sector to Agriculture Commissioner, Phil Hogan.

The AFCC, representing 11 leading industry associations1 across the agri-food chain, presented its joint declaration entitled: “Food for Thought: a vision for unlocking the potential of agriculture and food industries in the EU” to Commissioner Hogan. The event took place on the first day of the Food & Drink Week at the Universal EXPO in Milan with the aim of showcasing the importance of science and innovation in the EU agri-food sector.

Commissioner Hogan, in his keynote address, said, “Innovation is the key to sustainable food security; through innovation, we can improve resource-efficiency, adapt to climate change, improve food safety, diversity and quality while maintaining the competitiveness of the agri-food sector and creating more and better jobs in rural areas.”

Members of the AFCC called on the Commissioner to give serious consideration to the recommendations outlined in the joint declaration to help ensure that Europe’s agri-food chain can continue to meet the ever changing needs of consumers, grow sustainably, innovate and create jobs.

Tweets Day 1

1 CELCAA (European Liaison Committee for the Agricultural and Agri-Food Trade), CEMA (European Agricultural Machinery), COCERAL (European Association of cereals, rice, feedstuffs, oilseeds, olive oil, oils and fats and agro supply trade), Copa Cogeca (European Farmers and Agri-Cooperatives), ECPA (European Crop Protection Association), ESA (European Seed Association), EuropaBio (European Association for Bio Industries), FEFAC (European Feed Manufacturers Federation), Fertilizers Europe (European Fertilizers Association), FoodDrinkEurope (European Food and Drink Industry), IFAH Europe (European Animal Health Industry)

Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development,

Phil Hogan.


Session 1: Food & Drink SME Champions’ Network launched at EXPOOn Day 2, FoodDrinkEurope launched its SME Champions’ Network for the food and drink industry.

In its continuous effort to highlight the role and value of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), FoodDrinkEurope has created a network of experts from national federations in all Member States. These “Champions” will promote the role of food and drink SMEs in Europe’s economy and culture and ensure that their needs are taken on board by policy-makers.

SMEs are the backbone of Europe’s economy. In the food and drink sector, they actually account for 99% of the 286 000 companies, more than half of the turnover of the industry and two-thirds of employment. These 3 million jobs are spread across all Member States and are mostly located in rural areas.

Food and drink SMEs are extremely diverse in terms of products, processes and structure. However, together they weave our economic fabric. For them to continue playing this key role, a number of policy areas should be addressed. SME Champions will focus their work on areas of particular relevance to industry, i.e. access to finance, technology transfer, internationalisation and the fight against red tape.

This initiative aims to contribute to President Junker’s Growth and Jobs Agenda.

Day 2 Driving jobs & growth

Tweets Day 2

Antti Peltomäki, Deputy Director General, DG for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and

SMEs; Othmar Karas MEP (EPP, AT); Evangelos Kaloussis, President of Terra Creta SA; Julian Farrel,

Deputy Director and Head of Europe Team, Better Regulation Executive, Department for Business,

Innovation & Skills, UK Government; Frans Egberts, Managing Director, Henri Van De Bilt.


30/6/2015

Session 2: Commissioner Bienkowska Asserts Importance of Functioning Food Supply Chain in EuropeSpeaking at the Congress, Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska described the future line of work of the new High-Level Forum for a better functioning food supply chain, the mandate of which has recently been renewed for another 5 years.

She explained that herself and the other two Commissioners involved, responsible respectively for agriculture & rural development (P. Hogan) and health & food safety (V. Andriutkaitis), are keen to develop further the work of the 2012-2014 Forum, during which many projects and initiatives have been achieved. These include the creation of the Supply Chain Initiative, the establishment of a structured Social Dialogue and the development of a common vision for a more sustainable food supply chain.

In her concluding remarks, Commissioner Bienkowska asserted the importance of ensuring sustainability of the food supply chain, and praised the success and renewal of the HLF – a key element of which, as outlined by the Commissioner, has been FoodDrinkEurope’s commitment to the initiative.

Tweets Day 2

Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Elzbieta Bienkowska; Gilles Morel, FoodDrinkEurope President.

Jacki Davis, Moderator; Commissioner for Internal Market,

Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Elzbieta Bienkowska;

Luis Cantarell, Executive Vice President Nestlé S.A., Zone

Director for EMENA.

Tweets Day 2


Session 3: Think Global - The new international trade landscapeInternational trade is one of the key pillars of Europe’s food and drink sector and an important contributor to jobs and growth in Europe.

Europe is the largest exporter of food and drink products in the world. In recent years, however, Europe’s food and drink industry has recorded a decline in market share on some export markets due to increased competition and various trade barriers. Trade policy and agreements between the EU and third countries have the potential to remove barriers to trade which today limit export opportunities of European food and drink companies.

The objective of this session was to highlight the major trends that shape international trade in food and drink products. The session took a closer look at the key challenges and opportunities for the European food and drink industry and other global players in an increasingly globalised marketplace, as well as the growing role of emerging markets. The session also explored how trade policy helps to improve access to foreign markets and strengthens international competitiveness.

Day 2 Driving jobs & growth

John Clarke, Director, International Bilateral Relations, DG Agricultural and Rural Development, European

Commission; James Higgiston, Minister-Counselor for Agricultural Affairs, US Mission to the EU; Paul Skehan,

Director General spiritsEUROPE; Jan Teplý, Marketing, material purchase, sales MADETA A.S.

Tweets Day 2


30/6/2015

Session 4: Think Ahead - Working together to create sustainable jobsSince the establishment of the EU Social Dialogue Committee for the Food and Drink Industry in 2009, FoodDrinkEurope and the European Federation of Food Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT) have successfully worked on a number of issues including addressing the challenges of youth unemployment and managing an ageing workforce, with the support of two Commission funded research projects.

Other examples of recent Social Dialogue initiatives include the drafting of a pledge within the context of the European Alliance for Apprenticeships (EAfA) and a statement encouraging EU and national policy makers to develop and implement a sound European Industrial Policy.

The objective of the session was to demonstrate the work that has been done on Social Dialogue at a European level by a wide range of stakeholders such as the European Commission, Industry and Trade Unions. FoodDrinkEurope and EFFAT are committed to continuing their work on these challenging topics in order to increase the attractiveness of the food and drink sector for its current and future workforce.


Industry backed initiatives for Balanced Diets and Healthy LifestylesDuring Day 3 of the Congress and also on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the EU Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, FoodDrinkEurope launched its new Balanced Diets and Healthy Lifestyles publication.

FoodDrinkEurope is one of the founding members of the Platform and decided to celebrate the event by highlighting an impressive series of initiatives put in place by the food and drink industry to promote and encourage all of us to adopt balanced diets and live healthy lifestyles.

The publication offers a substantial overview of best practices and original initiatives implemented by individual companies, European sector associations and national federations in order to enhance the formulation of their products; to innovate and offer more choice to consumers; to encourage research to support this innovation; to increase and promote consumer information; to contribute to responsible marketing and advertising, in particular to children, and more generally to insist on the importance of healthy lifestyles.

On the evening of Day 3, FoodDrinkEurope also highlighted its activities in favour of balanced diets and healthy lifestyles by announcing its cooperation with leading nutritionist Azmina Govindji, with whom it is preparing information tools and online initiatives, to be launched later on this year.

Day 3 Nutrition of the future

News coverage Day 3

Jacki Davis, Moderator and Azmina Govindji,

Dietitian and Nutritionist.

Tweets Day 3


1/7/2015

Session 1: Food and Nutrition Security - joining forces for a healthier worldAchieving global food security will be one of the most critical challenges we face in the coming decades; to date, the world still has a long way to go to meet internationally agreed targets for reducing hunger by 50%.

This challenge, as well as an increasing world population and increasing demand for food, urbanisation, limited land, energy and water resources, ageing populations, climate change, etc. were the focus of discussions throughout FoodDrinkEurope’s Congress Week at EXPO Milano 2015.

Globally, most recent estimates indicate that around 795 million people (roughly 10.9% of the world population) are suffering chronically from hunger or suffer undernourishment in terms of energy intake. Moreover, over two billion people suffer from micronutrient deficiencies, in particular vitamin A, iodine, iron and zinc, among others. At the same time, 500 million people in the world are obese.

The challenges of malnutrition are not solely confined to the developing countries, but are also visible in Europe. Besides hunger, micronutrient deficiencies such as vitamin D and iron in the elderly population, exist. Furthermore, despite steadily increasing life expectancy figures in the EU, the prevalence of obesity across Europe remains a challenge for society.

The Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) recognised that “collective action is instrumental to improve nutrition, requiring collaboration between governments, the private sector, civil society and communities.” This session addressed the key challenges that society is facing in terms of food and nutrition security and the way different actors, including international organisations, the EU and the European food and drink sector – individually and together – can play their part.

Jo Goossens, Senior Consultant and

Partner, shiftN; Clare Leonard, Director

Scientific Affairs, Regulatory Affairs &

Nutrition Mondelez Europe; Robert

Madelin, Director-General, Directorate

General for Communications Networks,

Content and Technology (DG CONNECT),

European Commission; Ken Hughes,

Consumer Behaviourist.

Tweets Day 3


1/7/2015

Session 2: Consumers and nutrition of the futureThis session explored the potential of the future of nutrition and consumer behaviour, particularly related to the use of new (information) technologies.

In a technology era, consumer demands are rapidly changing. Equally, the use of new (information) technologies allows companies to reach out in different ways with additional possibilities compared to the on-pack information. New trends are emerging, which will have an impact on how the consumers of the future make decisions based on social, economic and ethical considerations.

Experts on consumer trends, academics and entrepreneurs, among others, gave their insights and shed light to the way people will shop and consume food and drink products in the future.

Day 3 Nutrition of the future

Warren T K Lee, Senior Nutrition Officer & Group Leader, Nutrition

Assessment & Scientific Advice Group, Nutrition Division (ESN),

Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO); Lynnda Kiess, Head of

Branch (Nutrition), Policy, Programme and Innovation Division (OSZ),

Operations Services Department, UN World Food Programme (WFP);

John Ingram, Food Systems Programme Leader, Environmental

Change Institute (ECI), University of Oxford; Anne Heughan,

Director External Affairs, Nutrition and Health Unilever.

Dirk Jacobs, FoodDrinkEurope Deputy Director General/Director of

Consumer Information, Diet & Health and Giancarlo Caratti, Deputy

Commissioner General for the EU participation in EXPO 2015.


2/7/2015

FoodDrinkEurope launches Research Priorities and PrinciplesDuring the fourth day of the Congress, FoodDrinkEurope launched its main strategic research priorities, supported by a set of Principles for Research Conduct, which aim at establishing common ground for objective conclusions in research and science.

The food and drink industry is fully committed to continuous support for research in the sector with a view to fi nding innovative ways to tackle current societal challenges (sustainability, credibility, etc…).

In this respect, FoodDrinkEurope presented its main strategic research priorities, which focus on:

• a sustainable food supply, including food processing, new technologies, and consumer acceptance through a food chain approach;

• the prevention of the rise in non-communicable diseases (obesity, diabetes, etc), focusing on nutrition and behaviour changes.

The reservations sometimes expressed about industry-funded research, however, make the hard work and investment in research almost pointless. By launching in parallel its Principles for Research Conduct, FoodDrinkEurope wishes to add an extra safeguard to existing universal requirements in terms of research and to stress that research based on solid standards is able to protect science against particular interests, whether industry-funded or not.

Following the underlying rule that “Good evidence-based policy-making depends – at least in part – on good evidence”, FoodDrinkEurope wishes to emphasise the need for sound, robust and transparent science and research, which it will continue to support.

With this in mind, the criteria on which FoodDrinkEurope’s Principles are based are: scientifi c robustness, governance, transparency and objectivity. With the adoption of these Principles, Europe’s food and drink industry reiterates its willingness to further develop its cooperation with the largest possible number of scientists.

Day 4 Evolving for the future

News coverage Day 4

Good evidence-based policy making depends - at least in part - on good

evidence. In this context, the food industry emphasises the need for sound,

robust and transparent science and research.With this in mind, the food sector has developed a set of Principles for Research Conduct, which aim at creating a balanced common basis on which science can be discussed objectively. The principles should be applicable to any research, whether or not it is industry-funded. The same rigorous standards should always be applied to safeguard science against particular interests, be they fi nancial, commercial, ideological, etc. If the principles proposed hereby are adopted by researchers, irrespective of their affi liation, there would be virtually no reason to disagree with a research conclusion, unless the science itself is disputed, or the level of uncertainty intrinsic to it.

The main Principles of Research Conduct identifi ed by FoodDrinkEurope experts as a common basis are:

Scientifi c robustness: 1. Research should be driven by clearly stated a priori hypotheses and analyses and follow the

principles of scientifi c rigor, including discussion of limitations and challenges of the work, in order to provide robust evaluations.

2. Scientifi c criteria (methodology and design, data quality and validation, and statistical analysis) should be applied.

3. These criteria are universal and shall apply equally to all research, irrespective of industry support. The funding source shall never affect the genesis, conduct or outcome of the research.

Common ground for objective conclusions

PRINCIPLES FOR RESEARCH CONDUCT

Tweets Day 4


Session 1: Innovation as a driving forceThe food industry is one of Europe’s most important and dynamic industrial sectors, and it must continue to improve its competitiveness.

Thus, and within the current societal framework, the food industry needs to find innovative ways to meet the challenges: to become more sustainable and efficient in food processing, to become capable of delivering safe foods which provide healthy and enjoyable choices for all and to promote informed consumer choices. At the same time, the industry must also try to ensure a proper knowledge transfer. In order to achieve these objectives, an effective environment for innovation needs to be built through the most suitable instruments, whether financial, structural or strategic. This session highlighted the importance of innovation in building a successful and competitive European food industry; it looked at how to comfort its global leadership securely based on economic growth, technology transfer and sustainable food production and consumer confidence.

Day 4 Evolving for the future

Karin Helmstaedt, Moderator; Michele Morbarigazzi, HPP ITALIA; Gert Meijer, Deputy Head of Corporate Regulatory and Scientific Affairs Nestlé / Chair of the ETP ‘Food for Life’’; Martijntje Bakker, Vice-Chair JPI HDHL: Healthy Diet for Healthy Life.Tobin Robinson, Head of the Science Strategy and Coordination Department,

EFSA ; Wim Debeuckelare, Legislative officer, Pesticides and Biocides Unit, DG

Health and Food Safety, European Commission; Patrick Kolar, Head of Unit,

Agri-food chain (F3), DG Research and Innovation, European Commission;

Frans Egberts, Managing Director, Henri Van De Bilt.

Tweets Day 4


2/7/2015

Session 2: Educating the future workforce – ECOTROPHELIAThe objective of the session was to showcase the efforts made in the context of the European Ecotrophelia student food innovation competitions, to train food engineering and commercial higher education students – the future workforce of the food industry - in the field of food innovation.

The Ecotrophelia student food innovation competitions have been taking place at a European level since 2011, and at national level since 2001, with great success. The competitions are genuine incubators of ideas for innovative food products, and are a starting point for launching partnerships for the development and marketing of profitable food products. These competitions provide useful practical experience and skills to students, giving them the possibility to create a new food product that includes all facets of the complexity of development (technical, taste, regulatory, marketing, packaging, finance, and sales aspects) and to promote better use of raw materials or cleaner processes to reduce waste and environmental impact. As such, these competitions ultimately result in trained and qualified young people on the job market, mobilised around the issue of sustainable development, which will help food companies meet future requirements in terms of environmental standards.

This session featured real case studies from student teams who have won the Ecotrophelia competition and whose products have reached the market. Joining them were industry and Ecotrophelia representatives highlighting the importance and relevance of training young people in food innovation and explaining how the Ecotrophelia student food innovation competitions work.

Michel Coomans, Advisor ECOTROPHELIA GEIE; Bertrand Emond, Head

of Membership & Training Campden BRI; and participants in national

and ECOTROPHELIA competitions.


A Time to Act: Europe’s food and drink industry demonstrates actions to address climate changeDuring the last day of the Congress, the food and drink industry highlighted the many initiatives it has already taken, and will continue to take, to minimise the impact of climate change.

The survey report, “A Time to Act”, that was launched on that day stresses however that a ‘whole of society’ effort is needed globally to address effectively this societal challenge, and this must be galvanised by an ambitious, global climate deal. FoodDrinkEurope therefore calls upon governments to reach an ambitious agreement on a new global framework for climate change at COP21 in Paris in November 2015.

The food and drink sector is 100% dependent on the climate for the production of the raw material it transforms. Climate change affects the sector, both in terms of production and price stability.

Whether they have reduced greenhouse gas emissions, limited their use of water and energy, increased the use of renewable energy, optimised packaging, embedded sustainable sourcing, or prevented food wastage, Europe’s food and drink industries will continue to take action to reduce the impact of climate change both within their operations and beyond.

Day 5 Towards a more sustainable food supply chain

News coverage Day 5

A TIME TO ACTClimate Action and the Food and Drink Industry

Tweets Day 5


3/7/2015

Session 1: Sustainable Food Systems - The Environmental DimensionThe global demand for food is increasing. Simultaneously, the natural capital to sustain current agriculture and yield levels is decreasing.

It is therefore imperative to decouple growth from resource use and significant environmental impacts, in particular in view of the climate change. This has to be done against a backdrop of increasing urbanisation, an ageing population in developed countries, increasing rates of food wasted globally and global population growth. The objective of this session was to address the actions taken by Europe’s food and drink sector and its stakeholders towards a more sustainable European food chain. Access to safe and nutritious food as part of an adequate standard of living is a fundamental human right; therefore providing a healthy and balanced diet, in an equitable and sustainable manner, to a growing world population will be one of the major development challenges of the next decade. Participants to this conference had the chance to discuss all these interrelated challenges and how they will impact upon the sustainability of food systems in years to come.

Marco Dri, Institute for Prospective Technological Studies, Joint Research Centre, European Commission; James Lomax, Programme Officer UNEP DTIE Sustainable Lifestyles, Cities and Industry Unit; Duncan Williamson, Senior Food Policy Advisor WWF-UK; Pascal Gréverath, Assistant Vice-President Environmental Sustainability Nestlé; Aidan Cotter, Chief Executive Bord Bía, Irish Food Board.

Tweets Day 5


3/7/2015

Session 2: Food Supply Chain & Responsible Business ConductToday many food and drink companies in Europe have integrated Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) as a key component of their business strategy in order to manage their activities in a responsible way.

RBC, as promoted by the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (MNEs), is a key pillar of the global CSR architecture, covering all major areas of business ethics. Furthermore, recent initiatives such as the current drafting of an OECD/FAO ‘practical guidance on RBC along the agricultural supply chain’, highlight the need for both a global and sector approach to address future specifi c global challenges. This session aimed to showcase the efforts carried out in the context of RBC at European and global level by local, regional and global actors such as Europe’s food and drink sector, the European Commission, the OECD and other stakeholders. High level speakers representing all the actors involved discussed the importance and relevance of promoting RBC in the agricultural food supply chains.

Day 5 Towards a more sustainable food supply chain

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EXPO Milano

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