Brussels was buzzing last week for Europe's food community — from the European Parliament to Place Luxembourg. EFFA joined a breakfast exchange in the European Parliament with Nikolaus Georg Kriz, Executive Director of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) — hosted by MEP Biljana Borzan and MEP Stefan Köhler, and organised by the European Food Forum.
In the context of accelerating EU food industry innovation through the Biotech Act, EFSA pre-submission advice came to the table — and the practical value it can bring for innovators as they prepare dossiers and plan development pathways.
Over the same week, and just across the street, EFFA also took part in FoodDrinkEurope's Partnership Days, bringing together partners from across the food chain for practical discussions and informal exchanges on fairness in the food chain, the contribution of food processing to healthy, balanced diets, progress towards more aligned sustainability benchmarking, and what's needed to support Europe's food innovation. These conversations matter since the food and drink sector is the EU's largest manufacturing sector, with a major role in jobs, investment, and competitiveness across the Single Market.
For the flavour sector, these moments of exchange are important since flavour innovation sits at the intersection of food safety, reformulation, new product development, and consumer acceptance. The common thread across both settings was simple: open discussion brings people together, and that's where ideas take shape — turning creativity into innovation.
