Adoption of sustainability innovations by operators in the EU food supply chain

The European Green Deal and its farm-to-fork strategy have made food system sustainability an EU policy priority, with the aim of making the EU’s current food system fairer, healthier and more environmentally friendly. Notably, the farm-to-fork strategy highlights action areas for food supply chain operators, which give rise to both opportunities and challenges. Innovation in sustainability-enhancing products and practices is playing an increasingly important role in this transition to a sustainable food system; such innovation creates value for both companies and society and gives companies a competitive advantage. However, there is limited information on operator-level sustainability initiatives across the food supply chain. Importantly, to understand how regulations can effectively support this transition, policymakers must understand the drivers of and barriers to innovative sustainability initiatives. They must also be aware of how these initiatives work in practice and the expected implications and trade-offs in terms of the economic, social and environmental sustainability dimensions. This report attempts to bring together evidence on and provide a comparative assessment of sustainability innovation and innovative initiatives adopted by private operators in the EU food supply chain. The report’s analyses are based on microdata collected through an online survey of 426 representatives of EU food chain operators, industry associations and other related organisations.