The ECOFOOD 3S consortium is launched to transform the food sector in Spain.

• ECOFOOD 3S, a group of around thirty agents representing the whole value chain of the food industry, was presented today in Bilbao at the Food 4 Future fair

• PERTE (Proyecto Estratégico para la Recuperación y Transformación Económica) aims to raise funds from the Next Generation European recovery programme to achieve a safe, sustainable and healthy agri-food ecosystem.

Bilbao, 18 May 2022– ECOFOOD 3S, a sustainable, healthy and safe food ecosystem that aims to raise funds from the Next Generation European recovery programme to achieve a safe, sustainable and healthy agri-food ecosystem, was presented today at the Food 4 Future international fair.

This initiative, launched by around thirty agents representing the whole value chain of the food industry, was created with the aim of transforming the Spanish food sector in order to meet the demographic, environmental and digital challenges of its whole value chain.

Therefore, the community of companies and technology and research centres that are part of ECOFOOD 3S has been working during 2021 on designing the transformation projects the sector is demanding in order to improve its competitiveness, sustainability, traceability and food safety.

“We want to strengthen and integrate the whole Spanish agri-food ecosystem to boost sustainable growth, generate economic activity, attract and create quality employment and contribute to the achievement of a modern, quality food industry”, emphasises Carolina Najar, Food Director at AZTI.

This project thus seeks to be aligned to the European Farm to Fork strategy, which is included in the European Commission’s Green Pact with the objective of creating a fairer, healthier and more environmentally friendly food system.

” This project is committed to the transformation of the sector, both from the point of view of sustainability and digitalisation, improving the competitiveness of the value chain as a whole, through the promotion of individual and collective business actions,” adds Najar.

ECOFOOD 3S’ main challenges include reducing the environmental impact of all the companies in the consortium, promoting greater transparency in traceability and food safety, modernising the digitisation processes of companies and their value chains.

Led and coordinated by AZTI, PERTE is a consortium of 32 agents and nearly 200M€ of investment that operates throughout the food value chain, with a wide range of activities and sub-sectors throughout Spain: Angulas Aguinaga, Ausolan, AB Azucarera Iberia, Balfegó, Barna, Biosasun, Bolton Food, Sálica Industria Alimentaria, Covap, Eroski, Frías Nutrición, Jorge Pork Meat, Hijo de José Martínez Somalo, Sinalcohol, Natural Crunch, Calidad Pascual, Paturpat, Industrias Lácteas Asturianas, Udapa, Yuit, Buhler, Dibal, Hazi, Hiperbaric, Krean S Coop, Neiker, Plastigaur, Sidenhol, Tekniker and Versia.