'Healthy foods' has the potential to become a sector where European businesses can develop a global competitive advantage, so long as it receives support from the public sector as a regulator, customer and facilitator under the 'Lead Market Initiative' (LMI), proposed by the Commission in January 2008.
According to the 'Food for Life' platform's revised implementation action plan, published early June, such an initiative would also reflect "the increasing consumer desire for a healthy and varied diet".
'Food for Life', one of the many European technology platforms, was launched in July 2005. It brings together the sector's private and public stakeholders to research and develop new products and production processes related to food, health, food quality and safety as well as sustainable production and food-chain management.
Operational chairman Jan Maat, who is also director of external research at Unilever R&D, told EurActiv.com that the 'Healthy Foods' lead market idea stems from the platform's long-term vision. "We have to turn that into market opportunities," he said.
Policymakers' support needed
He explained that whereas the technology platform is about identifying the science and technology that the industry needs to undertake to help develop an innovative and competitive market, a lead market initiative would represent policymakers' contribution to that vision. Policy issues to be dealt with would include regulation, standardisation and consumer issues, said Maat.
According to him, regulatory issues that need addressing include food labelling and health claims while standardisation should cover things like logos. As for consumer issues, the public sector can help define "what the message we want to get across is".
"We should not wait for the technology to be mature when the market is not ready," he said, underlining the need to develop the both in parallel. A 'Healthy Foods' lead market would not only be about food products per se but also about the diet and lifestyle, he added.
EU strengths and weaknesses
Asked about the strengths and weaknesses of the European food industry and its capacity to become a global leader in healthy foods, Maat highlighted the continent's "strong science and technology base, good cultural heritage in food and a good, thriving food industry" compared to "low investment in R&D".
According to him, the main drivers for competitiveness in the sector include citizens' concern for health, wellbeing and healthy ageing, as well as food safety and the drive for sustainability. "Food safety and sustainability may not always be considered competitive, but they are," he added.
He expects the healthy foods lead market vision to be finalised in two to three years, after which implementation should start quickly.
New High Level Group on agro-food competitiveness
Yesterday (12 June) also marked the first meeting of a new High Level Group (HLG) on the competitiveness of the European agro-food industry. The group, initiated by Commission's directorate for enterprise, brings together the EU's enterprise, agriculture and consumer protection commissioners as well as senior policymakers from the public and private sectors.
The aim of the HLG is to "identify and address issues that determine the competitiveness of the Agro-Food industry and to formulate a set of recommendations to achieve predictable and stable framework conditions for years to come".
