Abstract
Our food system is in danger: 9 billion people in 2050, climate change and finite resources urge us to transform the current unsustainable food system into a healthy, circular, resource-efficient, integrated system. This is hugely complex: the multiple aspects of food production, processing, consumption and health are closely interconnected and impact on climate change, energy use and citizens’ behaviour. To create scientific breakthroughs, connectivity at the cutting-edges of currently separate fields is crucial, e.g., food processing/technology, consumer behaviour/economics, nutritional health/climate impacts. These challenges are key to international research agendas (e.g., JPI-HDHL/-FACCE/-OCEANS, Food2030), policies (UN-SDGs, Paris Climate-Agreement, UNEP, Lancet EAT-commission), private sector (FoodNEXUS), and NGOs (FRESH, FoodNEXUS, Barilla Foundation, Access to Nutrition Foundation). Transforming the current situation into an effective European food policy requires a world class research infrastructure, the FNH-RI. This RI will boost interdisciplinary multi-stakeholder research by harmonization/integration of data on food (nutrients, safety, sustainability, sensory, etc) and health (purchase, consumption, requirements, risk factors, etc). It will align tools & labs for data-generation and platforms for data-sharing; these services will build on high quality FAIR data, and be aligned with the EOSC and GDPR . Standardized collection and integration of data, information, knowledge and expertise from citizens, public and private stakeholders will become the norm of our work, attract young researchers and foster data stewardship. Apart from scientific breakthroughs, the FNH-RI will foster citizens’ involvement and private sector innovation; it will guide policy makers to coherent inter-sectoral policies, and promote sustainable and healthy diets among EU citizens.