Fermenting Common Ground: a multi-stakeholder brief on fermentation technologies for food & feed

This multi-stakeholder brief is the result of ten months of closed-door dialogue between environmental, health and consumer NGOs, researchers and industry representatives, a wide stakeholder base in which common ground is not always a given. With more than 40 individuals from over 20 organisations taking part, the forum started from a shared factual baseline on what fermentation technologies for food and feed are and how they differ. From there it worked through five of the most prominent questions: technologies and applications, environmental potential and resource efficiency, circularity and farmer perspectives, health and nutritional considerations, and the use of genetic techniques.

The brief does not sidestep the harder questions. It recognises that risks must be managed, as with any emerging technology, and still concludes that there is wide societal support for the sector to grow and unlock benefits for Europe. Its four policy directions are: balancing support with scrutiny, maximising environmental and circular potential, putting farmers in the value chain, and giving consumers a real, informed choice.

The publication comprises the full brief and five accompanying focus sheets, one for each chapter. Each focus sheet stands on its own and offers a summary of the evidence and the forum’s considerations for EU policy.