Flanders'FOOD

Flanders’ FOOD is the innovation platform and spearhead cluster for the Flemish food industry. Founded in 2005 by Fevia Vlaanderen and around 20 founding members, it was created to strengthen the sector’s competitiveness by bringing companies, research partners, and other stakeholders together around innovation and collaboration. Today, it positions itself as a European-level membership organization with about 300 members, including food companies, related businesses, knowledge institutions, and partners. Its role is to connect actors across sectors and regions, support strategic and practice-oriented innovation, and help the Flemish agrifood ecosystem respond to global market pressures and changing consumer and technology trends. Core Values Collaboration : The organization is built on the belief that companies, researchers, and other stakeholders achieve more by working together across sectors and regions. Innovation : Flanders’ FOOD focuses on turning ideas into practical innovation through research agendas, project calls, tools, and hands-on support. Competitiveness : A central aim is to strengthen the competitiveness of the Flemish food industry through shared knowledge, networks, and coordinated innovation efforts. Flexibility and accessibility : It emphasizes support for both large and small organizations, with services designed to be practical, adaptable, and easy to access. Sustainability and health : Across its programs, the cluster highlights resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, personalized foods and healthy diets, and more resource-conscious production. Unique Aspects Official spearhead cluster status : Since 2018, Flanders’ FOOD has been recognized by the Flemish government and VLAIO as the spearhead cluster for agro-food, with a central role in the regional innovation system. Broad ecosystem role : It acts as a central contact point for companies, social-profit organizations, knowledge institutions, and public authorities in the agro-food domain. Access to innovation funding : As a spearhead cluster, it manages earmarked innovation resources to roll out its strategic research and innovation agenda. Strong pilot-plant network : Its offering is reinforced by multiple specialized pilot and test facilities, each focused on different parts of the food value chain. International partnership role : Flanders’ FOOD is involved in international collaboration, including leading the living-labs work package in the Horizon Europe FutureFoodS partnership.