Food safety violations at the consumer stage are common and nearly 40% of food-borne outbreaks are occurring in the domestic setting. The overall goal of SafeConsumE is to provide effective, science-based and sustainable strategies for food authorities, market actors and the research community to help consumers mitigate risk, thus reducing the health burden from food-borne illness in Europe. SafeconsumE will suggest, develop and evaluate: 1) Tools, technologies and products (e.g. sensors, apps, hygiene concepts, kitchen utensils) that stimulate safe practices; 2) Communication strategies that effectively stimulate adoption and market uptake of safer practices and tools/technologies; 3) Education programs increasing skills and knowledge aiding teenagers to handle food safely; 4) Dynamic, sustainable and inclusive policy models that stimulates and support national and EU level initiatives. To achieve high implementation and innovation power, scientists will work together with consumers, authorities and different market actors under a new trans-disciplinary and multi-actor approach based on Theories of Practices combined with Design-driven innovation. Covering the five most important hazards causing food borne disease, consumer behavior across Europe will be described using a risk-based methodology and utilizing the strengths of high-throughput surveys together with in-depth qualitative methodology. New strategies will be developed taking into account their impact on risk reduction, documented consumer barriers for change and sustainability. SafeConsumE will support transformation towards a more healthy population and cost-efficacy by reduced foodborne illness, and a more sustainable community by less food-waste and environmentally friendly solutions.

Aquaculture is the fastest growing food sector since the 1970s and its most important purpose is to provide healthy and safe food adapted to consumer preferences. At the same time there are fundamental concerns about the ways we farm and transport food across the world, which are related to negative environmental impacts. Hence, sustainable aquaculture has been identified as the “greatest and most feasible” way to obtain adequate seafood for human consumption and achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2, 4, 13 and 14 on food security, quality education, climate action and use of the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. The objective of EATFish is a sustainable and profitable European aquaculture sector to secure healthy seafood for our growing society. With a truly multidisciplinary consortium composed of universities, research institutes and private sector partners we propose cutting-edge research related to the biology and technical aspects of aquaculture and have a similarly large effort directed towards socio-economic and governance aspects of aquaculture. Through this overarching approach we aim to: 1. Optimise resource economy in European aquaculture, such that it contributes to a circular bioeconomy 2. Ensure animal health and welfare 3. Develop novel aquaculture products targeted to specific market segments 4. Refine aquaculture governance to facilitate sustainable development of the sector 5. Enhance the skills and competences of future aquaculture professionals By addressing these issues, we intend to aid European aquaculture to address current and future challenges related to competition in the market place, sustainability, disease in aquaculture systems and governance.

SOILGUARD envisages a future where the conservation of soil biodiversity and the environmental, economic and social wellbeing of EU biogeographical regions is guaranteed. Unsustainable management and climate change are increasing land degradation and threatening soil biodiversity. Urgent action is required to mainstream sustainable soil management practices and the perception of soil biodiversity as a key nature-based solution to face land degradation and climate change stressors. The efficacy of this call to action depends on addressing major knowledge gaps related to biodiversity and soil-mediated ecosystem services. Soil biodiversity assessment emerges as a key challenge to be overcome. SOILGUARD will co-create a conceptual and analytical framework with the potential to become the global standard for future assessments of soil biodiversity status and its contribution to soil multifunctionality and human wellbeing. This framework will be validated in an innovative experimental design, combining multiple study sites across biomes and regional land degradation gradients with in-situ climate change simulations. Thus, creating the evidence to fill the gaps of knowledge and quantify the environmental, economic and social consequences of unsustainable soil management. All knowledge co-created will be shared through SOILGUARDIANS, a predictive tool based on the causal links between soil biodiversity, soil multifunctionality and wellbeing to support stakeholders on the transition to sustainable management. The SOILGUARD’s network of knowledge and the connectivity enabled by SOILGUARDIANS app will create an ecosystem of innovation for users to showcase, learn and share experiences. SOILGUARD will co-create evidence-based conservation recommendations for policies and frameworks at EU and international level and will support Member States commitments under the Global Soil Partnership. SOILGUARD has the support and engagement of the GSP, GSBI, SOIL-BON, ITPS, FAO and IPBES.

Poultry sector is one of the main agricultural production in Europe, providing 15.2M tonnes of poultry meat and over 7.5 M tonnes of eggs in 2018, with a 21.2 billion € turnover in poultry meat in 2015 and 960 M€ worth of eggs in 2016.It is also a very sensitive sector regarding epidemics, that can impact the sector economics (e.g. 2015 and 2017 episodes of Avian Influenza). and also foodborne pathogens (Salmonella, Campylobacter…) that may have an impact on public health. Biosecurity is acknowledged as the appropriate answer for preventing diseases spread and safeguarding competitive and sustainable poultry farms. Best practices are known all over Europe but compliance of farmers and other operators (e.g. transport, hatcheries…) to biosecurity may not be optimum. Stakeholders need to be supported for effectively implement biosecurity practices. NETPOULSAFE aims to improve biosecurity compliance in poultry farming by compiling, validating and sharing supporting measures implemented or close to being into practice in 7 large poultry producing countries, thanks to a network of 7 National Poultry AKIS. These multi-actor groups, gathering around 500 people, will be chaired and interconnected through Network Facilitators who will stimulate knowledge cross-fertilisation and exchange both at National and EU scales. Supporting measures will be collected from field and literature and analysed from technical and socio-economic point of view to be either validated in pilot farms or directly disseminated to farmers, operators and advisors (incl. vets). In-depth analysis of National contexts will enable to define tailored dissemination strategies. Material (incl. audio-visuals, factsheets, Practice Abstracts, e-learning modules) will be co-constructed with the National Poultry AKIS to ensure its acceptance and shared through most consulted channels and dedicated platform. Synergies with on-going activities, especially EIP-AGRI Operational Groups, will increase project impacts.

ECOBREED will improve the availability of seed and varieties suitable for organic and low- input production. Activities will focus on four crop species, selected for their potential contribution to increase competitiveness of the organic sector, i.e. common wheat, potato, soybean and common buckwheat. The project will develop (a) methods, strategies and infrastructures for organic breeding, (b) varieties with improved stress resistance, resource use efficiency and quality and (c) improved methods for the production of high quality organic seed. The objectives are: • To increase the availability of seeds and varieties for the organic and low-input sector • To identify traits and combinations of traits suited to organic and low-input production environment including high nutrient use efficiency and weed competitiveness/allelopathy • To increase breeding activities for organic and low-input crop production. ECOBREED will increase the competitiveness of the organic and low-input breeding and farming sectors by: • Identifying genetic and phenotypic variation in morphological, abiotic/biotic tolerance/resistance and nutritional quality traits that can be used in organic breeding • Evaluation of the potential of genetic variation for enhanced nutrient acquisition • Evaluation of the potential for increased weed competitiveness and control • Optimisation of seed production/multiplication via improved agronomic and seed treatment protocols • Developing efficient, ready-to-use farmer participatory breeding systems • Pre-breeding of elite varieties for improved agronomic performance, biotic/abiotic stress resistance/tolerance and nutritional quality • Development of training programmes in (a) genomic tools/techniques, (b) PPB and (c) use and application of improved phenotyping capabilities. • Ensuring optimum and rapid utilisation and exploitation of project deliverables and innovations by relevant industry and other user/stakeholder groups.