Round Table : Food processing - a possible strategy for Central and Eastern Europe

Food Safety. Local transformation channels. Economic value chain

Central and Eastern Europe represents today a very important agricultural territory. But, the exit from a planned and collective economy has greatly disrupted production and agricultural sector. For 30 years these are still reinventing themselves, responding to opportunities rather than a strategy.

We note, however, a successful Czech Rep in organic farming, Poland which is a major producer of apples, Serbia champion in red fruits, Croatia well placed in Mediterranean products (fish and fruit) or Romania, the leading producer of corn. On the other hand, if today large French agri-food groups are already present in the area, the food processing has developed unevenly.

Tomorrow, the logistical challenges, the rise of sustainable agriculture and the European guidelines (Green New Deal), will offer new perspectives, driven by chains that will be increasingly shortened and will favour local agri-food transformation, especially for regional products.

We are therefore inviting you to a round table dealing with main trends in agri-food processing in the region, including professionals from the sector, representatives of large retailers, farmers and producers, to understand the dynamics of this sector and recognise how the location of the food transformation is:

• a question of food security for Europe in terms of product availability
• a facilitator of consumer access to processed products
• a premise for sustainable development
• a source of economic stability
• a vector of quality and development of labelled products