EmerGO – A platform for tracking and reducing persistent and emerging pollutants towards zero pollution in food and drink systems
Europe’s food and drink industry stands at the heart of our society and economy. It helps put food on people’s tables, supports jobs and communities in rural areas, and drives new ideas and innovation across the food system.
Yet the sector carries a hidden environmental burden. Food production and cleaning processes generate wastewater containing a wide range of persistent and emerging pollutants (PEPs), including micro- and nanoplastics, PFAS, hormone-disrupting chemicals, antibiotic residues, hormones, and high levels of salt. Many of these substances are not fully removed by conventional wastewater treatment. They can therefore enter rivers, groundwater and soils, where they may build up and interact with one another in complex ways that are still not fully understood. These combined effects can harm ecosystems and water quality, while also creating risks for food safety and human health.
A key challenge is that Europe’s current approach to industrial pollution mainly focuses on conventional pollutants, such as nutrients and organic load, while PEPs are still not routinely monitored or covered by existing regulations, meaning their presence and potential impacts can go largely unnoticed.
The EmerGO project aims to close this gap. By identifying, monitoring, preventing and reducing PEPs in the food and drink sector, EmerGO aims to turn an invisible pollution problem into one that can be understood, managed and ultimately regulated.
The approach is built around four key pillars:
- Understanding how PEPs are generated and released across key food and drink sectors, including meat, fruit juice, and confectionery production
- Developing affordable, fast and easy-to-use monitoring tools that can detect priority pollutants in real time
- Testing innovative, circular treatment technologies (e.g., advanced oxidation, hybrid membranes, adsorption and recovery systems) in real industrial settings
- Working with industry, policymakers and consumers to turn the results into practical policies and tools that help consumers understand environmental impacts and make more informed choices
The goal is not simply cleaner wastewater. It is a stronger evidence base for a safer, more resource-efficient and more resilient European food and drink industry.
EmerGo is an EU-funded project that started in June 2026 and will last four years. Coordinated by Eurecat Technology Centre, the project brings together 18 partners from 10 countries across Europe and South Korea, with further reach into Latin America through Eurecat’s LATAM branch.
EUFIC’s role
EUFIC will lead the project’s work on consumer engagement. Working closely with food and drink companies, NGOs and consumers, EUFIC will develop easy-to-understand communication materials and awareness campaigns to help people learn more about pollutants linked to food and drink production. EUFIC will also carry out consumer surveys across several European countries to understand how well these activities work and whether they improve consumers’ awareness and understanding.
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Contacts:
- Katerina Palascha, Research Senior Manager (katerina.palascha@eufic.org)
- Matteo Sabini, Collaborative Projects Area Lead (matteo.sabini@eufic.org)