Members Newsletter June 2026

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Upcoming events

World Microbiome Day 2026 - Innovations from Soil to Shelf: Microbiomes Across Agriculture and Circular Food Design - 24 June 2026, 13:00-15:00 CEST (Online)

microbiome

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Microbiomes influence every stage of the food system, from soil health and crop production to food fermentation and waste valorisation, and research in these areas is advancing rapidly. But often these areas are acting in silos with little interaction between. Celebrating World Microbiome Day, EUFIC together with speakers from the #Microbes4SustainableFoods cluster, is organising a webinar to create awareness about the important role of microbiomes for our food and highlight real-world microbiomes-based innovations for a more sustainable food system.

Registration available here.

This webinar offers a unique opportunity to gain first-hand insights into emerging microbiome innovations across agriculture, food production and circular food design. Participants will learn about the latest scientific developments, discover practical applications, and connect with researchers and professionals working across the microbiome ecosystem.

Réduire le gaspillage alimentaire des consommateurs : Résultats et outils du projet COMBINE – 25 June 2026, 11:00 – 13:00 (online)

food waste

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Food waste remains a major challenge across homes, schools and workplace canteens, and effective solutions require a better understanding of consumer behaviour. But evidence on which combinations of interventions work best in different settings is still limited. Therefore, this webinar will present key findings, practical tools and lessons learned from the COMBINE project, which has tested and evaluated food waste reduction interventions across four European countries. As leader of the project's communication, dissemination and exploitation activities, EUFIC has played a central role in translating research findings into practical resources that can support wider uptake and replication.

Registration available here.

Please note that this webinar is in French. Participants will gain access to insights on reducing consumer food waste, learn which interventions from the COMBINE project were most effective in schools, workplace canteens and households, and discover practical tools that can support future initiatives, policies or programmes. The webinar also offers an opportunity to exchange with experts and stakeholders working on food waste prevention across Europe.

Highlights from latest EUFIC campaigns

April 2026 – Navigate food & health information with confidence

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• Article | Difference between correlation and causation (Infographic)
• Social Media | Have you seen these 3 nutrition superspreaders online before?

May 2026 – Build everyday healthy habits that support healthy ageing & non-communicable disease prevention

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• Article | What are the best ways to lose weight, according to science?
• Social Media | Are older adults getting enough protein every day?

What was our team up to?

On May 27th, EUFIC led the Communication Lab #2 on emulsifiers, a specialised online workshop to co-create guidelines for media professionals covering food emulsifiers. Ten experts from EFEMA, IMACE, ICA, Cargill, Abbott, both Birmingham and Surrey Universities as well as Science Protect joined the team.

Building on findings from last November’s Communication Lab #1 on emulsifiers, participants used a structured Miro process to link specific scientific evidence—such as NOVA classification issues and recent gut microbiota studies—to real-world media barriers and constraints.

A key feature was the use of “persona cards” representing missing voices like journalists and patients, ensuring the proposed guidelines address actual information needs rather than just technical accuracy. The group produced a set of paired obstacles and actionable rules, alongside a “gap list” identifying questions requiring further public consultation. EUFIC is now synthesizing these results into a comprehensive report scheduled for publication in July 2026, aiming to foster more nuanced, science-based media coverage that balances evolving knowledge with public health concerns.

The next Communication Lab round will be launched in October/November 2026. Topic is not yet defined, but we have a preference for:

• Micronutrient supplementation / food supplements and fortifications
• Fermented foods and microbiota
• Alternative proteins in the EU

Resources from our projects and initiatives

Water kefir as a model system for studying fermented foods

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Recently, water kefir has attracted growing research and industrial interest due to its potential and perceived health benefits. Owing to its increasing popularity, there is a growing demand for controlled and standardised production on an industrial scale. However, industrial-scale production remains a challenge due to the limited knowledge of the biological interactions of the microbial consortia and the lack of defined starter cultures. A new review from Domino’s researchers, published in Nature, explores water kefir as a model system for studying fermented foods using multi-omics and genome-scale metabolic modelling and discusses the regulatory challenges associated with the use of defined communities in food systems.

Read the full paper here.

New resource from the Microbiomes4Soy project (Microbiomes4Soy)

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Microbiomes shape how our food is grown, how plants grow, and even how nutrients behave in the human body. The MICROBIOMES4SOY project is bringing these connections into focus across Europe. But these relationships are complex and still not fully understood. Hence, the project is combining experimental research in soil, plants, and nutrition to better understand how microbiomes support more sustainable and resilient food systems.

Recent work includes a collaboration with the MiCRop project at the Netherlands Plant Eco-phenotyping Centre in Utrecht, where researchers are jointly studying 100 soya bean soils from across Europe. This work helps reveal how different soil microbiomes can influence plant growth and nutrient uptake. And while parallel scientific reviews explore how soy interacts with the human gut microbiome and how plants and microbes jointly shape crop immunity, all outputs point towards the same idea: microbiomes matter across the entire food chain. EUFIC supports the communication and dissemination of MICROBIOMES4SOY results, helping translate complex science into accessible insights for stakeholders in nutrition, health, and food systems.

It provides early insights into how microbiome science may shape the future of sustainable agriculture, plant-based proteins, and nutrition, helping members stay ahead of emerging evidence in food system transformation.

Further reading:

• The Extended Plant Immune System (2025)
• Soy and the gut microbiome: a bi-directional relationship shaping nutrition and health

In other news...

New project: NUTRIMIND

microbiomes, mental health, citizen science, nutrition

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Nutrimind will deliver actionable, multi-disciplinary evidence on the complex interplay between dietary patterns, nutrients, and gut microbiome-host interactions in shaping mental health across critical life stages, from childhood to elderly.

New dataset from clinical trial to understand the complex relationship between diet, gut microbiome and mental health, discovering the beneficial or detrimental effects of specific food beverages.

Join our community of practice to shape communication on microbiome and mental health, test and refining digital app for nutrition and health monitoring, participate in many co-design activities.

Membership news

Ready for 2nd Members' Meeting? Our second members' meeting of the year is all about the exciting opportunities coming out of EUFIC's EU-funded projects. This round, we're diving into three hot topics: micronutrients, food marketing on social media, and promoting sustainable consumption choices.

We're thrilled to welcome expert guests from the European Public Health Alliance and the University of Wageningen, plus fresh insights from our very own EUFIC Research team.

Expect lively presentations, real Q&A, and, best of all, an open floor for you to share what your organisation is working on. It's the perfect place to spark new ideas and collaborations.