EFF-CoP Summer Update: Collaboration, Knowledge and New Voices
Summer may traditionally be a quieter period, but July and August 2026 remained active months for the EFF-CoP. From collaborative events and Living Lab outcomes to new expert voices and resources, the project continued bringing together the food fraud community and sharing knowledge across Europe.
Joining forces for food system security
On 3 July 2026, EFF-CoP joined SecureFood, ACT4FOOD and DEFENSEFOOD for the joint webinar “Advancing Food System Security: Innovations, Tools and Collaborative Strategies.” The webinar brought together expertise from different European initiatives addressing food security, food safety and resilience. It provided an opportunity to exchange knowledge, identify synergies and demonstrate the importance of collaboration when responding to the increasingly complex challenges affecting European food systems.
From discussion to co-innovation: the first EFF-CoP Living Lab
The summer also provided an opportunity to share the outcomes of the 1st Social Co-Innovation Living Lab, organised by REZOS at the University of Patras, Greece, on 29–30 June 2026. Using a participatory and community-based approach, stakeholders worked together to identify real-world food fraud challenges, map relevant actors, assess potential impacts across the food chain and propose possible solutions and capacity-building needs.The outcomes from the two working groups, complemented by feedback from consortium partners, have now been brought together in a dedicated report. The results provide valuable insights into how collaborative approaches can contribute to identifying priorities and strengthening the capacity of the food fraud community. The full document with the Living Lab results is available HERE.
Catching up with EFF-CoP
July also saw the publication of the third EFF-CoP Newsletter, bringing together the project's main developments from January to June 2026. Among the highlights was the 1st Authentic Food Fraud Festival & Conference, held in Dublin on 27–28 May. The event welcomed around 130 participants from 18 countries, alongside 45 speakers and moderators, 25 posters and 80 volunteers, combining scientific exchange with creative and interactive approaches to discussing food fraud. Meanwhile, the EFF-CoP community continues to grow. By July 2026, the project's social media channels had reached more than 4,400 followers.
Bringing consortium voices into the conversation
EFF-CoP also launched a series of short interviews during the summer, putting the spotlight on the people behind EFF-CoP. Through short and accessible conversations, researchers and professionals are invited to share their expertise, experiences and perspectives on food authenticity and fraud prevention.
Looking ahead
As summer has come to an end, EFF-CoP is already looking towards its next activities.
On 7 September 2026, a new stakeholder survey on food fraud macro-scenarios was launched. The survey will invite stakeholders to provide feedback that will help shape the project's scientific research agenda, identifying key research and innovation needs for addressing the evolving food fraud landscape over the next ten years. The results will also contribute to the development of the EFF-CoP White Paper.
After an active summer, EFF-CoP enters the new season with the same goal at its heart: connecting people, sharing knowledge and strengthening collaboration to better understand, prevent and address food fraud across Europe.
This update has also been added to FAN's EFF-CoP page.
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