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Innovative Initiative Empowers Food Technology Entrepreneurs to Transform Retail with Sustainability and AI.
The food retail industry in Europe is transforming in a variety of ways, and that transformation offers new opportunities for innovative agritech startups to create their own impact within an existing model as well as lead the way for future ventures within the sector. Artificial intelligence and sustainability are at the forefront of this transformation and provide opportunities for younger companies to enter into the most important aspects of retail operations. With the development of the Straight2Market (S2M) programme by EITFood, the organization has positioned itself as a key player in this transformation by bridging the divide between aspiring agritech entrepreneurs and Europe's largest food retailers.
Through this initiative, EITFood is helping to provide solutions to the challenges that food technology entrepreneurs face in bringing their ideas to market, particularly the many complex barriers associated with entering into and thriving within an intensely competitive and margin-sensitive environment. For many years, foodtech startups have faced operational challenges associated with the scale of operations that are imposed by retail. Because food retail has historically low margins, buyers have been conflicted about taking on such operational risk or increasing product/unit costs. The S2M programme offers a strategic framework for startups to evaluate and develop their concepts for market readiness and commercialization.
In 2025, the S2M programme provided 15 successful foodtech companies with funding of €30,000 each, so they could develop an operational model for testing and integrating their products into the environments in which they will eventually be sold. The S2M programme addresses the most important problems in the food retail industry and focuses on these areas of opportunity: waste reduction, low-impact supply chains, smart packaging, and new product development for consumers based on nutrition.
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