Winn-organic - Widening INNovations for ORGANIC Food

WINN-ORGANIC is a Horizon Europe project that brings together farmers, researchers, businesses and policymakers with the aim of helping shape the future of the European organic sector beyond 2030.

The project will establish Organic Food Innovation Hubs across seven European countries to co-create and scale up new solutions in areas such as food processing, sustainable packaging and digital tools for the organic fruit and vegetable and dairy sectors.

Through collaboration between farmers, researchers, businesses, policymakers and citizens, WINN-ORGANIC seeks to strengthen cooperation among the various actors in the food value chain, promote knowledge exchange through training activities, and generate evidence and lessons learned to help guide the sector’s development in the years ahead.

Each hub operates as a living lab, providing a space where producers, processors, researchers and consumers work together to test new ideas under real-life conditions. The solutions being explored include technologies such as controlled fermentation, low-temperature pasteurisation, biodegradable packaging and digital tools that enhance supply chain transparency, including QR codes.

The organic sector plays a central role in the European Farm to Fork Strategy. However, smaller producers often do not have the same access as larger companies to technologies, packaging solutions or market tools. In this context, WINN-ORGANIC aims to help bridge this gap through more inclusive innovation and the development of practical, affordable solutions for the people who produce our food.

Through IRTA’s Food Industries Programme, we contribute to the project with our expertise in the development of organic foods through innovative processing technologies that are fully compatible with the principles of organic production. These technologies include induction heating pasteurisation, Pulse Spray Drying and packaging solutions based on biodegradable bioplastics. We also take part in co-design and co-creation activities linked to the establishment of an innovation hub for organic dairy products, with the aim of fostering innovation and facilitating knowledge transfer among the different stakeholders in the sector.

The project contributes to the transition towards more sustainable and resilient agri-food systems by strengthening organic production practices that protect the environment, promote the responsible use of natural resources and support biodiversity conservation. At the same time, it highlights the role of local food chains as drivers of territorial development, economic opportunities and the continued vitality of rural areas. This approach strengthens the connection between production, consumption and place, contributes to social cohesion and addresses the environmental, economic and social challenges facing food systems, thereby supporting their long-term sustainability.

Coordinated by the CENTRO INTERNAZIONALE DI ALTISTUDI AGRONOMICI MEDITERRANEI (CIHEAM Bari) in Italy, WINN-ORGANIC brings together a consortium of 19 organisations from nine European countries. The consortium includes EVHOLO SRL, Università Politecnica delle Marche, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements European Union Regional Group (IFOAM Organics Europe), the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL), the Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries (IRTA), VEnvirotech Biotechnology SL, Mas la Coromina 2010 SL, ID Partner, Coventry University, Open Food Network UK Community Interest Company, DIL Deutsches Institut für Lebensmitteltechnik, Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovação (SPI), Nimble BV, Società Agricola Semplice Amico Bio, Ökológiai Mezőgazdasági Kutatóintézet (ÖMKi), Associazione Bio-Distretto delle Lame and AET Technologies. In addition, the project involves the Swiss associated entities Eidgenössisches Departement für Wirtschaft, Bildung und Forschung (EAER) and Cogiterre.

Further information is available on the project website: winnorganic.eu