The Atlantic Area Healthy Food Ecosystem, an EU funded food and drink programme for SMEs, is hosting its final project event in Galway this week. Since June 2018 the project has collaborated across the sector to improve the overall competitiveness and growth of SMEs in the value chain of healthy food & lifestyles.
Represented locally by the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA) the programme has provided extensive training and mentoring to food and drink SMEs across the Atlantic Area regions of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales, France, Spain, and Portugal.
In August 2022 the project received additional funding of over €235,000 to provide training on sustainability and gather research on innovation in sustainable manufacturing, the findings of which will be presented at the event.
Speaking ahead of the meetings on 7th and 8th February, Michael Bell OBE, NIFDA Executive Director says the AHFES project has delivered considerable benefits to the participating companies.
“One of the biggest challenges and opportunities for the food and drink sector is the need to produce more sustainable products in the most sustainable way. The work AHFES has been doing in this area will prove invaluable for SMEs, highlighting practical ways in which firms can become more sustainable, and deliver for consumers who are increasingly conscious of their environmental footprint.
“AHFES is a valuable resource for food and drink SMEs and I would encourage companies to access the range of project output available on the AHFES website and YouTube channel. The information is available free of charge and includes market analysis and training covering a range of topics from consumer and market insights, product and export development, human nutrition to new concepts and obligations around labels and packaging.”
The AHFES project is primarily aimed at food and drink stakeholders including researchers and manufacturers from across eight regions. The project benefits from a pioneering €1.4 million EU INTERREG funded programme which has been helping boost the sector by creating an ecosystem for growth in this crucial area.
Further information on the AHFES project can be found at https://www.ahfesproject.com/, where recordings of the seminars will be available after the event.
