In January 2024, ALLIANCE started a project cluster with projects WATSON and THEROS to explore synergies and opportunities for collaboration and cross-fertilisation in the development of new solutions to tackle food fraud. Over the following months, the cluster grew to include other projects that are piloting innovative solutions to ensure greater transparency along food supply chains, and restore consumers' trust, and started promoting joint activities such as webinars. In March 2025, the cluster has been officially named EU Cluster for Food Traceability and Trust. You can follow cluster updates on LinkedIn.
THEROS
THEROS is a Horizon Europe project that brings together a complementary consortium of 17 partners within 6 EU Member States, with the view to implement an integrated toolbox being capable to modernise the process of verifying organic and geographical indications food products and preventing adulterations and non-compliances, through the use of various technological innovations and data sources, while demonstrating enhanced security, transparency and interoperability in the quality labelled food supply chain. THEROS toolbox components will be extensively evaluated in real life settings through four pilot demonstrations in four different countries (Serbia, Greece, Spain and Czech Republic), while covering diverse requirements, involvement of all relevant actors and different organic/geographical indication food products and fraud/adulteration cases.
Website: https://theros-project.eu/
WATSON
WATSON is developing a set of tools and systems that can detect and prevent fraudulent practices across the entire food supply chain. It will increase transparency through improved track-and-trace mechanisms containing accurate, time-relevant and untampered information on the food product throughout its whole journey. The project will also raise consumer awareness about food safety and value, leading to the adoption of healthier lifestyles and the development of sustainable food ecosystems. Moreover, it will demonstrate the solutions in six different use cases across a number of key food supply chains, covering important commodity groups in the European food system (e.g. wine, olive oil, honey, meat, fish, cereal and dairy).
Website: https://watsonproject.eu/
CUES
CUES addresses the urgent need for a more sustainable food system that benefits the environment, society, and the economy. The project aims to foster a Triple Change in the food system concerning culture, food value chain, and policy. To this end, CUES will pilot nine food system interventions and policy dialogues, actively involving consumers, food value chain actors and policymakers. A learning community and toolkits for behavioural change and communication will be developed to motivate 3 million consumers to make sustainable food choices.
Website: https://cuesproject.eu/
FishEUTrust
FishEUTrust will establish five Co-creation Living Labs in the Mediterranean Basin, the North Sea and the Atlantic Sea. These will enable innovation and process validation and demonstrate the project's supply chain solutions. Examples of supply-chain innovation include creating sustainable business models, protecting cultural and culinary heritage, short food supply chains, exploiting underused fish species, and innovative engagement activities to stimulate positive consumer behaviour. The project will also develop tools to maximize trust by guaranteeing the quality, safety, and traceability of seafood products based on smart control systems (sensors), metagenomics, genetic biomarkers, isotopic techniques, and labelling/product passport/blockchain). These tools will be integrated into a single digital FishEUTrust data platform.
Website: https://fisheutrust.org/
SEA2SEE
SEA2SEE is an innovative European project which main goal is to make actors with sustainable seafood practices more visible to consumers thus giving them a competitive advantage. SEA2SEE project comes to fill in existing seafood traceability gaps through the development of an innovative end-to-end blockchain-based platform, along with professional and consumer applications to increase trust and social acceptance of sustainably fished and farmed seafood. The main objective of SEA2SEE is to significantly increase consumer trust and acceptance of sustainably fished or farmed seafood in Europe through the development and demonstration of an innovative end-to-end blockchain traceability model throughout the seafood value chain and the implementation of societal and sectoral strategies for co-creation, communication and awareness raising about the benefits of sustainably fished or farmed nutritious seafood.
Website: https://sea2see.eu/
TealHelix
The TealHelix project aims to improve how consumers make decisions about sustainable food by creating more personalised and inclusive labelling approaches. Using a method called motivational matching, we will develop new types of labels and digital tools to help people understand and choose more sustainable options. This personalised approach will also help overcome resistance to sustainability and meet the different needs of vulnerable consumers. We will combine knowledge from life cycle analysis, social and economic environments, and consumer behaviour to create a new way of aligning individual preferences with sustainability goals. Different types of labels, such as traditional, digital, and smart labels, will be tested in stores and online.
Website: https://www.tealhelix.eu/
TITAN
TITAN is a 4-year project that will provide an extensive platform for the development of a wide range of innovations that aid transparency and address societal and planetary health to make the food system fair, healthy, and environmentally friendly. The innovations will be supported by cross cutting Work Packages dedicated to stakeholder interests, implementation of digital technologies, policy recommendations, business support, management and communication and dissemination. TITAN will develop 15 innovative solutions including DNA-based detection methods, Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Internet of Things (IoT) to enhance transparency in agri-food businesses with a focus on SMEs, improve food choices by providing more transparent information to the consumer, enhance food safety and authenticity of products and provide improved information on the health and sustainability of food products.
Website: https://titanproject.eu/
FOODGUARD
FOODGUARD aims to develop and demonstrate co-created solutions that will support innovations & advances based on microbiome, microbial activities & technology hubs to address food, health, economic and environmental challenges. The envisioned approach consists of a framework of toolsets and methodologies to provide sustainable solutions in food processing, packaging, and across the food value chain to address food shelf-life increase and waste reduction in a holistic manner. FOODGUARD toolbox components will be extensively evaluated in real life settings through four pilot demonstrations in four different countries with the involvement of all relevant actors while covering diverse requirements and different food products.
Website: https://www.foodguard-project.eu/
ROSETTA
ROSETTA is an EU-funded project under the Horizon Europe Programme committed to exploring the relationship between food waste and marketing standards. The project aims to pioneer sustainable solutions and transform our approach to food resources as we comprehend and quantify the influence of marketing standards on food waste. Our primary objectives include the development of alternative marketing models, a mission we aim to achieve through 5 pilot cases (Ireland, Spain, Poland, Greece and Denmark). By leveraging these real-world scenarios, we aim to provide practical insights that will not only benefit businesses but also form recommendations for policy makers, marketing standards owners and regulators. Website: https://rosetta-project.eu/
INFOODMATION
INFOODMATION aims to explore how mainstream media, social media, and marketing influence consumers’ food choices.. The project will map communication strategies used by 3 key actors (governments, the private sector, and civil society) and assess their effects on dietary behaviors. This includes which channels, tools, and messages they use. It will also examine the effects of misinformation, the effectiveness of parental control and evaluate existing EU and national policies about food information to consumers. Through this analysis, INFOODMATION will identify best practices, develop responsible business strategies, and provide policy recommendations to foster healthier and more sustainable food choices among consumers., All project outputs, tools, and resources will be made available through the INFOODMATION Knowledge Hub, supporting food system actors in implementing responsible food communication strategies. Website: https://infoodmation.eu/
DRG4FOOD
DRG4FOOD paves the way for a trusted, data-driven food system that places consumer rights and digital responsibility at its core. Through a combination of pilot projects, open calls, and collaboration with innovators, the project explores how data can be used responsibly in areas like food traceability, targeted nutrition, and consumer empowerment. Building on these real-world experiences, DRG4FOOD is developing a European roadmap and a practical toolbox to guide policymakers, businesses, and civil society in designing food systems that respect privacy, enhance transparency, and empower citizens to make informed choices. Website: https://drg4food.eu/
EFF-CoP
EFF-CoP aim is to revolutionise the combat against food fraud and enhance transparency in our food supply chains. How? By establishing and mobilising The European Food Fraud Community of Practice (EFF-CoP), a sustainable Research and Innovation eco-system of food fraud researchers and end-users based on solid sociological principles. EFF-CoP has gathered a diverse group of stakeholders in its consortium and wider community, scientists, regulators, large and small-sized industry, certification scheme owners, the organic sector, fraud film festival organisers, the Food Authenticity Network and the Food Industry Intelligence Network, and many more to lay the groundwork. EFF-CoP goal is to cultivate a vibrant community, a network of networks, at the end of the project, all dedicated to combating food fraud and learning from each other. To ensure that EFF-CoP stands the test of time, they are not only implementing the proven concept of ‘CoP design for evolution’ but also a comprehensive exploitation strategy and business plan. Together they will work towards a future with enhanced authenticity, traceability and transparency within our food supply chains. Website: http://www.eff-cop.eu/