FOODMAPP

Interconnected challenges of climate change, food supply resilience, food miles, food waste and supporting the next generation of producers and operators with a fair income are all highlighted in the EU Strategic Plan. Foundational redesign of our food supply systems is required, with urgency, to address these challenges and accelerate the twin green and digital transitions. Current industrial scale food producers and processors lead to complex supply chains that are disconnected from local communities and a rebalancing toward more local supply is sought to address these challenges. The objective of FoodMAPP is to lead this transformation of food supply by enabling and promoting transparent local provision from local producers, including small scale family farmers, and processors direct to consumers.

FoodMAPP will, for the first time, gather extensive market intelligence from all stakeholders including producers, processors, consumers to understand market demand and preferences towards localised food supply transparency. This underpinning research will inform the development of a dynamic searchable map-based platform enabling local providers to supply and sell produce directly to consumers. Food supply from small scale family farmers, local processors and food service operators will be included. The platform will be trialled with local communities and refined prior to full exploitation and comprehensive dissemination to stakeholders and policy makers. The project brings together a consortium of leading experts in the fields of agri-food economics, technology development, food supply chains, psychology and consumer behaviour. Four academic beneficiaries will be partnered with four industry partners with extensive networks and experience in food supply systems. Exchange between these partners will be optimised to deliver strong personal development of individuals, collective development of all beneficiaries and capacity building in this critical R&I area.