In April, TITAN organised two dedicated workshops bringing together a broad range of stakeholders to discuss the future of transparency in the European food system.
The first workshop, “Shaping Transparent Food Systems,” took place on 21 April and was organised in collaboration with Cardiff University and Wageningen University. The second session, “Smart Strategy, Smart Policy: Advancing Digital Transparency in the EU Food System,” followed on 22 April in partnership with SME Connect.
Across both events, policymakers, representatives from EU institutions, researchers, food industry actors, SMEs, technology providers, farmers, and civil society organisations came together to exchange perspectives and experiences.
Discussions highlighted that transparency policies in the food system need to be clearly linked to well-defined public policy goals. Participants reflected on the evolving regulatory landscape, noting a shift from the transparency and traceability ambitions of the Farm to Fork strategy towards more recent simplification efforts, such as the Omnibus approach. This transition has introduced a level of uncertainty among operators, underlining the importance of consistent and coherent policy direction.
The workshops also showcased real-world case studies demonstrating how digital tools can support traceability across food value chains. These examples illustrate both the potential and the practical challenges of implementing digital transparency solutions in diverse operational contexts.
A recurring topic was the need to balance transparency with the protection of commercially sensitive information. Participants emphasised that trust across the value chain can only be strengthened if data sharing is accompanied by safeguards for business confidentiality.
Another key point was the importance of investment in digital capacity and infrastructure. Ensuring that actors across the supply chain, from primary producers to SMEs, can adopt and benefit from innovative technologies remains a critical challenge.
Overall, the discussions showed that effective transparency policies must be aligned with the roles, capacities, and needs of different stakeholders. The insights gathered during these workshops will contribute to shaping more practical and inclusive approaches to digital transparency in European food systems.
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