Valio Leads Food 2.0 Initiative to Create a Sustainable, Resource-Efficient Food System in Finland

Valio Leads Food 2.0 Initiative to Create a Sustainable, Resource-Efficient Food System in Finland

(IN BRIEF) Valio is leading the Food 2.0 initiative, a five-year research and development program focused on building a sustainable and resource-efficient food system in Finland. With over 170 partners, Food 2.0 is investing 100 million euros in R&D, aiming to increase food exports by one billion euros. The program includes 10 research projects tackling climate change, plant-based proteins, animal welfare, and circular economy models, with the goal of transforming food production systems in Finland and beyond.

(PRESS RELEASE) HELSINKI, 22-May-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — Valio is proud to lead the Food 2.0 research and development program, which has quickly grown into a thriving ecosystem of over 170 partners within its first year. Launched with partial funding from Business Finland in February 2024, Food 2.0 is a five-year initiative aimed at creating a more sustainable, resource-efficient food system. By connecting different forms of food production and strengthening value chains, the program seeks to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing the global food system, including population growth, climate change, and rising production costs.

In its first year, Food 2.0 launched 10 innovative research and development projects designed to transform food production in Finland and beyond. These projects focus on key areas such as greenhouse gas reduction in agriculture, plant-based protein production, animal welfare verification, and the development of circular economy models for food, feed, and agricultural chemicals. This diversity of projects reflects the overarching vision for a more interconnected and sustainable food system that balances the needs of agriculture, energy systems, and the environment.

“Our vision for a better food system lies in bold, open collaboration, groundbreaking innovations, and system-wide changes. That’s why we lead the Food 2.0 project – a national ecosystem that brings together companies, researchers, and innovators to drive change in food production, both in Finland and globally. In just one year, we have already made significant strides in engaging the industry and starting to implement this change,” says Annikka Hurme, CEO of Valio and Chair of the Food 2.0 Steering Group.

As part of the program, Valio is committed to investing 100 million euros in research and development over the next five years, with the goal of boosting Finland’s food exports by over one billion euros. Through this initiative, Valio aims to enhance collaboration between academia, business, and industry stakeholders, with a focus on joint development projects and export efforts led by organizations like Ruokatieto.

The projects within Food 2.0 are varied and highly impactful, including:

• AGCLIMATE: Solutions for measuring and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural lands, led by the Finnish Meteorological Institute.
• FoodID: The production of plant-based proteins and lipids through fermentation, led by VTT.
• Animal Welfare Verification System (AWVS): A unified system for assessing, verifying, and tracing animal welfare, led by the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).
• CARBON+: A study examining the climate impacts of agriculture, led by the University of Helsinki.
• FABulOATS: Improving the quality of oats and fava beans for the food industry, led by the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).
• AlgaCircle: Creating a circular economy concept for producing food, feed, and agricultural chemicals from microalgae, led by the University of Turku.

With the diversity of these projects, Food 2.0 seeks to transform the food system into one that aligns with circular economy principles. This includes sustainably produced plant-based products, milk, and meat, and integrating innovations like cellular agriculture. The new system connects food production, energy systems, feed production, and environmental management through practices such as nitrogen and phosphorus nutrient circulation and better water and emissions management.

“True sustainability in the food system includes responsibly produced plant-based products, dairy, and meat, as well as innovations like cellular agriculture. The different value chains are interconnected and support one another, forming the foundation for a circular economy where by-products from one sector can benefit another,” explains Harri Kallioinen, Director of Research and Development at Valio.

Food 2.0 Project

Food 2.0 is a five-year project led by Valio, aiming to create a sustainable food system in Finland through research, development, and innovation. The ecosystem of the project includes over 170 actors, and its goal is to invest 100 million euros in research and development and increase food exports by over one billion euros in the years following the project’s completion. The project is based on Valio’s vision of the future food system and focuses on four themes: future products, technological transformation, regenerative agriculture, and circular economy and resource efficiency. Business Finland has granted 10 million euros in funding for the project and is prepared to fund 20 million euros for projects within the Food 2.0 program.

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SOURCE: Valio