Newsletter
Connecting citizens with nutritious, tasty and environmentally friendly plant-based eating through minimal processing and using nature’s own microorganisms.
Brussels/Madrid, 16th October 2025. – On World Food Day, the EU-funded Sustain-a-bite project is launching its first consumer campaign, Behind Every Bite, across Europe. The initiative invites citizens to rethink what’s on their plates – showing that healthy, affordable and sustainable eating can also be delicious.
With food systems under pressure to deliver better nutrition while reducing their environmental footprint, Sustain-a-bite offers a fresh approach. By applying natural processes such as fermentation and seed bioactivation, the project is developing plant-based foods that have the potential to use over 50% less water and 30% less energy than conventional processing, while staying affordable for families – expected to be up to 25% cheaper than meat or dairy equivalents.
“Smart processing is the hidden ingredient. With Sustain-a-Bite, natural methods like fermentation and seed bioactivation turn everyday foods into healthy, affordable, and sustainable choices – showing that every bite can help build a better future.” said Nesli Sözer, Sustain-a-bite coordinator and research professor at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.
A campaign for citizens
Running through October and November 2025, Behind Every Bite will connect science and daily life through digital and local activities:
- Recipe book & chef videos: showcasing how to cook tasty, everyday plant-based dishes.
- #BehindEveryBite on social media: influencers and contests bringing the message to younger audiences.
- Interactive stands in supermarkets and universities, led by the “Green Bites Team”, offering practical tips on food choices, label reading and sustainable cooking.
A European Effort: About Sustain-a-bite
Sustain-a-bite (2024–2028) is an EU-funded Horizon Europe project that develops minimally processed, plant-based foods from whole grains and upcycled side-streams. Its prototypes are rich in protein, fibre, vitamins and essential nutrients – with fewer additives and lower environmental impact.
Sustain-a-bite contributes directly to the Farm2Fork Strategy of the EU Green Deal. The project gathers 19 partners from 13 countries, including universities, research centres, start-ups and large companies across the food value chain. Project partners are: VTT Technical Research Centre (Finland; coordinator), University College Cork (Ireland), Wageningen University (the Netherlands), IBA BUCURESTI (Romania), University of Milan (Italy), Innovarum (Spain), University of Vaasa (Finland), Teagasc (Ireland), Technical University of Denmark (Denmark), IZTECH (Türkiye), University of Oxford (UK), Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (Portugal), MOA Foodtech (Spain), EIT-Food North & East (Poland), Roquette (France), Viking Malt (Finland), Tymbark (Poland) – MASPEX (affiliated entity), BezMięsny (Poland), and Bern University of Applied Sciences (Switzerland).
More information about the Sustain-a-bite project and how to engage with the #BehindEveryBite campaign can be found on the project website and social media here.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 101180399, and the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) under the Swiss government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee. Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.