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𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝟑 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔?

I recently had the pleasure of joining Darshan Kulkarni for a "deep dive" into the current landscape of EU Food Law. We discussed everything from the "romantic" perception of Italian food to the hard realities of compliance facing manufacturers today.

If you are exporting to Europe or managing a global supply chain, here are the key takeaways from our conversation:

🔮 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔: 𝐀 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫. I believe 2026 will be a year of transition rather than massive legislative reform. The European Commission’s "Green Deal" was incredibly ambitious - aiming for 25% organic agriculture and huge pesticide reductions - but these goals are clashing with economic realities. We are now seeing a potential shift toward simplifying life for companies to keep them competitive, rather than pushing new, complex regulations.

💶 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐯𝐬. 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐞. Darshan asked why food seems to taste better in Europe. While we have wonderful Geographical Indications protecting our traditions (and beautiful landscapes to enjoy them in!), and this might enhance the experience, we surely have unbeaten know-how in Italy about food. But speaking of high-quality products, we cannot ignore affordability. Food security is the first pillar of our system. Even in Europe, price remains the #1 driver for consumer purchases, often outweighing sustainability or organic attributes, and inflation squeezed household expenses everywhere, pushing up prices.

🚀 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝟑 𝐈𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐖𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 right now:

𝟏. 𝐄𝐔 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐄𝐔𝐃𝐑): although delayed until the end of 2026, this will have a massive impact on commodities like cocoa, coffee, and soy. Importers must prepare for strict geolocation due diligence. I fear this burden may lead to price speculation or fraudulent practices if small companies cannot cope.

𝟐. 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐬: the scrutiny is rising. You can no longer make vague "green" claims or set ambitious 2050 goals without measurable actions today. Authorities and consumer associations are watching closely.

𝟑. 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲/𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬: not surprisingly, I am seeing a spike in food safety issues and recalls compared to the pre-COVID era, due to economic and geopolitical factors. The squeezing of resources appears to be putting pressure on safety cultures within facilities, testing even the most capable food businesses.

A big "𝑮𝒓𝒂𝒛𝒊𝒆" to Darshan for the kind introduction to his network!

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