August 27, 2026

BREADCRUMB at AGRA 2026: Bringing the conversation on food marketing standards directly to food chain actors

From 22 to 26 August 2026, BREADCRUMB was represented at AGRA 2026 – the 64th International Fair of Agriculture and Food, held in Gornja Radgona, Slovenia.

The participation brought BREADCRUMB’s work closer to farmers, food businesses, consumers and other actors across the food chain, creating an opportunity to discuss an important question at the heart of the project: what happens to food that is perfectly good to eat but does not quite meet market expectations?

 

BREADCRUMB partners at AGRA 2026

Four Slovenian BREADCRUMB partners contributed to the project’s presence at AGRA:

Together, they helped raise awareness of BREADCRUMB and its work on food marketing standards, food loss and waste, and the valorisation of suboptimal foods.

Their participation also provided an opportunity to engage directly with people working across the food system and bring the project’s research into conversations taking place in a real agri-food environment.

 

When market expectations contribute to food waste

Food loss and waste is not only about what happens to food in our homes, shops or restaurants. It can also be influenced by the rules, standards and market expectations that determine which products reach the market in the first place.

BREADCRUMB investigates how public and private food marketing standards can contribute to food loss and waste, including requirements and expectations concerning characteristics such as the size, shape and appearance of food products.

As part of this work, the project has compiled an inventory of more than 1,350 public and private food marketing standards and is carrying out 16 case studies covering fruit and vegetables, meat, eggs, cereals and fish.

The objective is to better understand where and why marketing standards may contribute to food loss and waste, while also identifying opportunities to improve the market access and valorisation of suboptimal foods.

 

From research to conversations across the food system

Events such as AGRA offer an important opportunity to connect this research with the people directly involved in producing, marketing, distributing and consuming food.

Through the participation of ITC – Innovation Technology Cluster, Green Point, Vila Natura d.o.o. and Mensana Intergenerational Centre & Food Services, BREADCRUMB was able to bring these questions directly to the food community in Slovenia and encourage discussion around how food marketing standards can support a more efficient and sustainable food system.

 

BREADCRUMB will continue working with stakeholders across Europe to develop practical and policy recommendations aimed at reducing food waste linked to marketing standards and improving the valorisation of suboptimal foods.

Stay tuned to the BREADCRUMB website and LinkedIn page for more project news, results and upcoming activities.