After three years of transnational cooperation, the Food4CE project officially came to a close with its Final Conference, held on 26 February 2026 at the University of Maribor (Slovenia). The event brought together producers, logistics experts, researchers, policymakers and other key stakeholders from across Central Europe to celebrate the project’s achievements and discuss how its results will continue to support Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) beyond its lifetime.
Through innovative logistics solutions, digital platforms and regional Innovation Hubs, Food4CE has left behind practical tools, stronger partnerships and lasting support for more resilient, efficient and sustainable short food supply chains across Central Europe. Its outputs will continue to benefit producers, logistics providers, public authorities and other stakeholders by fostering collaboration, knowledge exchange and the further development of local food systems.
Building a Stronger Future for Alternative Food Networks
Across Central Europe, many small farmers, cooperatives and local food initiatives are working to make food systems shorter, more sustainable and more resilient. However, they often face practical barriers such as high transport costs, limited storage capacity, lack of digital tools, fragmented cooperation and support systems that are still mainly designed for large industrial supply chains.
Food4CE addressed these challenges by focusing on logistics as a key condition for stronger local food systems. The project brought together partners from Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, Poland and Italy to identify, test and transfer practical solutions that help alternative food networks and short food supply chains operate more efficiently and cooperate more effectively.
A major achievement was the creation of five regional Innovation Hubs and one Transnational Innovation Hub. These hubs connected producers, logistics experts, researchers, public authorities, advisory organisations and buyers. Through workshops, interviews, surveys, co-creation sessions and pilot activities, they helped identify regional needs and test project results in practice.
Food4CE also developed two multilingual digital tools. The Knowledge Transfer Platform offers verified good practices, logistics solutions and support materials, while the Matchmaking Platform connects producers, processors, logistics providers, institutions and other support actors. Together, they support learning, cooperation and wider use of tested logistics solutions.
Transnational cooperation was central to the project. Partners compared regional situations, shared knowledge, reviewed each other’s work and jointly developed methods, tools and policy recommendations. This made the results more transferable beyond individual regions and strengthened partners’ international networks, methodologies and practical knowledge.
By the end of the project, Food4CE had delivered regional action plans, transnational policy guidelines, a methodology for mapping and assessing logistics practices, and tested digital platforms. It raised awareness of the importance of logistics in local food systems and strengthened cooperation among actors that had often worked separately. The results benefit small producers, cooperatives, alternative food networks, logistics providers, schools, public buyers, wholesalers, HoReCa actors, advisory services and public authorities. They can use the outputs for learning, self-assessment, partner search, logistics planning and better support measures for short food supply chains.
To ensure continuity, all nine project partners agreed to continue cooperation through the regional and transnational Innovation Hubs, while 26 formally organisations committed to keep using and enriching the project platforms. Food4CE leaves behind an active community, practical tools and shared knowledge that can continue supporting stronger, better connected and more resilient local food networks across Central Europe.