• Location 

    Merelbeke- Melle, Belgium 

    • Organization Profile  

      ILVO (Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) is a research institute of the Flemish Government in Belgium. It carries out independent and interdisciplinary research on agriculture, fisheries, and food. ILVO works on themes such as sustainable primary production, food quality and safety, the environment, and socio-economic aspects. The institute also explores the role of agri-tech and innovation to support farmers, food companies, and policymakers in building resilient and sustainable food systems. 

      • Organisation Information

        ILVO (Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) is an independent research institute of the Flemish Government in Belgium. Its mission is to support sustainable agriculture, fisheries, and food systems through scientific research, knowledge sharing, and innovation. ILVO covers the full agri-food chain, from soil and plant sciences to animal production, fisheries, food processing, and consumer aspects. Research themes include primary production, food quality and safety, environmental impact, circular economy, and socio-economic dimensions. ILVO also addresses the opportunities of agri-tech and digitalisation, supporting farmers, food businesses, policymakers, and society in responding to current and future challenges. Through partnerships at regional, national, and European level, ILVO contributes to resilient, sustainable, and innovative food systems. 

        • On-going activities related to Food Loss: 

          ILVO is actively involved in several initiatives to prevent and reduce food loss and waste. Within the Horizon Europe projects ZeroW, BREADCRUMB. At the regional level, ILVO contributes to the Food Waste Platform (Voedselverlies Platform) in Flanders, supporting policy and stakeholder collaboration.  

          • Drivers for participating in the FOLOU TWRP 

            ILVO participates in the FOLOU Twinning Regions Programme to strengthen collaboration and knowledge exchange with other European regions working on food loss prevention. The institute aims to share its expertise from ongoing Horizon Europe projects (e.g. ZeroW, BREADCRUMB, CHORIZO) and regional initiatives, while also learning from best practices elsewhere. Key drivers include building synergies with partners across the food chain, supporting evidence-based policy, and accelerating the implementation of innovative solutions for food loss prevention. By engaging in the FOLOU network, ILVO seeks to contribute to more coherent approaches, scale up successful practices, and enhance impact at both regional and European levels. 

            • Other actors engaged in the implementation of FOLOU TWRP activities 

              Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (LV – Landbouw & Visserij) 

              • Relevant Links: 

                ·  ILVO website: https://ilvo.vlaanderen.be/en 

                ·  ZeroW project website: https://www.zerow-project.eu/ 

                ·  BREADCRUMB project website: https://www.breadcrumb-project.eu/