Sustainability in focus: Hungarian food producer receives international award

By: Trademagazin Date: 2026. 03. 11. 12:01

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Talking about sustainability is fashionable, yet we often put it behind our daily tasks and do little for it. Let’s face it, it often requires a lot of resources to reduce our ecological footprint even by a small amount. Whether it’s money or time, nothing happens by itself. Neither replacing thermal insulation, nor installing solar panels, nor even looking for food that comes in environmentally friendly packaging. But there’s no reason to be ashamed, let’s brush aside Hungarian self-criticism, the situation is not necessarily better elsewhere. After all, a Hungarian food producer won an international award in the sustainability category.

The award ceremony took place at the closing event of a series of projects. Italian, Slovenian, Slovak, Polish, German, Czech and Hungarian experts participated in the conference. The Food4CE project, entitled “International Cooperation for Sustainable Food Supply”, concluded in Maribor. The aim of Food4CE, which will run from 2023 to 2026, was to strengthen the innovation capacity of Central European alternative food networks (AFNs), promote short supply chains, sustainable logistics solutions, and cooperation between local producers and communities. The project has established, among other things, innovation centers, knowledge transfer and networking platforms in international partnership.

– We are connected in a thousand ways with the Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences, or MATE, so when we can participate in international projects together, even just surveys, we are always happy to join. This was no different this time, and the topic of alternative food networks is very topical. In today’s world, a part of the urban population living further from the land would like to buy fresh products as directly as possible from the producer – said Dr. Csaba Németh, food engineer, c. university professor, who participated in the project on behalf of ToTu’s manufacturer, Capriovus Kft.

The goals of the final conference held in Slovenia’s second largest city were: to present the results of the Food4CE project, share good practices, and discuss how these experiences can be utilized in the future at the level of policy and practice. The program also included professional presentations, panel discussions, best practice presentations, and an award ceremony. In the “Sustainability” category, a Hungarian egg processing company dealing with the development of innovative egg products received recognition.

– We are very proud of this success, but what is sustainability? What does it mean in our case? Sustainability in the food industry is a systemic approach that combines economic profitability with environmental protection and social justice. In agriculture, this means the use of soil restoration techniques and the minimization of chemical use, and in food processing, energy-efficient technologies and circular packaging. In the field of logistics, sustainability includes the optimization of transport routes, the reduction of energy requirements in the cold chain, and the application of the FEFO principle, i.e. stocking according to expiration date, to combat food waste. A food manufacturer is exemplary if it maintains a transparent supply chain, actively reduces its ecological footprint and manages the surplus that arises. Such a company not only meets regulations, but also shapes consumer needs and improves the quality of life of local communities. It is a great honor to have received recognition on a Central European level in this area. We will do everything to continue to serve this in the future – added Dr. Csaba Németh.