5th Meeting of the Regional Stakeholder Group of the Interreg Europe FISSH Project – Sustainable Food Systems, Marketing and Consumers

On Tuesday, 30 June 2026, the 5th Meeting of the Regional Stakeholder Group of the Interreg Europe project FISSH – Food Industry SMEs Sustainability Support and Help took place in the meeting room of Zeus Is Loose Hostel. The meeting was organised by ANATOLIKI S.A., the lead partner of the project, with the support of the Regional Development Fund of Central Macedonia, a project partner, and the Region of Central Macedonia, which participates as an associated policy authority.

The meeting brought together representatives from the Region, public administration bodies, the academic community, and organisations active in the field of sustainable development and food systems. Specifically, participants included representatives of the Ministry of Interior, the Region of Central Macedonia, the Municipality of Thessaloniki, the Technical Chamber of Greece – Central Macedonia Section (TEE/TKM), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki – KEAGRO, the Alexandrian Innovation Zone, Q-PLAN INTERNATIONAL, the NGO incommon, MY COMPANY PROJECTS PC, and the Consumer Protection Centre (KEPKA).

The participants were welcomed by Ms Ioanna Kouti, Director of Programming and Management of European Programmes at ANATOLIKI S.A., and Ms Chrysanthi Kiskini, Director of the Regional Development Fund of Central Macedonia, who highlighted the importance of cooperation among stakeholders for strengthening sustainability in the agri-food sector and promoting innovative policy tools.

Ms Ioanna Kouti then presented the progress of the FISSH project implementation, while Ms Maria Magrioti, a member of the ANATOLIKI S.A. project team, introduced the third thematic area of the project focusing on marketing perspectives and consumer attitudes towards sustainable food products. Participants had the opportunity to actively engage and express their views on the topic as consumers themselves, completing an on-site questionnaire developed within the project, which will also be distributed widely across all five partner regions in order to collect data for analysing the current situation in each region.

Subsequently, Ms Stella Psarropoulou, a staff member of the Planning & Project Monitoring Department of the Alexandrian Innovation Zone S.A., presented the Thess InnoFood Hub as a driver of innovation for sustainable food systems, highlighting the role of innovation in linking businesses, research, and regional development.

Next, Ms Stella Triantafyllidou, a staff member of the Programming & Projects Monitoring Department of the Regional Development Fund of Central Macedonia, presented the Finnish good practice IKE – Carbon Footprint Calculator, a free tool that helps food production units identify high-emission points and optimise their processes accordingly.

Particular interest was drawn by the experience shared by Ms Ourania Menkisoglou, Professor Emerita at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and President of KEAGRO, who participated as an expert in a peer review under the Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform, following a request by the Municipality of Müllsjö in the Jönköping Region of Sweden. She shared her experience of the process, which focused on the circular economy and strengthening the resilience of regional food systems, highlighting the need for more effective regional coordination mechanisms and cooperation among stakeholders.

The meeting concluded with an exchange of views among participants, further strengthening dialogue and collaboration on the challenges and prospects of sustainable food systems at regional level, contributing to the discussion on improving the policy instrument of the “Central Macedonia 2021–2027” Programme and enhancing its linkage with the project.

The FISSH project is co-financed by the INTERREG Europe programme, with a total budget of €1,358,664. Its duration is 48 months, until 31/03/2028. The partnership includes: