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The Hungarian Policy Lab is coordinated by the Research Institute of Agricultural Economics (AKI), which is the leader in the field of Hungarian food economy research, and the Hungarian Chamber of Agriculture (NAK), that provides representation of all actors in the Hungarian food chain (farmers, food industrial companies, input providers, traders).

On 12 September 2018 the first workshop was organized with relevant actors in the Hungarian food system in order to gather more detailed knowledge of the current situation, challenges and prospects. The results have shown that the Hungarian system – due to national and international impacts – faces complex challenges in the future. The Hungarian food system is based on conventions traditions and lacks cooperation among sectorial players. In addition, the whole system is characterized by a limited flow of information and knowledge and a low-level exploitation of the Research, Development & Innovation (RDI) opportunities.

The Hungarian Policy and City Labs have jointly written an article in the Journal of Food Investigation (text in English after the Hungarian version), presenting the urgent need for a food system transformation at national, European level and international level. It lays out the foundations of a food system approach and describes the importance of responsible research and innovation (RRI) to achieve the transition of our food system. The focus of this first article – which is the first in a series of articles – lies in the theoretical background of the Labs.