The Spanish Food and Drink Industry Federation – FIAB

The Spanish Food and Drink Industry Federation – FIAB (www.fiab.es) was created in 1977 to represent – through one organization with a single voice– the Spanish food and drinks industry, the foremost industrial sector of the country and even international. At present, it encompasses 47 associations. Its main activity is informing the sector of developments that might affect their performance and representing their interests before different administrations and decision-making bodies at national, European and international level. FIAB Innovation and Technology Department is an interface between the companies and research bodies. It helps in the management of R+D+I projects submitted by companies in the sector to the administration and management of grants or other types of assistance related to these issues. It helps in the implementation of European Projects seeking national and community partners needed get a consortium. The aim in these projects has been transfer technology, dissemination and capitalization of the projects.

Research, development and innovation Department of FIAB has the expertise of leading and organizing workshops at National and European level in order to disseminate all the progress and results of the project, calling and gathering Food Industry (companies as well as research centers, universities, etc.). FIAB attends and participates in the most important International Food Exhibitions as Alimentaria, Sial, Anuga or Cibus. FIAB leads the Food For Life – Spain Platform with the following groups: Training and Technology Transfer, Food and Health, Quality, Production and Sustainability, Food and Consumer, Food Security and Food Chain Management; in which the project and products resulting are launched and presented as well as in FoodForLife Europe meetings. FIAB attends Science and Research & Development Groups in FoodDrinkEurope in Brussels where to present the project results. FIAB organizes capitalization projects meetings in order to share results with other projects partners in which it is involved. FIAB Communication Department disseminates the project by publishing press releases in the website and blog and by different accounts in social networking guaranteeing impacts in key media.

FIAB will lead regional outreach to Spanish stakeholders (WP9) and contribute to work in other WPs, and in particular through the case study work and facilitate stakeholder’s participation in VALUMICS actions, and contribute to the conceptual framework through participation in the iterative workshops, dissemination, promotion, collaboration in elaboration of questionnaires and documentation related to the project, contact with the private sector (SMEs, Associations, retailers, traders…) and also the public sector (ministries, the EU,…) and civil society (including certification organizations) focused by the project and organization of workshops.