VISION4FOOD was part of RETASTE 2026: Rethink Food Resources, Losses, and Waste, held from 16 to 18 September 2026 in Rethymno, Greece, in a hybrid format. The international conference focused on sustainability challenges across the food system, including food loss and waste, circular economy, sustainable production, consumer behaviour, policy and innovation. The 2026 edition included contributions from more than 65 countries.  

On 18 September, Albina Dioba from Copenhagen Business School presented ongoing VISION4FOOD research on open innovation in regional food systems. The presentation, titled “From policy rhetoric to Quadruple Helix stakeholder realities: PEST barriers to open innovation in regional food systems”, examined political, economic, social and technological barriers that can affect innovation, as well as how these barriers are perceived by different stakeholder groups.  

The research looks at the experiences of actors across the Quadruple Helix, including public authorities, businesses, research organisations and civil society. By comparing their perspectives, the work aims to better understand where obstacles to open innovation arise and why the same challenges may be viewed differently across stakeholder groups.  

Presenting the work at RETASTE gave the VISION4FOOD team the opportunity to share these findings with an international audience working on food-system sustainability, policy and innovation.  

Participation in RETASTE 2026 also helped increase the visibility of VISION4FOOD’s work on the conditions that support or hinder innovation in regional food systems, contributing to wider discussions on how research, policy and practice can respond to current food-system challenges.