Euro-MARC

Eco Innovation has been invited to be part of the Project Implementation Board of the recently approved Euro-MARC project, headed by the Euromontana group. This project brings together 10 partner organisations from across Europe specialising in mountain agriculture, food marketing and rural development. It also involves 9 members of a Project Implementation Board (including Eco Innovation) as a consultative group of stakeholders who will participate in seminars and provide comments on project documents.

The Euro-MARC (European Mountain Agrofood products, Retailing and Consumers) project itself was accepted by the European Union in June 2006, and will last for 3 years from February 2007. This collaborative study aims to assess the perception and interest of European consumers in mountain quality-food products in order to find ways for adding value to mountain food products as a prerequisite for the survival and the management of rural and cultural mountain diversity. Euro-MARC intends to provide a representative overview of the different meanings of mountain food products along the food chain, from end-users consumers, to retailers, producers, farmers, and 'mountain' policy makers as well.

To obtain this overview, partners of Euro-MARC will undertake a consumer-oriented surveys, distribution channels analysis, food supply chain actors' interviews and field studies of local initiatives in respect of mountain quality food products and rural development, both at a wide European range (Highlands, Alps, Scandinavia, Massif Central, Carpathians). The final output will help refine and adapt the translation of the European Charter for Mountain Quality- Food Products in implemented terms and to propose guidelines, for development, promotion, and communication, and possibly labelling policy, at a European level, oriented towards improved marketing of mountain quality-food products and consumers' recognition.

More information will be available on the Euromontana website.