Present in all European diets, fermented foods (FF) hold a strategic place due to the benefits they offer in terms of nutrition, sustainability, innovation, cultural heritage and consumer interest. The potential of FF for improving human health but also driving food innovation and local production in the next decades has become highly relevant. The challenge is therefore to federate the scientific community and other key stakeholders working on FF. We want to collectively advance scientific evidence of their health benefits, building a benefits/risk approach in order to promote multi-modal innovation and respond to the expectations of different European communities.

The long-term goal of PIMENTO is to place Europe at the spearhead of innovation on microbial foods, promoting health, regional diversity, local production at different scales, contributing to economical and societal development as well as food sovereignty. To respond to this challenge, the scientific and non-scientific community need to join forces and co-construct a multi-stakeholder vision and dynamic in the field of FF. A COST Action is the best means of building this network and enabling this long-term vision to become reality.

The wide variety of stakeholders engaged will enable PIMENTO: i) to tightly connect and clarify scientific knowledge on health aspects of FF ii) to tackle technical, societal and legislative bottlenecks behind FF-based innovations iii) to contribute to the establishment of long-term scientific workplaces iv) to disseminate widely define scientific knowledge on FF and define strategic roadmap for future joint research.