HELSINKI, Finland – Henrik Samuelson, SVP Customer Brands at Paulig Group, was recently appointed as FoodDrinkEurope ‘s new President, for an initial two-year term. Henrik takes over from Marco Settembri (formerly CEO Zone Europe at Nestlé) who served as FoodDrinkEurope’s President since 2020.
Mr. Samuelson said he was honoured to be taking over the presidency and laid out his hopes for the organisation of the European food and drink industry in the coming years:
“The European food and drink industry plays a crucial role in shaping the EU’s new mandate to drive competitiveness, sustainability, and security.”
“Together, we can work towards a resilient future that supports both our sector and the communities we serve.
I look forward to working together and strengthening our partnerships with policymakers, farmers, traders, retailers, consumers and others to drive real lasting positive change in our food systems.”
“The first deliverable in which to achieve this will be the anticipated Vision on Agriculture and Food, which should serve as a crucial foundation for enhancing the competitiveness and resilience of our strategic sector.”
Founded in 1982, FoodDrinkEurope is a Food industry confederation in the European Union. It was formed by 26 national food-related federations, including 3 observers, 25 EU sector associations, and 19 major food and drink companies, all grouped in a Liaison Committee.[3]
FoodDrinkEurope’s permanent secretariat, based in Brussels, maintains close contacts with European and international institutions and is a major partner in consultations on all issues affecting Europe’s food and drink industry.
FoodDrinkEurope coordinates the work of more than 700 experts though its Committees and Expert Groups around four themes: food and consumer policy (food safety and science, nutrition and health), environmental sustainability and competitiveness.
Through these Committees and Expert Groups, Europe’s food and drink manufacturers provide broad and in-depth expertise. They contribute to FoodDrinkEurope positions on key issues which, once approved, are communicated to European and international decision-makers with a view to shaping legislative and non-legislative developments impacting on the industry.
