Umeå leads SEK 50 million initiative on the future of food in the north

The research centre NorthFood – Climate Smart Food Systems at the Northern Crossroads is a collaboration between Umeå University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), bringing together researchers from several academic disciplines. In close collaboration with the public sector, industry (including Lantmännen and SolEdits) and civil society, the centre will investigate how biological, economic and societal conditions affect opportunities to develop future food systems.

Formas has awarded the research centre SEK 49.96 million for the period from December 2026 to November 2030.

From a regional challenge to a national concern

In Västerbotten, there is a clear ambition to increase both the production of and demand for regionally produced food. Region Västerbotten is participating in NorthFood and contributing knowledge on the regional conditions for food production and the development of the food supply chain.

“There is a desire to produce and use more food from Västerbotten, but the route from grower to consumer is not always straightforward. For those looking to develop their production, access to processing, effective distribution, and a sufficiently large market can be crucial. NorthFood gives us an opportunity to investigate where the barriers lie and what could make the greatest difference,” says Riikka Engman, strategist at Region Västerbotten.

These issues have also gained increasing national importance. The Swedish Government’s Food Strategy 2.0 identifies greater robustness in the food supply chain as a priority, while Sweden’s new Arctic Strategy from 2026 specifically highlights food supply in northern Sweden, where long transport distances and particular geographical conditions pose challenges for food supply preparedness.

NorthFood will contribute knowledge on how food systems can adapt to a changing climate, reduce their climate impact, and at the same time become more competitive and resilient.

“There is not always a simple solution that is best from every perspective. What is good for the climate may be difficult to implement economically, and what works for one producer may not be equally beneficial for other parts of the food system. An important task for NorthFood is to understand these trade-offs and the conditions required for different solutions to work in practice,” says Camilla Sandström, professor of political science at Umeå University and project leader for NorthFood.

Building on Umeå University’s strategic initiative

NorthFood builds on Umeå University’s long-term investment in plant science for a sustainable green transition. Since 2024, Plant Science for a Sustainable Green Transformation of the Subarctic has been one of the University’s three prioritised research areas, coordinated by Stefan Jansson, professor of plant cell and molecular biology, and Sofia Lundberg, professor of economics.

Both will now have key roles in NorthFood. Stefan Jansson leads the research area From Plant to Cultivation, while Sofia Lundberg, together with Hanna Lindström, is responsible for research on public procurement as a policy instrument. Stefan Jansson and Sofia Lundberg are also members of the centre’s management team, led by Camilla Sandström.

New opportunities for cultivation in a changing climate

A warmer climate may create opportunities to grow new crops in northern Sweden. At the same time, more variable weather conditions and stresses such as frost and drought may make cultivation less predictable.

NorthFood will investigate how different crops can be developed and adapted to northern conditions. The research will include potatoes, cereals, legumes and apples, as well as the potential to develop new crops based on plants that already occur in the region.

“Two varieties of the same crop can respond very differently to the conditions in which they are grown. What is interesting is understanding which traits enable some plants to cope with stress better than others. We can use that knowledge to develop crops that are better adapted to northern conditions and a changing climate,” says Stefan Jansson, professor at Umeå University and affiliated with Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC), a joint research centre between Umeå University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), where much of NorthFood’s plant science research will be conducted.

But being able to grow a crop is not enough

A central part of NorthFood’s research design is to use the same crops to connect knowledge across different research areas. Legumes are one example: the researchers will investigate how they can be grown under northern conditions, which economic and political conditions affect production, how public procurement can help create demand, and how foods based on these crops are received by consumers. In this way, the research can show how opportunities and barriers across different parts of the food supply chain affect one another.

“For a grower considering investing in new production, knowing whether there will be buyers in the longer term can be crucial. Public procurement is particularly interesting because municipalities and other public-sector organisations purchase large quantities of food. How they structure their purchasing can affect producers’ opportunities to develop their businesses,” says Sofia Lundberg, professor of economics at Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics, Umeå University.

Researchers will also investigate how taste, eating habits and cultural perceptions influence the introduction of new ingredients and food products. This research will be led by Armando Perez-Cueto, Professor of Food and Nutrition Sciences at Umeå University, and conducted in collaboration with partners outside academia, including at the University's research restaurant and in planned facilities for sensory evaluation.

A northern research initiative with international significance

The development of sustainable, competitive and resilient food systems is a key priority in European research and innovation, including through the EU’s Food 2040 initiative.

NorthFood can contribute knowledge from northern conditions, where a changing climate, short growing seasons and long distances create particular challenges for food production. By investigating how these conditions affect the possibilities for developing sustainable food systems, the research may also become relevant to other regions facing similar challenges.

Through collaboration with growers, companies, public-sector actors and civil society, NorthFood will combine scientific knowledge with experience from different parts of the food supply chain. The research will also investigate how new solutions can become practically feasible and gain social legitimacy among the people and organisations affected.

“Northern Sweden has the potential to play a greater role in the food production of the future, but that will not happen by itself. I hope NorthFood can provide us with knowledge that enables us to seize these opportunities sustainably, all the way from what we grow to how food is produced and used,” says Camilla Sandström.