The agri-food industry is one of the most important sectors of EU economy while proper nutrition is essential for health and well being of European citizen. It is estimated that almost 80 % of heart disease, strokes and type 2 diabetes, and 40 % of cancers, could be avoided by proper diet. However, both production of healthy food and promotion of healthy nutrition face serious challenges, like global climate changes and its impact on food security and safety, increasing global food demand, food waste, or high incidence of diet-related diseases and bad dietary habits in most of developed countries. European Union recognizes the importance of these challenges and they had been addressed in several research programmes and strategic documents. However, there is still a need for a throughout discussion of all the aspects of food and nutrition research and policy with major players, like representatives of policy makers, consumers, agriculture, industry and science. Thus, the Polish Technology Platform on Food come up with an initiative to organize a conference “Food and Nutrition in 21st Century” within Polish Presidency in the EU. The main objective of the Conference is to review the most important challenges to European agri-food sector as well as the impact of a diet on health and well-being of European population, in the context of the new European policies. The outcome of the discussion should assist the European Commission in identifying the strategic research needs and their coherence with EU policies in areas linked directly or indirectly to food and nutrition. The Conference should also help to elaborate a common cooperation floor for the existing EU Technological Platforms and research centres active in broadly-defined area of food and nutrition and shall contribute to strengthening the competitiveness of the European science and bio-based economy.