Food sector firms that can come up with with smart ways to increase imports of African food to Europe are being offered match-funding grantsof between £150,000 and £1 million (€176,000-€1.2m) to try their ideas.

The Food Retail Industry Challenge (FRICH) is accepting bids until 20 February from companies willing to invest half of the cost of projects to bring in fresh produce, dried fruit and other goods from African countries north of South Africa and south of the Sahara.

Project director Mark Thomas said FRICH is looking for successful new approaches that can be scaled up.

'Thefunding therefore offers excellent opportunities for European food companies to test new business models with a shared risk, whilst benefiting some of the poorest regions of Africa in a very real and tangible way,' he said.

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