This paper highlights some of the outcomes from a EU Accompanying Measure focussing on food powders. The main goals of the work were to outline the major industrial problems, knowledge barriers, and research challenges and opportunities in relation to food powders, and to promote the creation of a sustainable network of excellence in the area of food powders. Food powders are powders first and foremost, thus many of the research challenges and opportunities are similar to handling and processing of other powders. As a result, much can be learned from other industries that deal with powders. What makes food powders different from many other powders is their composition, which is mainly of biological origin, and that they are eventually consumed by people and animals. Consequently, stability of food ingredient functionality and prevention of contamination are major issues right through from powder production to final application of the powder, which is usually in the form of a wet formulation. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.