The FoodSHIFT2030 project takes departure in the EU Food 2030 Research and Innovation Policy Framework, the EU’s commitment under the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to launch an ambitious citizen-driven transition of the European food system towards a low carbon circular future, including a shift to less meat and more plant based diets. By utilizing and supporting the transformative power of citizens already engaged in developing sustainable innovative food system solutions in European city-regions FoodSHIFT2030 will deliver an increase in food sector jobs and SMEs, an increase in citizen empowerment and urban-rural cohesion, and a lasting positive impact on food system sustainability that will continue beyond the project lifetime. A fast citizen-driven food system transition will be achieved by creating a framework and efficient mechanisms for maturing, combining, upscaling and multiplying existing food system innovations through the operationalization of nine citizen-driven FoodSHIFT Accelerator Labs and twenty seven FoodSHIFT Enabler Labs established in existing and emerging city-region food system hubs distributed across Europe. The benefits of existing and accelerated food system innovations will be benchmarked against state-of-the-art food system innovations by assessing their effects on a set of FoodSHIFT Indicators. Strategies and advisory plans for citizen-driven food system governance will be co-created in the FoodSHIFT Accelerator Labs to support food system transition and foster market uptake of new food system innovations in the participating city-regions. A further transition of the food system beyond the FoodSHIFT2030 project will be obtained by creating a snowball effect starting with targeted knowledge transfer via a number of city and region networks working on facilitating the food system transition and continuing the establishment of FoodSHIFT Enabler Labs in other European and global city-regions.