food and research innovation

How inclusive innovation could transform food systems - and help to end world hunger

Over the next 10 years, investing in innovation could end hunger. Image:  UNSPLASH/Tucker Tangeman

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• Two years of the COVID-19 pandemic and now the invasion of Ukraine have disrupted global food systems.
• The World Economic Forum and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization have published a roadmap to help countries accelerate inclusive food systems innovation.
• There is a $15.2 billion funding gap for food system innovation that could support ending hunger, keeping emissions within 2°C and reducing water use by 10%.
• The roadmap recommends establishing a Global Coalition for Digital Food Systems Innovation, a network of Food Innovation Hubs as well as helping farmers invest in sustainable food practices through the 100 Million Farmers platform.

By 2030, it’s estimated the world will be home to 8.5 billion people . By then, the United Nations (UN) hopes to have ended world hunger, achieved food security and improved nutrition - all while ensuring farming practices are sustainable.

It’s a lofty ambition, made more challenging by the fact that two years of the COVID-19 pandemic and now the Ukraine invasion by Russia have disrupted global food systems.

But there is hope that progress towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals can be made through collaboration and inclusive innovation.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the current Ukraine crisis have highlighted the need to support the resiliency of food systems to a series of fast-moving shocks that is informed by data .

In January, the World Economic, in partnership with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), published a roadmap to help countries accelerate and scale inclusive innovation to meet the needs of all stakeholders in the food system and ensure no one is left behind.

It follows the UN’s Food Systems Summit , held in September 2021, in which innovation was recognized as one of the keys to enabling food systems transformation.

The scale of the food systems challenge

In 2020, the pandemic caused an increase in world hunger, with as many as 811 million people going hungry globally, according to the FAO and Forum’s white paper Transforming Food Systems: Pathways for Country-led Innovation .

More than 3 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet, and more than 1.5 billion people cannot afford a diet with even the minimum level of essential nutrients.

There’s also a gender disparity in terms of food insecurity - with women 10% more likely than men to be moderately or severely food insecure.

And while people don’t have enough to eat, food systems are gradually contributing to climate change, emitting up to one-third of global greenhouse gases.

Globally they contribute to 80% of tropical deforestation and are a main driver of soil degradation and desertification, water scarcity and biodiversity decline.

The case for food systems innovation

At the Food Systems Summit, UN Secretary-General António Guterres created an Innovation Lever of Change, co-chaired by the Forum and humanitarian aid organization Mercy Corps, to bring together the public, private and social sectors on innovation.

The Innovation Lever, whose work has led to the white paper, called for countries to set a target to invest 1% of their food system-related GDP in innovation.

Over the next 10 years, investing in innovation could end hunger, significantly cut global emissions and generate more than $1 trillion in economic returns, the white paper says.

Currently only 7% of the annual funding for agricultural innovation for the Global South contains sustainability goals. If that figure were 50%, it could contribute an additional $30 billion towards transforming food systems, according to the white paper.

At the same time, there is a $15.2 billion funding gap for food system innovation that could support ending hunger, keeping emissions within 2°C and reducing water use by 10%.

Improving soil management techniques could offset and sequester about 20% of total annual emissions.

By 2030, enhanced connectivity in agriculture could add more than $500 billion to global gross domestic product, according to McKinsey research.

Meanwhile, biological innovation in the fields of agriculture, aquaculture and food production could generate economic returns of up to $1.2 trillion over the next 10-20 years, according to the white paper.

Two billion people in the world currently suffer from malnutrition and according to some estimates, we need 60% more food to feed the global population by 2050. Yet the agricultural sector is ill-equipped to meet this demand: 700 million of its workers currently live in poverty, and it is already responsible for 70% of the world’s water consumption and 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

New technologies could help our food systems become more sustainable and efficient, but unfortunately the agricultural sector has fallen behind other sectors in terms of technology adoption.

Launched in 2018, the Forum’s Innovation with a Purpose Platform is a large-scale partnership that facilitates the adoption of new technologies and other innovations to transform the way we produce, distribute and consume our food.

With research, increasing investments in new agriculture technologies and the integration of local and regional initiatives aimed at enhancing food security, the platform is working with over 50 partner institutions and 1,000 leaders around the world to leverage emerging technologies to make our food systems more sustainable, inclusive and efficient.

Learn more about Innovation with a Purpose's impact and contact us to see how you can get involved.

Inclusive innovation

The FAO and Forum’s roadmap sets out principles and actions to accelerate innovation, firmly embedded in the need to be holistic and inclusive.

The seven core principles include innovating in a way that:

• Protects and respects the right of all stakeholders, particularly the most vulnerable and those on the cusp, to participate fairly in decision-making about food systems
• Has positive social and environmental impacts by adopting nature-positive and sustainable approaches while ensuring equitable livelihoods
• Ethically develops digital tools, technologies and data platforms that include last-mile solutions for farmers and all consumers in food systems.

The roadmap identifies four people-centred areas for innovation and recommends a list of actions for each one:

Promoting national and regional innovation ecosystems

This includes developing strategies to encourage collaboration between government departments, reviewing regulation that prevents the scaling up of agricultural innovation, and creating multi-stakeholder Food Innovation Hubs to link universities, NGOs, (local) governments, start-ups, mid to large companies and venture capital.

Among the countries already leading the way with food hubs are Viet Nam - which aims to make the whole journey from farm to plate sustainable - and the Netherlands, which is hosting the Food Innovation Hubs’ Global Coordinating Secretariat .

Encouraging societal and institutional innovations

With an emphasis on promoting collaboration and inclusivity, this includes developing common and agreed-upon food-related policies that protect the rights of all stakeholders – from small-scale producers and community-based organizations to women and indigenous peoples.

Employing and supporting new and existing knowledge and technology

The Innovation Lever identified the 100 Million Farmers platform as a way to incentivize farmers and enable consumers to put climate, nature and resilience at the core of the food economy to boost nature-positive production, advance equitable livelihoods and build resilience to vulnerabilities, shock and stress. You can read more about the platform’s work here .

Improving and integrating data and digital systems

This includes making sure data and digital systems are aligned, agile and interoperable and can support a climate-smart and inclusive food systems transformation.

The Innovation Lever identified the Global Coalition for Digital Food Systems made up of three delivery platforms (One Map, Data and Digital Marketplace Playbook and Digital Data Cornucopia), as a coalition with the capability to support countries to employ data in inclusive and responsible ways, to create visible opportunities within food systems.

The Forum, the Food Action Alliance and partners are holding a virtual meeting Bold Actions for Food - Regional and Country Flagships to drive action on food systems change.

In the Opening Plenary, leaders will discuss how to raise ambitions and scale leadership action towards COP27 , and explore strategies for realizing shared goals by 2030.

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Innovation can accelerate the transition towards a sustainable food system

• Mario Herrero   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-7741-5090 1 ,
• Philip K. Thornton   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-1854-0182 2 ,
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• Imke J. M. de Boer 10 ,
• Chris Downs 1 ,
• Kanar Dizyee 1 ,
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• C. Lynne McIntyre 1 ,
• Rosamond Naylor 13 ,
• Javier Navarro 1 ,
• Michael Obersteiner   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-6981-2769 11 ,
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• Paul C. West   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-9024-1657 12  

Nature Food volume  1 ,  pages 266–272 ( 2020 ) Cite this article

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Future technologies and systemic innovation are critical for the profound transformation the food system needs. These innovations range from food production, land use and emissions, all the way to improved diets and waste management. Here, we identify these technologies, assess their readiness and propose eight action points that could accelerate the transition towards a more sustainable food system. We argue that the speed of innovation could be significantly increased with the appropriate incentives, regulations and social licence. These, in turn, require constructive stakeholder dialogue and clear transition pathways.

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Acknowledgements

M.H., D.M.-D., J.P.J., J.R.B., G.D.B., M.T.C., C.D., C.M.G., M.G., C.L.M., J.N., M.B.P., M.J.R. and S.M.S. acknowledge funding from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation; P.T., B.M.C., A.J. and A.M.L. acknowledge funding from the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), which is carried out with support from the CGIAR Trust Fund and through bilateral funding agreements (see https://ccafs.cgiar.org/donors ). The views expressed in this document cannot be taken to reflect the official opinions of these organizations. B.L.B. acknowledges funding from the NAVIGATE project of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement 821124, and by the project SHAPE, which is part of AXIS, an ERA-NET initiated by JPI Climate, and funded by FORMAS (SE), FFG/BMWFW (AT), DLR/BMBF (DE, grant no. 01LS1907A-B-C), NWO (NL) and RCN (NO) with co-funding by the European Union (grant no. 776608); P.P. acknowledges funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (grant agreement no. 01DP17035); M.C. acknowledges funding from the Wellcome Trust, Our Planet Our Health (Livestock, Environment and People), award number 205212/Z/16/Z; J.S.G., P.S. and P.C.W. acknowledge funding from the Belmont Forum/FACCE-JPI DEVIL project (grant no. NE/M021327/1); A.P. acknowledges funding from the NAVIGATE project of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement 821124, and by the project SHAPE, which is part of AXIS, an ERA-NET initiated by JPI Climate, and funded by FORMAS (SE), FFG/BMWFW (AT), DLR/BMBF (DE, grant no. 01LS1907A-B-C), NWO (NL) and RCN (NO) with co-funding by the European Union (grant no. 776608).

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M.H., P.K.T., D.M.C., J.P. and J.B. designed the research. M.H., P.K.T., D.M.C., J.P., A.H., B.L. and K.N. wrote the manuscript. M.H., P.K.T., D.M.C. J.P., J.B., C.G., K.D. and J.N. analysed data. All authors contributed data and edited the paper.

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Herrero, M., Thornton, P.K., Mason-D’Croz, D. et al. Innovation can accelerate the transition towards a sustainable food system. Nat Food 1 , 266–272 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-020-0074-1

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Received : 09 August 2019

Accepted : 13 April 2020

Published : 19 May 2020

Issue Date : May 2020

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-020-0074-1

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Research and innovation as a catalyst for food system transformation

A.c.l. den boer.

a Athena Institute, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

b The School of Biological Science, Aberdeen University, Tillydrone Ave, AB24 2TZ, United Kingdom

c World Health Organization, WHO Regional Office for Europe, UN City, Marmorvej 51, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark

d Technological University (TU) Dublin, City Centre, Park House Grangegorman, 191 North Circular Road, D07 EWV4, Ireland

C. Callenius

e Research Center for Global Food Security and Ecosystems, University of Hohenheim, Schloss Hohenheim 1, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany

f ART-DEV, University of Montpellier, CIRAD, 34090, Montpellier, France

Z. Damianova

g Applied Research and Communications Fund (ARC Fund), Alexander Zhendov St. 5, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria

M. Gurinovic

h Centre of Research Excellence in Nutrition and Metabolism, Institute for Medical Research, National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Tadeuša Košćuška 1, PAK 104 201, 11 158, Belgrade, Serbia

L. Lähteenmäki

i Department of Management, Aarhus University, Fuglesangs Allé 4, DK-8210, Aarhus V, Denmark

j Centre for Food Policy, City, University of London, Northampton Square, EC1V 0HB, London, United Kingdom

k School of Geography and Planning, Cardiff University, CF10 3AT, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom

l Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), Coordinator of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement, Avenue de La Paix 8-14, 1202, Geneva, Switzerland

H. Westhoek

m PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, Bezuidenhoutseweg 30, 2594 AV, The Hague, the Netherlands

T. Cesuroglu

B.j. regeer, j.e.w. broerse.

Food systems are associated with severe and persistent problems worldwide. Governance approaches aiming to foster sustainable transformation of food systems face several challenges due to the complex nature of food systems.

Scope and approach

In this commentary we argue that addressing these governance challenges requires the development and adoption of novel research and innovation (R&I) approaches that will provide evidence to inform food system transformation and will serve as catalysts for change. We first elaborate on the complexity of food systems (transformation) and stress the need to move beyond traditional linear R&I approaches to be able to respond to persistent problems that affect food systems. Though integrated transdisciplinary approaches are promising, current R&I systems do not sufficiently support such endeavors. As such, we argue, we need strategies that trigger a double transformation – of food systems and of their R&I systems.

Key Findings and Conclusions

Seizing the opportunities to transform R&I systems has implications for how research is done – pointing to the need for competence development among researchers, policy makers and society in general – and requires specific governance interventions that stimulate a systemic approach. Such interventions should foster transdisciplinary and transformative research agendas that stimulate portfolios of projects that will reinforce one another, and stimulate innovative experiments to shape conditions for systemic change. In short, a thorough rethinking of the role of R&I as well as how it is funded is a crucial step towards the development of the integrative policies that are necessary to engender systemic change – in the food system and beyond.

• • Research and Innovation (R&I) could be a catalyst for food system transformation.
• • This requires stimulation of transformative and transdisciplinary R&I approaches.
• • Current conventional R&I systems do not support such R&I approaches.
• • Thus, we need strategies that trigger transformation of both food and R&I systems.
• • This has implications for research practice and requires governance interventions.

1. Introduction

Food systems evolved successfully during the 20th century in response to the growing and changing demand for food but are currently associated with severe and persistent problems worldwide. These include, inter alia, diet-related poor health outcomes, high greenhouse gas emissions, environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and food losses and waste ( Table 1 ). These problems are amplified by long-term drivers of change, such as climate change, urbanisation, population growth, and consumerism ( Haddad et al., 2016 ). Responding to these intertwined dynamics is critical to achieve the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the targets of the Paris Climate Agreement ( Caron et al., 2018 ) and points to the need to combine all possible levers to foster transformation ( Editorial, 2019 ). But implementing effective intervention strategies is challenging: though food systems are linked globally, many challenges and solutions are context-dependent and there are differences between the global North and the global South, as well as between urban and rural areas ( Willett et al., 2019 ). Hence, there are no blueprint interventions in food systems that work towards the SDGs, even though food systems are interconnected globally. Furthermore, governance approaches that foster sustainable transformation face challenges due to the complex nature of food systems. Major challenges include increasingly problematic trade-offs and interdependencies within and beyond food systems, difficulties in integrating and aligning responses at different scale levels, conflicting values and interests, and problematic power imbalances ( Moragues-Faus, Sonnino, & Marsden, 2017 ).

Persistent challenges in the food system worldwide.

Addressing these governance challenges requires the development and adoption of novel research and innovation (R&I) approaches that will provide evidence to inform food system transformation and will serve as catalysts for change ( Gill et al., 2018 ). Such R&I approaches should move beyond a narrow focus on production or consumption to embrace complexity and account for different actors, sectors, governance levels, and academic and policy fields. In short, we argue that to deliver a ‘Great Food System Transformation’, as referred to by the EAT-Lancet Commission ( Willett et al., 2019 ), R&I systems need to be changed fundamentally as well.

In this paper, we will first elaborate on the complex nature of food systems and their transformations. Then we will discuss what kind of R&I efforts can serve as catalysts for enabling food system transformation and will also explain why current R&I systems do not sufficiently support these efforts. We will conclude by highlighting some implications for research practice and governance.

2. Complex food system transformation

Food systems are increasingly conceptualised as complex systems ( Zhang et al., 2018 ) comprising multiple actors (e.g., consumers, policymakers, farmers, researchers, industry), encompassing multiple processes and practices (e.g., food production, processing, packaging, distribution, consumption), spanning multiple policy sectors (e.g., agriculture, environment, health), and having multiple societal functions (e.g., food security, welfare, environmental conservation) that are connected at and between multiple governance levels (e.g., local, regional, national, global). As defined by the EC FOOD 2030 Expert Group (2018) , food systems can thus be conceptualised as incorporating “all elements and activities that relate to the production, processing, distribution, preparation and consumption of food, as well as its disposal. This includes the environment, people, processes, infrastructure, institutions and the effects of their activities on our society, economy, landscape and climate” . The interactions between all these elements are key to understanding food system dynamics ( Ingram, 2011 ). Acknowledging the fundamentally complex interactions between food system components means moving beyond both linear and circular conceptualisations of food systems, such as the value chain, the supply chain, or food-cycle conceptualisations, which do not adequately capture the complex dynamics of food systems ( HLPE, 2014 ; Ingram, 2011 ; Jagustović et al., 2019 ). These different ‘modes’ of thinking about systemic structure and dynamics are depicted in Fig. 1 .

Schematic depiction of conceptualisations of food systems representing different modes of thinking about the structure and dynamics of food systems.

Although there are many views on what exactly constitutes a ‘complex system’ ( Ladyman, Lambert, & Wiesner, 2013 ), it is generally recognised that ‘complex systems thinking’ emphasises (1) the dynamics of the system as being emergent, meaning that one needs to consider the behavioural complexity of the whole system rather than focusing on its constituent components ( Behl & Ferreira, 2014 ), and (2) the interrelatedness of components and processes in the system that result in (responsive) non-linear dynamics ( Jagustović et al., 2019 ). Applying complex systems thinking to food allows for the identification of non-linear dynamics between different elements in food systems, such as systemic feedback loops, that can generate synergies but also trade-offs and, subsequently, unintended consequences of specific (policy) interventions ( Oliver et al., 2018 ; Zhang et al., 2018 ). An example of such a complex trade-off is competition for land use between agricultural, social, and economic needs, while implicating the environment too ( EEA, 2017 ).

Complex characterisations of food systems also encompass their undesirable resilience , whereby dominant regimes and unsustainable system configurations tend to reproduce themselves into locked-in states, making sustainable transformation difficult ( Geels, 2002 ; Grin, Rotmans, & Schot, 2010 ). It is increasingly being recognised that both inertia and transformative dynamics in food systems are co-shaped by power relations in the system ( Grin et al., 2010 ; Rossi, Bui, & Marsden, 2019 ; Spaargaren, Oosterveer & Loeber, 2013 ). Problematic power imbalances can further reinforce vested interests and status quo configurations ( Avelino & Rotmans, 2009 ; Grin et al., 2010 ). This, for instance, entails a shift in power from primary producers to input providers (seed, fertiliser and pesticide manufacturers), food companies, and retailers ( Rayner, Barling, & Lang, 2008 ), allowing retailers and supermarkets to “dictate the terms of contracts and act as gatekeepers to (and by implication buyers for) the large majority of food consumers ” ( Rayner et al., 2008 , p. 155).

These complexities call for the development, implementation and evaluation of integrated governance strategies. There are many different definitions of governance (see also Kooiman, 1999 ), and we understand governance to refer to the “ensemble of rules, processes, and instruments that structure the interactions between public and/or private entities to realise collective goals” ( Termeer et al., 2011 , p. 161). This means that governance moves beyond ‘formal arrangements by governments’, but includes the collaborative efforts of networks of government agencies, societal stakeholders and private entities at and across (local, regional, national, supranational) governance levels. Multi-level governance efforts are needed to develop integrated food policies that can mitigate negative trade-offs, while enhancing synergies between different sectors and policy fields ( Moragues-Faus et al., 2017 ; Parsons & Hawkes, 2018 ; SAPEA, 2020 ). As Candel and Pereira (2017 : 89) explain, while in the past “food policy was primarily used to indicate the whole range of policy efforts that affect food system outcomes , the notion has more and more come to be used to emphasize the need for integrative strategies that align these policy efforts into a concerted whole”. Food policy integration also raises the need for novel ways of using and combining policy instruments in policy mixes for food system transformation ( Galli et al., 2020 ). A concrete examples of such interventions is the development of urban and regional Food Policy Councils (FPCs) that aim to integrate and develop holistic local food policies by fostering collaboration between a range of stakeholders ( Mendes & Sonnino, 2018 , pp. 543–560).

To be able to transform and future-proof complex food systems through integrated governance interventions, it is necessary to better understand the technological, biophysical, political, economic and social dimensions of the dynamics that shape food systems and to identify the leverage points where intervention will be most effective. Identifying these points requires a systemic approach that takes into account multiple actors, governance levels, and policy fields ( EEA, 2017 ), which also raises the need for novel transformative R&I policies and strategies ( Schot & Steinmueller, 2018 ). R&I efforts are of paramount importance to identify systemic interdependencies, lock-ins, as well as possible solutions and leverage points. Indeed, the R&I system can act as a catalyst in shaping future food systems, provided that R&I (policy) efforts are aligned and well equipped to contribute effectively to complex food system transformations. As addressing complexity implies moving away from “one size fits all” solutions and considering contextual specificity, designing and implementing transformative pathways are knowledge intensive processes calling for original learning approaches that embed scientific knowledge into local innovation systems ( Caron, Biénabe, & Hainzelin, 2014 ).

3. What kind of R&I do we need for food system transformation?

The urgent problems in food systems and associated governance challenges point to the need to develop and adopt R&I approaches that embrace complexity and stimulate different ways of knowledge production and usage. Recently, Schmidt-Traub, Obersteiner, and Mosnier (2019) argued that we could ‘‘fix the broken food system’’ by developing integrated approaches that simultaneously consider the following: 1) Efficient and resilient agriculture systems, 2) Conservation and restoration of biodiversity, and 3) Food security and healthy diets. Such integrated approaches should stimulate (global) coordination and knowledge sharing between different scientific and technical communities, aligning and integrating different methods, models, and tools. As several scholars have recently highlighted ( Abson et al., 2017 ; Boström et al., 2018 ), experimenting with such approaches can help us to learn how to stimulate transformative change.

We argue that such integrated approaches need to be even more ambitious if food system transformation is to be achieved. Embracing complexity not only requires a shift from mono- and multidisciplinary research approaches towards interdisciplinary ones; it also requires a shift towards transdisciplinary research approaches ( Fig. 2 ) that are action- and solution-oriented, bring together different epistemics or communities of knowledge (including non-academic actors such as policymakers, entrepreneurs, civil society organisations, farmers, and citizens), and form a ‘real-world laboratory’ for experimentation ( Luederitz et al., 2017 ).

From mono-, multi-, and interdisciplinary approaches towards holistic transdisciplinary research and innovative approaches to systemic food system transformation.

Bringing together different types of actors is essential to understand a system and focus on solutions and the implementation of change via processes of knowledge co-creation ( Abson et al., 2017 ; Fazey et al., 2018 ). Strong R&I frameworks based on holistic and participatory approaches involving all stakeholders may help to identify opportunities but also vulnerabilities nested in the system, which are vital starting points from which to formulate resilience strategies ( FAO, 2014 ). Furthermore, transdisciplinary approaches ideally provide space for underrepresented actors and their perspectives ( Abson et al., 2017 ) and stimulate processes of individual and collective transformative learning ( Luederitz et al., 2017 ), which are crucial to unlock inertia and, consequently, to accelerate food system transformation ( Boström et al., 2018 ). An example of a real-world laboratory that aims to work as an incubator for innovation at the city level is the so-called ‘Urban Transition Lab’ ( Nevens, Frantzeskaki, Gorissen, & Loorbach, 2012 ), which focuses on transdisciplinary research approaches to stimulate learning and reflexivity among a diverse range of actors. System analysis, visioning and an investigation of how different multi-level interventions might result in synergies or trade-offs form key activities within Urban Transition Labs, which essentially function as governance experiments focused on long-term envisioning as well as actual multi-actor experimentation for transformation ( Nevens et al., 2012 ). Although research is needed to investigate the long-term impact of such real-world laboratories, studies already point out that those urban experiments contribute to more sustainable structures, cultures and practices within cities, by spreading knowledge, innovative practices and potential solutions beyond the labs' boundaries (e.g. by initiating spin-offs elsewhere and spreading innovative business models) ( Von Wirth, Fuenfschilling, Frantzeskaki, & Coenen, 2019 ).

Multi-actor experimentation also becomes visible within specific types of innovative initiatives for food system transformation, such as the Italian Solidarity Purchasing Groups (GAS, ‘Gruppi di acquisto solidale ’) ( Grasseni & Hankins, 2014 ). These are fluid networks in which different types of actors co-design and co-create new systems of food provisioning that stimulate short supply chains and local food production. Through initiatives of this kind, citizens are encouraged to adopt active roles in transforming their food systems. Finally, socio-technical innovations can also originate from transdisciplinary or collaborative efforts. For instance, in the Netherlands collaborations between farmers, architects, animal welfare consultants, policy makers and researchers have led to the development of novel poultry husbandry systems (the Roundel hen housing system) that were designed to be more sustainable and animal-friendly than the conventional ones. The collaborative process behind these initiatives was facilitated through the methods of reflexive interactive design, which, again, confirms the importance of fostering reflexive learning amongst stakeholders ( Groot Koerkamp & Bos, 2008 ).

4. Challenges of current R&I strategies

Conventional R&I systems fail to adequately respond to urgent systemic challenges in food systems precisely because they do not support transdisciplinarity ( Gill et al., 2018 ). We provide below a non-exhaustive overview of limitations of current R&I systems, pointing to three issues that need to be addressed to maximise the potential of R&I systems as levers for food system transformation.

First, the food system R&I landscape is highly fragmented with regard to the scientific as well as the policy domain ( Reardon et al., 2019 ; SCAR, 2018 ; Serraj & Pingali, 2019 ). So far, linear and siloed R&I efforts have contributed to improving specific parts of the food system, such as agricultural production and food safety, but have largely failed to offer solutions to persistent problems that affect food systems due to their lack of engagement with trade-offs, unforeseen and undesired side-effects, and systemic feedback loops ( Zhang et al., 2018 ).

Second, R&I (funding) structures are not well aligned; indeed, investments are distributed unevenly across sectors and disciplines and there is a lack of incentives to develop holistic, integrated R&I approaches. A disproportionally high proportion of public R&I investments are directed towards production processes and food security ( SCAR, 2018 ), while other parts of food systems, such as logistics and consumption, are underrepresented ( Pray & Fuglie, 2015 ). Private investment, although considerable, is also fragmented, and investment in integrated food systems approaches is modest ( Serraj & Pingali, 2019 ). Moreover, public and private funding are often not well aligned ( Pray & Fuglie, 2015 ; EC FOOD 2030 Expert Group, 2018 ) and they often fail to invest in the interconnectedness between the different elements within food systems ( Haddad et al., 2016 ). As a result, R&I input is too low, especially when it comes to food consumption and healthy diets ( Haddad et al., 2016 ), food waste, and distribution processes – including their interactions with production processes – and the impact of these diets and processes on the ecological, economic, and social dimensions of sustainability. In addition, academic incentive structures often do not support or reward integrated transdisciplinary research efforts that cross sectoral and disciplinary boundaries ( FEC, 2018 ).

Third, R&I processes are traditionally the realm of researchers and policymakers, with an increasing involvement of industry actors – the so-called Triple Helix ( Etzkowitz & Leydesdorff, 2000 ). Active involvement of societal stakeholders such as citizens, civil society organisations (CSOs), farmers, teachers, and consumers ( FEC, 2018 ), who co-constitute the Quadruple Helix ( Carayannis & Campbell, 2010 ), is rare and is often given low priority ( EC FOOD 2030 Expert Group, 2018 ). Given these actors’ central role in food systems and the importance of understanding the different values and perceptions within these systems, it is important to actively engage them in food system R&I ( SCAR, 2018 ). This raises the need for a better understanding of how to organise and stimulate stakeholder interactions during the research process and how to interpret the outcomes of these interactions ( FEC, 2018 ).

5. Connecting food research and policy

Given the above-mentioned limitations, we need strategies that will trigger a double transformation – of the food systems and of their R&I systems ( Kok et al., 2019 ). Seizing the opportunities to transform R&I systems, we argue, has implications for research practice (how research is done) and requires specific governance interventions.

5.1. Research practices and competence building

As mentioned earlier, transdisciplinary R&I approaches to food system transformation are fundamentally different from linear and disciplinary approaches, and this raises the need for a different type of R&I organisation ( Boström et al., 2018 ; Luederitz et al., 2017 ). In practice, knowledge integration and engaged stakeholder collaboration are challenging; what knowledge is actually needed and legitimate, which stakeholders need to be involved at what stages of the research process, and which methodologies or strategies would be most effective to stimulate knowledge co-production and transformative learning ( Abson et al., 2017 ) are issues that cannot be properly addressed without a thorough rethinking of the role of researchers and the role of science more generally. Examples of roles other than that of ‘traditional scientist’ include ‘change agent’ (actual normative participation of researchers to stimulate change in practice), ‘knowledge broker’ (intermediation between different epistemics), and ‘reflexive process facilitator’ (the facilitation of transformative learning) ( Fazey et al., 2018 ; Wittmayer & Schäpke, 2014 ) – these are all roles that can be interpreted differently when applied in practice and can entail different (and even conflicting) expectations. The fact that such roles require specific organisational and inter-personal competences in terms of attitude, knowledge, and skills ( Mauser et al., 2013 ), especially for practitioners managing innovative R&I and governance experiments, adds to the difficulty of adopting them in real-world situations ( Nevens et al., 2012 ).

Recently, several projects have been developed that aim to contribute to competence building. For example, the IFSTAL project (Innovative Food Systems Training and Learning) has been training postgraduate students in ‘food systems thinking’ since 2015 in a cross-disciplinary multi-university program in the United Kingdom ( Ingram et al., 2020 ). Another example is the Horizon 2020 FIT4FOOD2030 project, that has established 14 City and Food Labs in European cities and regions. In these Labs, food system stakeholders have co-created and tested educational modules for different audiences (citizens, professionals, students, school children), which aim to contribute to competence development in food system thinking and transdisciplinary research ( Kok et al., 2019 ).

To be able to stimulate researchers to adopt such new roles and engage in novel R&I approaches to food system transformation, there is a need for a paradigm shift within the research and education communities ( O'Brien et al., 2013 ) but also within the policy community and wider society. A first vital step towards this is competence building for researchers, policymakers, and society in general.

5.2. Research programmes and funding

Several governance intervention strategies can be utilised to reorientate R&I systems towards food system transformation and to create an enabling context for transdisciplinary research approaches.

• 1. Fostering transdisciplinary research. Alongside traditional R&I, there is a need to develop transdisciplinary research approaches by investing in the creation of meaningful interactions between researchers, societal actors, and policymakers, but also by stimulating different academic incentive structures. For example, to stimulate changes in food consumption practices, R&I should not only focus on individual factors but also on contextual factors (in particular the dynamics that shape food environments) and policy factors ( Gill et al., 2018 ). Such transdisciplinary research is crucial to build an evidence base for the development of integrative food policies that embrace the entire food system and calls for strong investment in the social sciences. Large-scale transformations cannot be achieved exclusively through technological investment. The production of knowledge on the interplay between technological, social, economic, cultural, and political factors is vital to understand and govern complex societal systems. Furthermore, social sciences can help to articulate dilemmas and formulate policy recommendations to mitigate negative effects of trade-offs in future pathways for transformation. This also requires fostering R&I programmes and collaborations that aim to bridge the gap between ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ (or quantitative and qualitative) approaches in food systems research ( Jansen, 2009 ). For example, systems-modelling approaches, such as agent-based modelling, are important tools for assessing the impact of policies and interventions that aim to change consumption practices and could complement traditional and transdisciplinary research approaches.
• 2. Fostering transformative research agendas. Both private and public funders can support the transformative potential of food systems R&I by establishing more integrated transdisciplinary and mission-driven R&I funding programmes. Novel funding programmes need to go beyond the basic idea of funding individual transdisciplinary research projects and stimulate portfolios of projects that will reinforce one another over time, at different governance levels and with regard to different sectors and thematic (policy) fields. A promising example of an integrated food systems R&I approach is nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA), which focuses on the different pathways through which agriculture can influence the underlying determinants of nutrition outcomes. NSA practices are characterized by the engagement of different types of actors and by a systemic perspective to account for the substantial impact of contextual factors on the relationship between agriculture and nutrition outcomes ( Ruel, Quisnumbing, & Balagamwala, 2018 ). Fostering transformative research agendas includes expanding research on integrated food systems approaches such as NSA to create more empirical evidence with regard to processes and outcomes. This is important not just to progress research on sustainability, impact at scale and cost-effectiveness, but also to explore how these integrated approaches could stimulate effective food system governance by informing integrated food policies and funding schemes ( Ruel et al., 2018 ). Stimulating integrated food systems R&I approaches calls for creating more (free from conflict of interest) public–private partnerships that would provide an opportunity to better align public and private funding efforts ( Townsend, Ronchi, Brett, & Moses, 2018 ). However, since issues that attract a high level of public interest do not always attract private sector investment ( Pray & Fuglie, 2015 ; Heisey & Fuglie, 2018 ) it is of crucial importance to build strong and independent public R&I systems that can address market and system failures and engage with dominant and established pathways that are difficult to transform ( FEC, 2018 ). Connecting and aligning R&I policies and experimenting with novel funding programs is happening, for instance, within the context of the EU FIT4FOOD2030 project. In experimenting with both novel ways of funding and doing R&I for food system transformation, ‘Policy Labs’ are adopting co-creation methods with a wide variety of stakeholders in 11 EU member states ( Kok et al., 2019 ).
• 3. Stimulating innovative experiments. Public institutions need to find ways to combine top-down policy pathways with bottom-up experimentation to shape conditions for systemic change. The latter can be stimulated through approaches such as strategic niche management ( Schot & Geels, 2008 ) and transition management ( Loorbach, 2007 ) that focus on creating space for novel innovations, enable learning between diverse multi-stakeholder groups, and explore future pathways for system transformation. The worldwide rise in food policy networks, including multi-stakeholder food policy councils, is an example of innovative experiments that need to be supported because of their potential to link bottom-up initiatives with evidence-based food policies ( Sonnino, Tegoni, & De Cunto, 2019 ). R&I has an important role to play in fostering the inclusiveness and effectiveness of innovative food system governance experiments such as food policy councils and real-world laboratories via participative monitoring and evaluation efforts. This is key to be able to scale-up learning experiences, connect local experiments with each other and with higher governance scales and inspire the collaborative design and implementation of effective multi-level interventions and integrated food policies ( Sonnino et al., 2019 ; Gupta et al., 2018 ; Nevens et al., 2012 .).

6. Concluding remarks

R&I could be a catalyst for a much-needed food system transformation, especially in situations of great uncertainty, like the one generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, when exploring all possible futures lies at the heart of innovative transformation. Yet, releasing its potential requires moving beyond traditional approaches that, although valuable from a sectoral perspective, have shown substantial limitations when responding to some persistent problems that affect food systems. Against this background, in this paper we have explored issues that need to be addressed to develop more transdisciplinary and transformative R&I efforts and governance interventions that we consider necessary to support such efforts. The transformation of the food system, like the transformation of any complex system, offers an exciting opportunity for crossing the boundaries within and between science, policy, and society. A thorough rethinking of the role of R&I is a crucial step towards the development of the integrative policies that are necessary to engender systemic change – in the food system and beyond.

This work was supported by the European project FIT4FOOD 2030, which received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 774088. The funders played no role in the writing of the report or in the decision to submit the article for publication.

CRediT authorship contribution statement

A.C.L. den Boer: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing, Project administration. K.P.W. Kok: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing, Visualization, Project administration. M. Gill: Conceptualization, Writing - review & editing. J. Breda: Conceptualization, Writing - review & editing. J. Cahill: Conceptualization. C. Callenius: Conceptualization, Writing - review & editing. P. Caron: Conceptualization, Writing - review & editing. Z. Damianova: Conceptualization. M. Gurinovic: Conceptualization. L. Lähteenmäki: Conceptualization. T. Lang: Conceptualization. R. Sonnino: Conceptualization, Writing - review & editing. G. Verburg: Conceptualization, Writing - review & editing. H. Westhoek: Conceptualization, Writing - review & editing. T. Cesuroglu: Conceptualization, Writing - review & editing, Supervision, Funding acquisition. B.J. Regeer: Conceptualization, Writing - review & editing, Supervision, Funding acquisition. J.E.W. Broerse: Conceptualization, Writing - review & editing, Supervision, Funding acquisition.

What is Food 2030?

Food 2030 is the EU's research and innovation policy framework supporting the transition towards sustainable, healthy and inclusive food systems, that respect planetary boundaries.

It is in line with, and supports the goals of the European Green Deal, Farm to Fork strategy and Bioeconomy strategy. Food 2030 is underpinned by the need to foster a multi-actor and systemic approach to research and innovation capable of delivering co-benefits for people’s health, our climate, our planet and communities.

Why food systems need to change

Our food systems today are unsustainable. They are both affected by and drivers of

• climate change
• resources scarcity
• pollution and waste
• environmental degradation
• loss of biodiversity
• population growth
• malnutrition and diet-related non-communicable disease

How the policy works

Food 2030 sets out a vision for research and innovation that covers the entire food system, linking multiple sectors from primary production (from land and water) to food processing, retail and distribution, packaging, waste and recycling, food services and consumption.

It joins up research and innovation actors and activities in different areas and across disciplines to find answers to interconnected and pressing challenges.

Its ambition is to

• strengthen the science-policy-society interface
• improve research and innovation policy coherence and alignment
• boost and leverage research and innovation funding and investment
• narrow the innovation gap (the gap between actual innovation and the innovation that is needed)
• increase market take-up and societal relevance of food systems solutions that can include food products, new ways of doing things, tools and technologies, and services
• support the role of disruptive technologies, new approaches and business models, as well as social, institutional and governance innovation relevant to the food systems transition

The ambition of Food 2030 is to support research and innovation that can deliver co-benefits to these 4 thematic priorities:

Nutrition for sustainable and healthy diets

• tackling malnutrition and obesity
• improving nutrition (for example, to support healthy ageing)
• sourcing and developing new protein alternatives to foster plant-based diets
• improving food authenticity, traceability and safety systems
• fostering consumption of forgotten crops for nutrition and resilience
• supporting the shift towards sustainable healthy diets with a focus on Europe and Africa

Food systems supporting a healthy planet

• climate-smart food systems that adapt to climate change, preserve natural resources and help reduce the flow of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere
• environmentally friendly and resilient food systems that boost biodiversity, ensure healthy ecosystems and soils and foster sustainable agriculture and aquaculture

Circularity and resource efficiency

• reducing food waste
• using unavoidable biomass and waste as a resource
• reducing water and energy use via more efficient and greener industrial processes and logistics
• providing more local food on demand for short supply-chains
• fostering sustainable and biodegradable food packaging and reducing plastics in food

Innovation and empowering communities

• creating thriving innovation ecosystems and living labs that generate new business models, approaches, technologies and products
• empowering towns, cities, regions and local actors as agents of change
• fostering education, skills-building and awareness raising and getting people engaged in food science and local food policies
• supporting a place-based food systems sharing economy from farm to fork and fostering social innovation
• developing data-driven food and nutrition systems that meet societal needs

11 pathways to achieve the goals

Funding will be made available under Horizon Europe to help find answers to Food 2030 priorities.

It will concentrate on 11 areas known as pathways for action

• Governance for food systems change
• Urban food system transformation
• Food from the oceans and freshwater resources
• Alternative proteins for dietary shift
• Food waste and resource-efficient food systems
• The microbiome world
• Nutrition and sustainable healthy diets
• Food safety systems of the future
• Food systems Africa
• Data and digital transformation
• Zero Pollution food systems

Food 2030 has inspired and led to the creation of the Horizon Europe Sustainable Food Systems Partnership for People, Planet and Climate  for People, Planet and Climate and is supportive of the goals of the  EU Mission: A Soil Deal for Europe .

Publications

• 1 December 2023
• Directorate-General for Research and Innovation

Food 2030 - Pathways for action 2.0 : R&I policy as a driver for sustainable, healthy, climate resilient and inclusive food systems

This publication provides an update on the European Commission’s Food 2030 initiative and is meant to guide future research and innovation policy reflections related to Horizon Europe, the farm-to-fork strategy, the European Green Deal and beyond.

• 25 June 2023

Mapping ERC frontier research sustainable food production and consumption

This report outlines the rich diversity of ERC funded projects which are in various ways relevant for the pathways identified in the EU’s Food 2030 research and innovation policy.

• 30 May 2023

Urban food system transformation in the context of Food 2030

This report on urban food system transformation reflects on the future of sustainable food systems in line with the priorities of the Food 2030 initiative.

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Follow the latest progress and get involved.

• #Food2030EU
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• Other social networks

In conjunction with the launch of the report Food 2030 – Pathways for action 2.0 – R&I policy as a driver for sustainable, healthy, climate resilient and inclusive food systems , the conference “ Food 2030: Green and resilient food systems ” took place in Brussels and online, gathering more than 1000 stakeholders working on the transition of food systems.

On 10 March 2023 DG RTD – Unit B2 holds the Food 2030 expert workshop entitled “Future Research and Innovation Needs in view of the transition to sustainable, healthy, safe and inclusive food systems”. This in-person event gathering more than 60 experts provided input in view of the strategic programming of Horizon Europe (2025-2027)

The COP 27 side event “Is our food system ready for the climate crisis? Building our adaptive capacity in view of turbulent times” discusses the urgency to act highlighting the key role of research and innovation in accelerating the transition to resilient and sustainable food systems that can adapt to climate change

During the 20th Edition of the European Week of Regions and Cities , an online participatory lab entitled “Food 2030: regions as agents of change for food systems transitions and biobased solutions” takes place

In occasion of the EU Research and Innovation Days , DG RTD – Unit B2 organises sessions on “Building sustainable and resilient food systems in times of crises” and “A Soil Deal for Europe: our Mission for healthy soil”

The Food Cities Workshop gathers online representatives of around 25 European projects and networks. The workshop included exchanges of lessons learned and best practices and discussion of priorities and visions for the future.

Outcomes of the workshop and a preceding survey can be found in the report “ Urban food system transformation in the context of Food 2030 – current practice and outlook towards 2030 ”

The Food 2030 science policy dialogue takes place and  Futureproofing food systems  is published

Food 2030 high level event  is held in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and the German Presidency on the occasion of  World Food Day

Food 2030 holds an open session at the second  EU Research and Innovation Days with the title “Building a post-COVID food systems economy that works for people, planet and climate” to discuss the sustainability of food systems

EU Group of Chief Scientific Advisers delivers scientific opinion  Towards a sustainable food system , to inform the  Farm to Fork strategy

Food 2030 exhibits at first  EU Research and Innovation Days  with a session on “Transforming of Food Systems for People, Planet and Climate” to discuss new opportunities and solutions to transform food systems, within the framework of future R&I policy and the European Green Deal. Food 2030 is also represented at the  World Food Day event

2nd high level Food 2030 conference takes place under the auspices of the Bulgarian Presidency, coinciding with the launch of the  Food 2030 Recipe for change expert group report .

Support actions are up and running including  Fit4Food2030  and the Standing Committee for Agricultural Research (SCAR) EU countries performs a food systems  mapping exercise  of EU countries

Food 2030 is launched at the first Food 2030 high level event alongside a  publication  that makes an attempt to map and provide common terminology to convene all players and underpin the debate

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The Commission calls for a far more ambitious role for research and innovation as an  outcome of the Milan World Expo . Commissioner Moedas announces his intention to launch a “Food Research Area”

• News article
• 14 December 2023

“Food 2030: Green and Resilient Food Systems” conference concludes successfully in Brussels

On 4 and 5 December, more than 1,000 stakeholders convened in Brussels and online to join the conversation on the future of our food systems.

• 13 December 2023

Save the date: Bioeconomy Changemakers Festival to take place in Brussels on 13 – 14 March 2024

This high-level event, which is part of a week-long Festival from 11 to 17 March, gives voice to youth and changemakers on how to move towards a sustainable, circular bioeconomy.

• 4 December 2023

New Report: Food 2030 Research and Innovation – Pathways for action 2.0

Report on “Research and innovation policy as a driver for sustainable, healthy, climate-resilient and inclusive food systems”.

• Conferences and summits

Food 2030: green and resilient food systems

• Monday 4 December 2023, 13:00 - Tuesday 5 December 2023, 17:00 (CET)
• Brussels, Belgium
• Live streaming available

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Food innovation trends in 2023 – what’s on the horizon?

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Posted: 6 February 2023 | Dr. Andy Zynga | No comments yet

Dr Andy Zynga explores what innovation trends are right around the corner and why he thinks “cultivated meat is here to stay”.

We are faced by a variety of urgent challenges that need to be addressed with innovation from the agrifood community. So, when predicting trends in food innovation, we’d have a lot to cover, however the top three trends that stand out for me for 2023 are cultivated meat, regenerative agriculture and the role of data.

The cultivated meat boom

We’ve all heard of the plant-based boom, but as demand shifts from meat ‘alternatives’ to ‘real life’ meat that is easy on the environment and animal welfare, cultivated meat could play a huge role in the future of our food system.

We already know that traditional animal-based food products generally carry a heavier carbon footprint compared to meat alternatives, but where are we now with cultivated meat innovation?

The origin of cultivated meat is up for debate, with some arguing that French biologist Alexis Carrel was the first in the game after he kept a piece of chick heart muscle alive in a petri dish in the early 1900s. But fast forward to 2023 and cultivated meat is still not a feature on the majority of shopping lists. Why? Despite Singapore and the USA approving the commercial sale of cultivated meat, it has not yet passed regulatory approval in much of the world.

However, the progress of innovation in the sector means that could soon change. On top of food safety and novel food testing, one of the primary barriers for the progress of cultivated meat has always been cost.

Zynga says that “one of the primary barriers for the progress of cultivated meat has always been cost”

A study by research body CE Delft projected that the cost of cultivated meat innovation and production could decrease to just €5.73 per kilogram by 2030 . When compared to the price of a kilogram of beef in Spain in 2021 ( €9.98 ), this is an exciting prospect. CE Delft predict this will be through more investment and research into taste enhancements, infrastructure, and consumer engagement.

We can see this happening now; in 2021, Future Meat Technologies, now known as Believer Meats, opened the world’s first industrial cultivated meat facility in Israel. Just two years on, more large-scale facilities are also opening their doors across the world.

This includes Aleph Farms which is expanding its innovation capacities from cultivated steaks to also include cultivated collagen. Thanks to funding and research support, Aleph Farms has stated that this is part of their expanding innovation strategy to not only find viable, sustainable, and ethical alternatives to meat, but to all animal products. Conventional collagen is produced by boiling and processing cow hides and bones and is used in a range of industries, but according to Aleph Farms, this could be a process of the past as they plan to launch their cultivated collagen in the near future.

As stated in a recent EIT Food whitepaper , the potential of protein diversification innovation can only be fully realised in Europe by implementing a long-term vision and systems approach at EU level. This includes fostering stakeholder dialogue to overcome knowledge fragmentation, ramping up funding and investment, and ensuring there are opportunities of sustainable growth for every actor in the supply chain.

Cultivated meat is here to stay, and we should expect more growth and investment into new startups, partnerships and solutions in 2023 and beyond.

The return of regenerative agriculture

Regenerative agriculture has been a trend to watch for a while, but it’s not a new trend, it was the trend which launched the neolithic and has existed since our hunter gatherer ancestors started to settle and farm.

Going back to basics, regenerative agriculture seeks to eradicate the need for unnatural intervention in farming, such as reducing the use of chemical herbicides or minimising soil disturbance. This aims to maximise biodiversity on farms, allowing crops and livestock to naturally support one another, and increase the nutrition of produce and health of soils as a result.

Regenerative agriculture seeks to eradicate the need for unnatural intervention in farming, such as minimising soil disturbance

However, regenerative agriculture does not mean a return to the stone age. Innovation is now playing a crucial role in its revival, supporting farmers to accelerate their transitions to regenerative practices as we all strive to reach a net zero and healthier food system. This includes the use of digital farming solutions, organic-based fertilisers, and soil health monitoring systems.

Five food trends to look out for in 2023

France-based startup Toopi Organics , for example, has created a process to collect and transform human urine (a natural fertiliser rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) that can be used as a biostimulant in the agricultural sector. Their innovation is part of a circular, local model that produces zero waste, meaning the process is scalable and replicable for regenerative agriculture across the entire world.

Climate Farmers is also supporting the transition by building infrastructure to scale regenerative agriculture practices. By working directly with farmers, Climate Farmers is gathering best practices from their community and monitoring the results using technology. Climate Farmers then makes these results accessible on an open platform, enabling farmers and stakeholders to assess the positive outcomes of regenerative agriculture for soils, ecosystems, and the climate, which can then be replicated on a local scale.

As more farmers make the transition to regenerative agriculture, we are likely to see more investment into agricultural innovation in 2023. Whether it be through robotics, AI, and automation technologies or nature-based solutions that support biodiversity, the future of farming is an exciting trend to watch.

Dealing with data

Food innovation, including the examples mentioned above, cannot drive positive change without connectivity and transparency.

By collecting and communicating data, statistics, metrics, and insights throughout the entire supply chain, from farm to fork, food system stakeholders can make more informed decisions as they seek to make changes in their systems and processes.

Data and analytics can enable food system stakeholders to use resources more responsibly and implement circular solutions based on evidence, for example. In addition, food traceability as well as environmental food labelling can become commonplace with the help of data, which might have to include setting data standards. As the common phrase states, knowledge is indeed power.

In 2023, the role of data will be crucial. We are one year closer to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and pressure is increasing for businesses to play their part. By using data and insights from other businesses, stakeholders and research programmes, challenges such as reducing food waste and loss in a supply chain can be tackled in a way that optimises results.

An example of this in practice is UK-based start-up Clear CO2 ’s data platform. Based on carbon accounting, the management tool enables agrifood SMEs to benchmark their carbon footprint reduction plans based on industry data and insights. Faced with challenges such as squeezed profit margins, the platform supports SMEs to make more informed decisions as well as provides them with access to sustainable suppliers and partners in their carbon reduction journeys.

Underpinning all the food innovation trends mentioned above is collaboration. By knowledge sharing and coming together – particularly in times of need – we can accelerate the progress of innovation. As we continue our shared mission of a better food system for all, we must plan and look beyond the horizon, together.

About the author

Dr Andy Zynga, a member of the  New Food Advisory Board , is the CEO of  EIT Food , the world’s largest food innovation community working to build a future-fit food system that produces healthy and sustainable food for all. EIT Food is supported by the  European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) , a body of the European Union. Based in Leuven, Belgium, Andy has international experience in food systems, innovation, telecoms and technology services, and a proven track record in building profitable businesses in the US and Europe.

Related topics

Cultured Meat , Data & Automation , Environment , Food Safety , Food Security , Research & development , retail , Supply chain , Sustainability , Technology & Innovation , The consumer , Trade & Economy , World Food

Related organisations

Believer Meats , CE Delft , Clear CO2 , Climate Farmers , EIT Food , Toopi Organics

Related regions

Asia Pacific & Oceania , Europe , North America , UK & Ireland

Related people

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40 food innovations you should know about

A list of food innovations, including examples of clever products, processes, services, and technologies, that will shape the way we eat., configuration.

A list of food innovations, including examples of clever products, processes, services, and technologies, that will share the way we eat.

What is food innovation, and why is it important?  Food innovation is the development and commoditization of new food products, processes, and services. Right now, it’s happening rapidly. Food and beverage companies are looking for ways to make healthy, nutritious offerings that are not only enticing, accessible, exciting, and unique, but also sustainable. 

We’ve compiled a list of some of the best food innovations to have emerged recently. In it, you’ll notice developments in food packaging and processing, along with a host of exciting ingredients appearing in unexpected places. Personalization is a huge trend, with beverage and diet companies enabling individuals to customize their products. Fast-food restaurants are coming up with novel ways to make customers want to dine-in. And a number of brands are tailoring offerings to meet the unique needs of millennials, not to mention the fastest-growing demographic in the USA, the elderly.

Why should you care?  Apart from the fact that you need food to live, this list of food innovations includes plenty of ideas you could borrow (using  this tool ) for your own business, no matter which industry you’re in. 

How about innovation in packaging? We’ve teamed up with AI to come up with 20 sustainable packaging solutions for consumer goods – check them out!

Trends driving innovation in food and beverages

Consumer tastes and lifestyles are changing, and how we live our lives influences what, how and where we consume our meals and drinks. We’ve detailed 10 trends that are fueling food and beverage innovation right now. Check them out here , to get a bit more context to the 40 food innovation examples below.

Profit model

Fast-fine eateries, like modern Greek restaurant  Souvla  in San Francisco, are offering chef-made meals at lower prices. How? By eliminating a few steps in the chain. For instance, customers at Souvla order at the counter, rather than via waitstaff. Or they take their food to go, which requires fewer employees. Judging by Souvla’s popularity, it seems many diners will happily forego full-service in favor of a smaller bill at the end of the night.

Consumers in the US spent more than $600bn on groceries in 2018, and with the market turning towards healthier, better-quality foods, the weekly shop doesn’t come cheap. Ecommerce store  Brandless  has found a way around that. Brandless uses data and analytics to uncover what customers are buying. The company uses this to develop its own – often healthy and eco-friendly – versions via its website. Brandless keeps prices low by saving on marketing, advertising, distribution, and packaging costs.

Portland-based company Brew Dr. has a circular, zero-waste business model. Brew Dr. sells tea, kombucha, and distilled spirits. And the company reduces costs by connecting the production of all three offerings. The tea is used to make Brew Dr. Kombucha

Competing restaurants in Xintiandi, a popular dining district in Shanghai, China, joined forces to reduce food waste and sell their unused ingredients. They combined leftover food and used it to make pizzas, called RePizzas. The pizzas come in over 200 flavors, with different options available to consumers every night.

AI-powered Innovation Sprint

Unlock the power of AI in a unique sprint format. Leverage the latest AI tools to generate new ideas, get real-time feedback, and curate new concepts to move forward with.

Tony's Chocolonely

Dutch confectionary company  Tony’s Chocolonely ‘s tagline is, “Crazy about chocolate, serious about people.” Capitalizing on this socially responsible brand purpose, Tony’s produces and sells chocolate using fair trade practices, while taking a stand against slavery, child labor, and exploitation by buying cocoa beans straight from farmers (and giving them a fair price) via partnerships with trading companies in Ghana and Ivory Coast. 

EDWINS restaurant in Cleveland employs formerly incarcerated adults to staff its kitchen. The business gives its employees hospitality and culinary training through its leadership institute, which enables them to serve classic, high-quality French fare. The chain benefits the community by giving its team members a chance to get back on their feet and build a career. 

Based in London, the Feedr platform connects corporate businesses looking for catered work lunches and functions with local food vendors. This is attractive because companies are quickly realizing the benefits of having staff eat healthily and, as a result, are wholly or partially subsidizing their food. Feedr can offer healthy catered meals for less than £5 per day, and companies like Etsy, Airbnb, DHL, and PwC chose Feedr over supplying food via canteens.

Farther Farms

Based in Rochester, New York, Farther Farms created a new technology that leverages supercritical carbon dioxide to naturally pasteurize food, eliminating the need for freezing, refrigeration, and artificial preservatives. This approach extends the shelf-life of fresh-cut produce and reduces the energy used in processing and distribution by 70%, which may have massive logistics and supply chain implications, not to mention that it could lead to superior food products. According to Dr. Syed Rizvi, professor of Food Process Engineering at Cornell University, “Such a breakthrough could be a major contributor to solving food system problems worldwide.”

Are you ready to have your pizzas prepared by robo-chefs? French startup Ekim hopes so. The company is building 24-hour automated fresh-pizza kiosks that are each equipped with a pizza-making robot called PAZZI that can prepare a single pizza in 30 seconds. An interesting idea for transit stations and locations where people need to eat on-the-go at all hours, Ekim is also looking to serve salads, drinks, and desserts.

Pizza Hut is building a pizza-delivery car and robo-chef built into one. The company aims to reduce costs and increase speed by having the human-driven vehicle prepare and cook pizza on the way to your door. Along with minimizing the time you need to wait, this innovation has the potential to reduce the risk of your pizza being cold.

With food delivery becoming increasingly popular, ghost restaurants that are designed solely for delivery are popping up everywhere. One of these ventures is Taster. The company has a chain of online-order-only restaurants that can prepare food in five minutes and have it deposited at your door via Deliveroo in just 20 minutes on average.

Gastrograph AI

AI and machine-learning platform Gastrograph AI compiles and analyzes data on the raw ingredients in the food we buy. The company uses this to help food and beverage producers predict which products customers in their target demographic will pay for. Manufacturers can see the flavors, scents, and textures consumers prefer, and develop products, optimize branding, and produce cognitive marketing campaigns accordingly.

Product performance

Love garlic but hate garlic breath? Garlidoux claims to have found a way around that. The award-winning company has removed this infamous flavor pain-point, producing a natural garlic paste that brings you the health benefits and great taste of garlic, without the nasty scent.

Startup Stixfresh has produced a sticker that is said to make fruit stay fresh 50% longer. The sticker works by creating a protective layer around the fruit. Its coating is made from beeswax and ingredients that feature a GRAS (generally considered as safe) status issued by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Drinkfinity

Consumers are increasingly interested in personalization, and PepsiCo took notice. Wanting to offer “greater choice and flexibility to consumers,” the company launched its Drinkfinity program, which enables customers to customize their own drinks by mixing pods of different flavors together with water. The pods contain dry or liquid ingredients and claim to offer different benefits. For instance, “Renew” pods contain electrolytes for hydration, and the “Charge” pods feature coffee extract.

Ceria Brewing Co.

Non-alcoholic beer sales are expected to grow substantially by 2024, with 20- and 30-somethings drinking less of the hard stuff. Catering to this market, Ceria Brewing Co. by Blue Moon offers an alcohol-free beer that provides a different kind of buzz – drinks are infused with an increasingly popular ingredient in the industry, the THC from cannabis. Heineken’s Northern California craft brewery Lagunitas is doing the same with its beer and cannabis blend, HiFiHops.

Allergy Amulet

The number of people with food allergies and intolerances is on the rise, so no doubt products like Allergy Amulet’s portable food allergen sensor will come in handy. The company has developed a disposable test strip which enables you to test whether the food you’re about to eat has a potential allergen in it.

Tufts' food sensor

In 2018, Tufts University announced its researchers had developed a tooth-mounted sensor which could detect or measure your alcohol, sugar, or salt intake. The 2mm x 2mm sensor could be useful for medical purposes, and to enable people on specific diets to monitor and track what they’re eating.

Based in Tel Aviv, Nutrino collects physiological data from users via its platform, and with the help of machine learning and AI, recommends customized diet programs. Acquired by Medtronic in 2018, the medical device giant intends to use the service’s insights to help diabetes patients.

Though nutrigenomics – using a person’s genetics to recommend an eating plan – is still in its infancy, companies like 23andMe, DNAFit, Nutrigenomix, and Habit are all offering customized diets based on a sample of DNA. Some even offer to supply you with pre-prepped meals based on your needs. However, researchers are still investigating how much a person’s genetic makeup actually impacts their dietary needs. But some links have been drawn – certain people absorb specific nutrients better than others, for instance.

In 2020, Gatorade is set to release a sweat-sensitive skin patch that lets you know when your hydration and electrolyte levels are low by changing color. If users send a pic of the patch to the affiliated app, the app will recommend one of many Gatorade pods accordingly.

Platejoy gives users tailored meal plans based on their cooking habits and specific dietary needs, such as food allergies or intolerances. It also uses their nutritional data and information from IoTs or wearables to measure their unique energy requirements.

Digitization and robotization are impacting the diet world. FoodMarble built a device, called a “personal digestive tracker,” that can test your breath to measure hydrogen levels (which increase when food doesn’t digest properly). Via a corresponding app, it can tell you what you should and shouldn’t be eating based on how your body responds after consuming certain foods.

A major player in the at-home-testing-kit diet customization game is Viome. The company reviews each customer’s microbes via various samples to detect whether they require more of a specific supplement (because they struggle to digest it).

Remedy Organics

Beverages are becoming functional. No longer is simply serving the taste buds enough – drinks need to improve the health of customers, too. For instance, Remedy Organics infuses its handcrafted, small-batch made, organic beverages with natural ingredients that boast prophylactic properties. Ingredients like MCT oil, cannabis, mushrooms, and pre/probiotics will continue to inspire new drinks, so expect to see them on shelves near you.

Designed for convenience, French startup Feed. serves complete ‘meals in a bottle.’ The ingredients in its drinks and bars are designed to appeal to health-conscious millennials. The products are gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, and lactose-free. And they include protein, fiber, and fats to ensure each serving delivers the same nutrients as a complete meal.

Paris-based food technology company Algama is finding ways to turn microalgae into a tasty, sustainable, protein-rich food source for daily consumption. Algama has already released SPRINGWAVE, a naturally blue spirulina-based drink that’s loaded with vitamins, and we look forward to discovering what the brand releases next.

Speaking of algae, Indonesia-based startup Evoware is putting the eco-friendly raw material forward as a plastics replacement for food packaging. Its production doesn’t require fertilizer, and it actually absorbs CO2 during growth. Evoware’s innovative edible packaging (that contains fiber, vitamins, and minerals) is used by Belgian fine waffles manufacturer Bruxelwaffle.

Having already found success (with millennials) via his plant-based food company Beyond Meat, co-founder Brent Taylor turned his sights to the fastest-growing demographic, adults over 50. Noticing the frustration felt by the age group at having been left behind by the plant-based trend, Taylor launched Perennial – a non-dairy beverage designed with older consumers’ bone, gut, and brain health in mind. 

Another company turning its sights on food innovation for elderly consumers is CERELAB. This R&D center specializing in wheat-flour bread developed a protein and energy enriched brioche bun. The product has been shown to improve the health of malnourished residents in nursing homes better than the typical combination of breakfast and supplements.

French supermarket chain Super U has come up with an innovative way to engage consumers who are concerned about whether the produce they’re buying is sustainable or not. Shoppers can scan QR codes on food labels via Snapchat Stories to instantly receive information about where it came from and whether it was ethically caught, farmed, or grown.

US fast-food chain Taco Bell offers convenient drive-thru service, but like many in the industry, the company is encouraging consumers to eat in-house. Taco Bell is opening its Cantinas across the US, with each location customized according to the location. They offer exclusive menus and even enable consumers to change the music. Additionally, as with McDonalds and Wendy’s, consumers have the choice of going to the counter or ordering via easy self-service kiosks.

Another chain that’s working on ambiance in order to encourage diners to eat-in (well, drink-in) is Starbucks. The Starbucks Reserve New York Roastery is a high-end 23,000 square foot space that entices customers to stick around with a full-service bar, mixology stations, an on-site coffee roasting plant, terrarium, and delightful décor. 

Project Nourished

A study by Cornell University suggests that VR can be used to enhance taste, which is exactly what Project Nourished aims to do. The company develops VR and AR gadgets and combines them with meals to give users “gastronomical virtual reality experiences.” The aim is to trick the senses by mimicking, changing, or enhancing the texture, sound, taste, and experience of eating certain foods. This tech could be used for weight management, sustainability, or to deliver weird and wonderful dining experiences. 

Tree by Naked

Speaking of which, virtual reality restaurant Tree by Naked in Tokyo guides guests through meals that are meant to illustrate chapters in the journey of life. Diners are led through the experience by a narrator, with the help of a soundtrack, light show, and wind machine. And they’ll dine alongside farm animals in fine clothing – via their headsets, that is.

The Eatwith app is giving consumers unique experiences, enabling those traveling the world to not only sample the local cuisine but cook it. Via their smartphones, travelers can peruse a number of authentic cooking experiences in the region they’re visiting. Think learning to make lasagna with an Italian or fries with a Belgian.

Too Good To Go

Food waste is an issue that consumers and retailers are increasingly paying attention to. Copenhagen-based food sharing app Too Good To Go is bringing like-minded foodies and businesses together. The innovative service connects customers with restaurants who are offering up their unsold, surplus food rather than see it go to waste.

Customer engagement

Club söda nyc.

Millennials are drinking less alcohol than older generations, and companies are catering to this trend. Not only are innovative non-alcoholic spirits (such as Seedlip) and beers flooding the market, but events designed to replace the booze-buzz with an exhilarating experience and opportunity for connection are emerging. One of these businesses is Club SÖDA NYC (Sober Or Debating Abstinence) – a location designed to bring together people who enjoy being high on life, and nothing more.

The Avocado Show

Feel the peel.

You know the pulp and rind that you throw away after making orange juice? Well, Italian design studio Carlo Ratti Associati is putting it to use via its Feel the Peel automated juice bar. After the juice is served, the rind is separated into a clear drum, heated, and mixed with polylactic acid to make a bioplastic which is then fed into a 3D printer. What does it make? The recyclable cups customers sip the juice from, of course.

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Discover 10 Emerging Food Industry Trends in 2024

How are the latest innovations in food technology tackling food shortage and ensuring climate-conscious eating habits? Explore our data-driven industry research on the current food trends based on our analysis of 5000+ companies. These trends include alternative proteins, 3D food printing, personalized nutrition, food robotics & more.

The up-and-coming food industry trends mark a shift towards sustainable and personalized food choices. These include alternative protein sources, local foods, nutraceuticals, and personalized nutrition. The concern over environmental impacts is causing FoodTech startups and brands to integrate waste reduction practices as well as zero-waste workflows. Also, the COVID-19 pandemic had a compelling impact on accelerating the adoption of food industry 4.0 technologies throughout the food value chain and improving food quality.

Food producers are digitizing their production floors with robotics, eCommerce, and digital food-management tools. Further, restaurants are employing robots for hospitality and cooking, as well as promoting e-commerce. The food industry is tackling the continuing impact of the COVID-19 situation using all the above tools, towards efficient, transparent, and sustainable operations.

This article was published in June 2021 and last updated in September 2023.

What are the latest trends in the food industry?

• Alternative Proteins
• Nutraceuticals
• Food Safety & Transparency
• Personalized Nutrition
• Restaurant Digitization
• Digital Food Management
• Food Waste Reduction
• 3D Food Printers

Innovation Map outlines the Top 10 Food Industry Trends & 20 Promising Startups

For this in-depth research on the Top Food Technology Trends & Startups, we analyzed a sample of 5065 global startups & scaleups. This data-driven research provides innovation intelligence that helps you improve strategic decision-making by giving you an overview of emerging technologies in the food industry. In the Food Tech Innovation Map, you get a comprehensive overview of the innovation trends & startups that impact your company.

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These insights are derived by working with our Big Data & Artificial Intelligence-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform , covering 3 790 000+ startups & scaleups globally. As the world’s largest resource for data on emerging companies, the SaaS platform enables you to identify relevant technologies and industry trends quickly & exhaustively.

Tree Map reveals the Impact of the Top 10 Food Technology Trends in 2024

The Tree Map below illustrates the Top Food Trends that will impact companies in 2024. Consumers shifting to alternative protein sources, including lab-grown food, is the most significant trend in the food industry. Further, the increased awareness of nutrition and health concerns during the pandemic drives the demand for nutraceuticals and personalized nutrition. Food e-commerce is another big trend that is fueled by the COVID-19 situation. Also, there is a substantial rise in food safety concerns directly impacting food transparency across the food value chain.

With digitization being an integral part of the food and beverage industry, companies are adopting restaurant digitization, digital food management, and food robotics to improve operations. Food brands are also focussing on food waste reduction and are adopting zero-waste practices. 3D food printers are also a part of the trends in food science and technology, enabling many other major trends such as meat alternatives and personalized nutrition.

Global Startup Heat Map covers 5065 Food Technology Startups & Scaleups

The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights the global distribution of the 5065 exemplary startups & scaleups that we analyzed for this research. Created through the StartUs Insights Discovery Platform , the Heat Map reveals that the US is home to most of these companies while we also observe increased activity in Europe, particularly in the UK and France.

Below, you get to meet 20 out of these 5065 promising startups & scaleups as well as the solutions they develop. These 20 startups were hand-picked based on criteria such as founding year, location, funding raised, and more. Depending on your specific needs, your top picks might look entirely different.

Interested to explore all 5000+ food technology startups & scaleups?

Top 10 Trends in the Food Industry (2024)

1. alternative proteins.

Consumers are increasingly shifting towards alternative protein sources , driven by health and environmental considerations. This makes it a prominent trend in food technology. These alternatives include cultured meat, lab-grown food, plant-based nutrition, edible insects, and mycoprotein. They have high nutritional richness and resource efficiency from production to consumption, a marked contrast to traditional livestock-based protein.

Further, alternative protein sources offer cost advantages due to their minimal dietary requirements and health monitoring. The ongoing advances in 3D printing, fermentation, and molecular biology also empower startups to develop sustainable solutions for protein production. This, in turn, allows food companies to address ethical concerns and reduce the carbon footprint associated with conventional meat production.

The Protein Brewery offers Animal-Free Protein

The Protein Brewery, a Dutch startup, develops FERMOTEIN , a proprietary animal-free lab-grown food. The startup brews FERMOTEIN using non-allergenic crops and fungi, infusing them with essential amino acids and fiber. This protein alternative has a 10% fat content and high water-binding capabilities, resulting in a meat-like flavor profile.

FERMOTEIN stands out as a natural ingredient, comprising solely brewed fibrous protein. The startup’s solution enables sustainable food developers to mitigate additional protein processing and expedite food product development.

ento manufactures Insect-based Protein

Malaysian startup ento farms crickets in a controlled environment to develop nutritious cricket-based food products. The startup’s insect-based alternative protein offers more proteins per gram than beef and contains all nine essential amino acids.

Also, ento’s cricket farming solution requires less land, water, and food than traditional livestock production, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This enables food producers to save production costs.

2. Nutraceuticals

There is an increasing concern about the impact of food habits on health and a growing need for essential nutrients for a healthy lifestyle. With the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers are focusing more on eating healthy, making nutraceuticals a top trend in the food industry. This is a critical element in driving the demand for nutraceuticals.

Nutriceuticals include nutritional supplements, functional foods, medicinal foods, and gut microbiome-enhancing foods like prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics. Scientific research on nutraceuticals underscores their potential health benefits. Importantly, their use in addressing oxidative stress-related disorders such as allergies, diabetes, and immune-related conditions.

Farmhand Organics provides Fermented Foods

Based in the US, FoodTech startup Farmhand Organics develops hand-crafted, naturally probiotic, plant-based, fermented foods using organic ingredients. The startup’s organic krauts and kimchi facilitate healthy digestion, as well as maintain sleep and immunity balance.

Further, Farmhand Organics’ fermented vegetables are nutrient-rich and flavorful. The startup sources its ingredients directly from family farms and other local suppliers, reducing the carbon footprint due to transport.

Voll Sante makes Functional Food

Indian startup Voll Sante provides functional foods and beverages as well as nutraceuticals. The startup’s products utilize natural ingredients to prevent and manage malnutrition. Its nutraceutical products assist consumers in preventing chronic diseases.

The startup’s nutraceuticals also reduce healthcare expenditures and turn the focus of healthcare from reactive to preventive. They are available as protein and vitamin supplements, immunity boosters, and breakfast cereals.

3. eCommerce

eCommerce has long been a focal point in the food and beverage industry, but the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated innovations within food supply chains. Food brands are harnessing digital platforms to provide on-demand online delivery services and connect with customers through direct-to-customer (D2C) distribution models. Additionally, heightened safety concerns during the pandemic are fueling the growth of ghost kitchens or cloud kitchens, exclusively offering food takeout and delivery services.

In tandem with D2C strategies, brands are prioritizing omnichannel distribution to enhance the customer experience and boost sales. This integrated approach ensures that customers access products both online and in brick-and-mortar stores, catering to diverse shopping preferences. Further, eCommerce empowers food manufacturers to establish stronger connections with their customers while ensuring product availability. This direct engagement allows manufacturers to gather valuable feedback and data, enabling them to tailor their offerings to consumer preferences.

Byte Elephant builds a Food E-Commerce Platform

Byte Elephant is an Indian startup that develops BETs , an e-commerce platform for food companies. It allows multi-brand, multi-location businesses to manage all orders in a centralized ecosystem. The platform features a quick customer onboarding workflow and is customizable based on specific brand requirements.

The startup’s platform thus enables food businesses to mitigate upfront IT development costs and offer online service quickly. It also enables them to scale operations quickly. This allows food businesses to address customer demands and stay ahead of the competition.

Ghost Kitchen offers Kitchen Spaces

South Korean startup Ghost Kitchen provides individual kitchen spaces to quickly start delivery businesses. At present, the startup owns 143 kitchens with adequate hygiene management and workflow from material storage to cooking, packaging, and delivery.

Also, Ghost Kitchen enables data-driven planning services through shared data collection from the entire individual kitchens. In effect, the startup minimizes expenses for contracts and interiors by directly offering standalone kitchens for restaurants and other food delivery entrepreneurs.

4. Food Safety & Transparency

Consumers prioritize the quality and safety of food products, leading to heightened food safety concerns. To address these concerns, consumers now have access to smart labels and standalone food grading devices, empowering them to make informed decisions when selecting food items. Additionally, advancements in blockchain technology and real-time food monitoring via Internet of Things (IoT) devices allow food brands to offer comprehensive end-to-end traceability.

Further, startups are contributing to food safety and transparency by creating cost-effective and scalable monitoring solutions. These innovations foster trust between food producers and consumers, increasing brand credibility and sales. Startups also play a crucial role in driving continuous improvement in food safety practices and ensuring that consumers have access to reliable information about the products they consume.

Thrasos simplifies Cleaning Protocol Scanning

Thrasos is a French startup that offers an AI-based solution to scan cleaning protocols in food production lines. The startup’s food safety management system utilizes a deep learning network to analyze numerous food safety parameters to validate the compliance of hygiene procedures.

This approach enables food businesses to leverage food safety management as a service as well as monitor and assess the efficacy of cleaning operations. As a result, food companies are able to ensure food-safe production lines and improve customer safety.

ThisFish develops Seafood Traceability Software

ThisFish is a Canadian startup that develops Tally , a software solution for seafood traceability. The startup digitizes data collection in real time on the food manufacturing floor using electronic scales, barcode printers, and scanners. Also, Tally allows seafood manufacturers to upload catch certificates and compliance documents.

The startup’s approach strengthens traceability while eliminating data errors and building trust among customers. Furthermore, ThisFish assists seafood producers in streamlining their operations for overall cost reduction, from fleet management and port unloading to production and quality control.

5. Personalized Nutrition

Growing consumer awareness about nutrition is fueling the demand for personalized nutrition solutions . These solutions encompass nutrigenomics-based diets and also cater to individual preferences such as sugar-free, gluten-free, vegan diets, and clean-label food products. Technological advancements like 3D printing and the integration of robotics into food production lines enable food manufacturers to offer personalized nutrition on a large scale.

At-home blood and urine testing kits empower consumers to identify dietary choices that align with their genetic profiles. Tracking devices further allow users to monitor their diets and health conditions, streamlining their nutritional choices. This level of customization enhances customer convenience and drives sales. Furthermore, ongoing research and development efforts are continuously expanding the range of personalized nutrition offerings. This ensures that consumers have access to dietary options to suit their needs.

NGX provides Genetically Personalized Meal-Shakes

NGX is a British startup that develops genetically personalized meal shakes. The startup offers at-home DNA nutrition tests and utilizes the test results to personalize nutrition intake for each individual. NGX’s products are plant-based breakfast and snack shakes that contain 30 essential nutrients including valine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, and more.

Also, the startup’s products have minimal calories, fat, and carbohydrate value as well as zero added sugars. NGX’s meal shakes enable customers to reach their fitness goals quicker and lead healthier lives.

Mefood Omics develops an Online Precision Nutrition Platform

Mefood Omics is a French startup that builds an online precision nutrition platform for nutrition professionals. It combines nutrigenetics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to design personalized dietary plans and monitor patients. Patients use the platform to create appointments and track billing as well as support diet customization and dynamic patient tracking.

The company also provides a nutrigenetic test and syncs the results with patient profiles. This way, the platform integrates nutrigenetic information as the last layer of personalization in generating the diet plan. This allows nutrition professionals and patients to leverage data-driven eating habits tailored to patient-specific diet goals.

6. Restaurant Digitization

Digitization in restaurants enhances the customer experience and also streamlines operational management, leading to improved efficiency. It empowers restaurant brands to collect valuable data at every stage, facilitating data-driven decision-making across operations. The upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital management systems throughout the food and beverage supply chain. To minimize direct human-to-human contact, restaurants are integrating digital menus, self-service kiosks, and cashless payment methods.

Additionally, emerging technologies like chatbots and voice bots are gaining prominence for assisting customers with food orders and addressing restaurant-related inquiries. Leveraging customer preference and behavior data, AI-enabled tools provide personalized food recommendations and even contribute to new recipe development. This transformation underscores the pivotal role of digital solutions in the evolving restaurant landscape.

AAHI develops a Customer Engagement Platform

AAHI is a Czech startup that provides a customer engagement platform for restaurants. The startup’s contactless ordering platform uses digital menus and QR codes, supports multiple languages, and is tailorable to brand specifications. This offers a unique interactive experience for customers along with minimizing direct contact between personnel and customers.

Also, the platform optimizes customer-restaurant interactions, thereby increasing order frequency. AAHI’s Ecological Marketplace further connects restaurants with customers interested in sustainability and promotes special offers. This allows businesses to turn unsold and less popular items into revenue, reducing food wastage.

RestaurantOS optimizes Restaurant Operations

RestaurantOS is a Canadian startup that creates a restaurant management platform. Its AI assistant automates back-office tasks like order creation, reservation management, menu pricing, and more. The platform also offers guest analytics and supports inventory management and customer loyalty programs.

Through its solution, RestaurantOS enables restaurant chains to optimize operations, save time, and cut costs. Its pay-as-you-go business model further alleviates upfront and per-order platform fees for food businesses.

7. Digital Food Management

The integration of big data analytics and AI, coupled with real-time monitoring, facilitates comprehensive digital food management from farm to fork. Innovative startups are developing food management solutions that optimize manufacturing processes and streamline supply chain operations. Further, the digitization of restaurants empowers businesses to analyze customer behavior and forecast demand based on consumer preferences.

Collectively, these digital solutions empower food producers to gain a deeper understanding of market requirements and anticipate potential disruptions. This minimizes losses and improves surplus food inventory management. For instance, the utilization of quantum computing allows startups to swiftly analyze critical disruptions, including pandemics, and simulate market fluctuations accurately. Additionally, customer and market intelligence enables brands to streamline marketing strategies and drive increased sales.

Tastewise develops a Food Intelligence AI Engine

Tastewise is an Israeli startup that provides customer intelligence. The startup’s food intelligence AI engine collects customer data from social media interactions and digital restaurant platforms. It then cleans and classifies the data using historical consumer behavior and restaurant activities.

Through this process, the platform identifies critical insights into customer preferences and overall trends. It visualizes these insights as dashboards and reports, enabling restaurant owners to formulate strategies for product innovation, content marketing, and customer retention.

Food Market Hub provides a Procurement and Inventory System

Food Market Hub , a Malaysian startup, provides a cloud-based procurement and inventory system for the food and beverage industry. It streamlines the supply chain by offering real-time inventory tracking and automated purchase order generation. It also emails the purchase orders to the suppliers.

Using its companion smartphone app, restaurant managers centralize all procurement activities in one accessible platform. Moreover, Food Market Hub enhances inventory control by leveraging data analysis from various sources, like weather reports and historical data, to make more accurate purchase forecasts.

8. Food Waste Reduction

Addressing food wastage is paramount in the global effort to combat food insecurity and reduce the environmental footprint associated with the food industry. Food entrepreneurs and major corporations are prioritizing food waste reduction as a means to achieve sustainability and cut operational costs. The implementation of advanced food monitoring solutions empowers food producers, restaurants, and smart cities to proactively mitigate food waste.

Further, there is a notable shift towards adopting zero-waste approaches in food manufacturing. This emphasizes the upcycling and reuse of food waste to create value and resonate with environmentally-conscious consumers. A prime example of this shift is the emergence of 3D food printing solutions that utilize food waste to produce edible food products. Such means effectively curb food waste at restaurants and other food outlets while promoting sustainability.

Lumitics develops a Smart Food Waste Tracker

Lumitics is a Singaporean startup that tracks food waste. The startup’s smart food waste tracker, Insight , uses proprietary AI-based image recognition technology. It offers chefs insights into food waste, fostering feedback loops that enhance food quality based on customer preferences.

This dynamic approach empowers restaurants and food establishments to optimize production and tailor menus to meet customer demands effectively. Lumitics’ Insight reduces food waste and costs in hotels, airplanes, cruise ships, and more.

Food Drop connects Surplus Food to Local Charities

British startup Food Drop connects stores with unsold or surplus food to local charities, schools, and community groups. The startup’s online platform allows stores and charities to sign up, which then matches the stores and local charities.

Food Drop’s automated platform ensures a supply of charities to collect the surplus from stores at the end of the day. Also, if a charity is unavailable for pick up, the platform notifies stores in real time. The startup’s solution provides monthly reports on donated food and carbon savings.

9. Robotics

In the food and beverage industry, robotics plays a pivotal role across the entire value chain. It improves efficiency, consistency, and scalability throughout food production processes. Hospitality robots find their place in hotels and restaurants, elevating customer convenience and safety. Robotic chefs and food processing robots further solidify food robotics as a prominent trend in food technology.

Autonomous drones and vehicles are emerging as efficient alternatives to manual delivery services, increasing cost savings. These drones and other food-handling robots facilitate rapid and cost-effective food tagging and monitoring in warehouses and grocery stores. In effect, the robotics bloom in the food industry is expediting food production revenue with enhanced speed and precise food quality control.

Bear Robotics manufactures Autonomous Food Service Robots

US-based startup Bear Robotics develops Servi , an autonomous food-serving robot. It complements waitstaff by delivering dishes and beverages in tight spaces using advanced camera and laser sensor navigation, allowing it to navigate without encountering blind spots.

By prioritizing safety, Servi promptly stops or adjusts its course when encountering obstacles. Bear Robotics’ solutions offer a transformative approach to hospitality, enhancing operational efficiency and service quality in the industry.

ROBOEATZ provides Autonomous Robotic Kitchens

ROBOEATZ is a Canadian startup developing AI-based autonomous robotic kitchens for restaurants, grocery stores, and office spaces. The startup’s ARK 03 robot uses proprietary software for autonomous operation of kitchen tasks, including hot and cold food storage, preparation, plating, cleaning, and sanitizing.

Additionally, ARK 03 features automatic ordering and inventory control that keeps a tab on ingredient supply and automatically requests refills from wholesalers. ROBOEATZ’s solution improves the efficiency of food production while requiring minimal human intervention and adhering to effective food safety practices.

10. 3D Food Printers

3D food printers open up possibilities for personalized diets and the creation of alternative protein-based meals, offering precision and consistency in nutrition. While material extrusion remains the most widely used method in food printing, startups are exploring innovative approaches such as laser and inkjet food printing, as well as bioprinting. These novel methods enhance the quality and accuracy of 3D-printed food products.

With an emphasis on meeting specific product requirements and ensuring consistent quality, ongoing research in 3D food printing is geared toward large-scale food production. As a result, 3D food printing simplifies production processes and reduces costs. Further, it empowers food brands to deliver personalized food products at scale without the need for additional tooling and operational expenses.

SavorEat prints Plant-based Meat

SavorEat is an Israeli startup that develops plant-based meat. The startup combines chef robots, proprietary 3D printing, and non-GMO ingredients to print meat. At present, the startup produces meatless burgers and plans to expand to steaks, kebabs, and alternative seafood.

SavorEat’s meat alternatives replicate the authentic taste, texture, and experience of real meat. They are also customizable to suit specific preferences, dietary needs, and lifestyles. This 3D printing technology ensures rapid, precise, and consistent results, making it ideal for food trucks, restaurants, and hotels.

COCUUS manufactures Bioinks for 3D Food Printers

Spanish startup COCUUS produces plant- or cell-based animal protein analogs using 2D/3D laser printing, bioprinting, and robotics. The startup offers LEVEL-UP inkjet 3D printers and LASERGLOW laser 2D/3D printers for food producers. The LASERGLOW is accurate to design specifications and supports 3D shapes as well as hyper-personalization.

On the other hand, LEVEL-UP is suitable for product customization with surface filling at scale. The startup’s 3D printers allow restaurants and food brands to personalize their products without tooling changes and help in improving the brand reach, boosting sales.

Discover all Food Tech Trends & Startups

The top 10 food technology trends drive sustainable food sources and food waste reduction, with Industry 4.0 technologies enhancing efficiency and scalability. 3D food printing emerges as a promising technology, complementing other key trends and prompting continued investment in 3D food printers and bio-inks. Furthermore, advances in AI and big data analytics play a crucial role in optimizing food industry operations.

In synergy, the food and beverage sector is making strides towards sustainability while elevating overall operational efficiency. The Food Industry Trends & Startups outlined in this report only scratch the surface of trends that we identified during our data-driven innovation & startup scouting process. Identifying new opportunities & emerging technologies to implement into your business goes a long way in gaining a competitive advantage.

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Food innovation: how and why do we innovate food?

Food innovations keep the market relevant and exciting by finding more ways of addressing safety, security, and ...

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Food innovations keep the market relevant and exciting by finding more ways of addressing safety, security, and sustainability issues.

Recent innovations focus on incorporating technology , such as artificial intelligence, in food processing.

Consumer demands for healthier alternatives drove food business owners to come up with friendlier alternatives. 

Innovation in the food industry improves efficiency and productivity, such as the use of AI for food safety management .

Every year, the food industry finds ways to make the lives of consumers and food business owners easier and more productive. The industry has seen a lot of food innovations over the past years, especially with the globalization of food markets and the impacts of climate change. More opportunities for growth and development opened for business owners. From improving the eating habits of consumers through healthier options to automating food business operations for businesses, the industry does not shy away from any food innovation. 

In this article, we discuss some of the most exciting innovative food science and emerging technologies taking over the food industry . Learn more about how technology and healthier options dominate the food business. We also talk about our effective and smart solution to maintaining food safety in this modern age.

WHAT WE'LL COVER:

• What is food innovation?
• How does food innovation happen?
• Why do we innovate food?

The latest and biggest food innovation examples

What are the breakthrough innovations in food, food technology innovation with fooddocs.

Read more about our digital Food Safety Management System at the end of this article! 

What is food innovation? 

Food innovation definition refers to the development of new food processes, products, and services that significantly contribute to the industry's productivity and market choices. Innovations in food aim to improve the consumer's life and the efficiency of food business operations.

Food industry Innovation involves all aspects of the food supply chain. Where there is room for improvement, innovations can be applied.

Food and beverage companies continuously find more ways to produce healthier and newer options for consumers . Food innovations are often seen in products with healthier or unconventional ingredients that provide more benefits than the usual raw materials.

In addition, a food innovator focuses on finding more ways to make food service and manufacturing more accurate, safe, and sustainable. The development of processes often involves incorporating technology to make processes more effective and less prone to mistakes.

What type of research is used in food innovation?

Innovations in the food industry undergo several stages of studying and experimentation. This field of science uses behavioral, natural, and applied food science principles to understand which solutions are required and suitable for current pressing problems.

Research in innovation combines scientific expertise, product development research, and behavioral studies to develop useful concepts . Several studies and surveys are performed to understand what current problems the industry is facing, and which ones can be resolved with innovations.

Innovation research uses marketing and business strategies to determine how the solution will be introduced to the public.

How does food innovation happen? 

Food innovation is a multi-step process that involves long hours of conceptualization, testing, and implementation . The process usually comes from a small idea that can hugely impact the food supply chain.

Food innovation and product development share the same fundamental steps:

1. Product strategy and idea generation

Innovative ideas for the food business start with a particular problem in the food industry . Food innovation companies gather information on current pressing matters in the industry, find ways to solve them and improve the customer's way of living. Gathering information for food innovation can be done through market research and feasibility studies.

Research studies that produce useful innovations consider the following factors:

• Market problem
• The present gap in the market
• Currently existing solutions
• Economic value

The first step involves considering these factors and combining them to produce a detailed product concept.

2. Process development and testing

After proving that the conceptualized food innovation ideas will provide significant solutions to an identified problem, innovators will create an initial process and sample of the product . 

This step involves studying the dependability of the suggested innovative effects and reproducing the results. After a series of studies, the product will then be tested for the target market's acceptance and analyzed points for improvement.

3. Product commercialization and launch

Once the innovation is proven acceptable and effective, it is commercialized and introduced to the market. At this point, further improvements may be applied depending on the acceptance of the general market.

Food innovation undergoes more detailed steps. This outline represents how innovations in food and processes are made.

Innovations in the industry are products of finding ways to solve real-time problems with smarter and more efficient solutions .

This exact process and objective are how FoodDocs' digital Food Safety Management System was created. To help make food safety compliance more accessible , our team developed an intuitive digital solution. Using our software, food businesses can get a quick overview of their operations and immediately understand which areas require more attention. Such a solution can help improve efficiency significantly. 

Why do we innovate food? 

The food industry survives and grows because of food innovation. Modern solutions to food safety, security, and quality issues have been resolved through innovations. In addition, more choices have become increasingly available as every food market opened up for globalization.

In particular, food innovation brings the following positive effects:

• Growth and new market. Through food innovation, food businesses discover competitive advantages and economic opportunities for growth. New products and processes keep a food business updated with the newest food safety trends . They also help businesses expand and cater to more market segments. Innovative food brands are more likely to stay in the market.
• Increase productivity. Innovations targeted toward processes often aim to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of operations. These include solutions for fewer errors and even human intervention. Innovative solutions can help companies produce more for less cost.
• Less error. Food innovations, such as the automation of processes, make operations more accurate, thereby producing less waste and higher yield. Through such solutions, businesses can focus more on growing their operations and earning more.

A good example of this is when food businesses use a point-of-sale system (POS) . This automated software automatically accounts for the expenses and profits of a business and connects them with other aspects of operations, including inventory management and accounting. There is no need for excessive manual intervention.

• Food security. Food innovations open the door to the accessibility of food worldwide. One of the main objectives of food agencies is to provide safe, adequate, and sustainable food to all citizens of a nation, and innovations contribute to this.

An example of a significant innovation that contributes to security is the use of active packaging and food preservation. Such innovations allow food distributors to reach farther places while ensuring that the food is still safe to eat when it arrives to the consumers. 

Food innovation also addresses issues of negative environmental impacts that significantly affect food security. Friendlier processes that generate less greenhouse gas emissions are discovered through food innovations.

• Accessibility and efficiency of food safety. Food innovations also help make smarter tools that will maintain compliance with less effort. Innovations such as FooDocs' digital Food Safety Management System automatically generate monitoring logs that would normally take hours or days to produce manually. In addition, this digital solution also offers a smart notification system through a mobile app that notifies food workers of tasks that need to be done.

As the food industry moves toward a more sustainable diet and technology-centric approach, food business operators and customers can expect smarter solutions and more choices. Food innovation is a vital part of the industry. It addresses consumer demands and allows businesses to become more competitive.

Recently, consumers and business owners collectively moved toward more sustainable products and healthier diet options. This trend is the result of increasing public health concerns. 

The food service and manufacturing industry's response to issues in food safety and quality is to adapt with smarter, more accurate, and safer solutions.

Here are some of the biggest and latest food innovations to date:

Targeted nutrition

Targeted nutrition refers to food production innovation with tailored nutritional and dietary components encouraging healthier eating habits. This food innovation involves several types of activities for consumers, food processors, and the healthcare industry. It aims to produce foods for risk-prone customers.

Targeted nutrition can be observed through the following processes and products:

• Wearable solutions for health tracking
• Artificial intelligence (AI)-driven health coach
• Digital platforms for nutritional tracking

This concept emphasizes the fact that different consumers have different nutritional needs. Innovations involved in targeted nutrition aim to cater to the complex dietary needs of individuals, especially those with existing medical conditions .

The innovation makes healthier options more accessible and fits a particular group of consumers.

Increased transparency of the food chain

In relation to the increasing demand for sustainable food production and fair trade of innovative food products, the food industry has focused much of its attention on improving food traceability and transparency . 

To date, food business owners have now made the majority of their food supply chain visible to consumers virtually. The information is available through websites, mobile applications, or food labels, and is often accessible through QR codes and software.

Transparency in food production builds trust between food manufacturers and consumers. In a way, this innovation opens up your food business to the public eye and subjects your whole management to accountability. Consumer demands to know if the food they are consuming is sustainably and responsibly sourced.

Recent research shows that more than 70% of consumers think that food transparency in the modern food supply is important and is increasingly becoming a huge purchase intent factor.

Ghost kitchens

Ghost kitchens are food service businesses that focus on the take-out-only business model. The trend of switching to ghost kitchens started when the CoViD-19 pandemic hit the industry. Due to limited access to establishments, food businesses started catering to deliveries and curb-side takeouts.

As it turns out, the concept of ghost kitchens fits the fast-paced lives of consumers perfectly. This food business combines the efficiency of delivery services and brick-and-mortar food service. It removes the need for front-of-the-house services, which boosts efficiency in the kitchen.

Ghost kitchens, while requiring less manpower, focus their food safety operations on the production area. Such aspects of the business model require less labor and rent costs.

With the help of more advanced solutions, such as machine-learning programs, ghost kitchens can focus more on identifying what the customers need.

Food management software

Food businesses, whether service-centered, retail, or manufacturing, have embraced the efficiencies of software programs . The rise of software solutions is also partly the result of the pandemic. These solutions cut unnecessary downtime due to human errors and interactions, integrate operations, improve quality uniformity, and automatically help in learning more about the customers. 

Some of the most widely used restaurant management software available in the market to date include:

• Point-of-sale system. A smart solution for inputting orders and payments, which are automatically integrated with other software (e.g., inventory is adjusted per purchase).
• Accounting software. Automatically manages bookkeeping of financial transactions and can produce instant reports and analytics.
• Marketing and loyalty software. This digital tool performs and manages advertisements for your business. They can also be used to promote loyalty and manage customer reviews to gain a larger customer base.
• Inventory management software. A digital tool for automating operations such as stock management and tracking raw material ingredients in real time.
• Table booking software. An online reservation system that allows customers to book tables and cut waiting lines. This software helps improve efficiency in table management and reduces cancellations.
• Employee management software. Software that automates and integrates the responsibilities of HR management for improving efficiency and productivity.
• Food safety management software. A digital solution for monitoring and ensuring compliance with food safety regulations. Such a solution digitizes rules and tips for food safety and makes them more accessible to food businesses.

Software programs introduce more possibilities and efficiencies to every food business. Streamlining a particular process and integrating multiple others together can help make a seamless operation with less room for error.

Digital food safety management

Food safety compliance is a never-ending task. Where there is food to be served, there is a regulation to be complied with. The issues of food safety are ongoing concerns in the industry where at least 600 million people become affected every year. 

The problem being faced by most food business owners is that their existing manual monitoring system is not comprehensive enough. Employees also have a hard time remembering too many monitoring tasks that food safety is being risked. 

Innovations such as a digital food safety management system make monitoring tasks and establishing a comprehensive system accessible for all food businesses. A great example of this software is FoodDocs' digital Food Safety System . 

This software uses artificial intelligence and a machine-learning program to automatically generate essential monitoring logs and checklists. The generated system is tailored specifically based on the provided information. The software also reduces human error by using a smart notification system that reminds employees of important food safety tasks. 

Food innovations concerning digital food management reduce the need for intensive supervision while still promoting accountability among food handlers. 

Automated service

Automation refers to the use of robots, machines, and devices that are capable of performing normal, day-to-day tasks in a food business. This innovation is currently being widely used in the food industry to reduce the burden of repetitive tasks for food handlers.

A great example, and perhaps the most widely used automation, is the self-service kiosks in fast food chains. These automatic services allow businesses to take in orders more efficiently without the need for extra labor costs. 

Another example of automation is the use of AI-powered scanners in screening food ingredients for manufacturing. Information regarding defective and non-compliant characteristics of ingredients is fed into machines and is used to screen the incoming food supply.

In more advanced businesses, bussing and food service are carried out by robots as well.

Automation of food operations allows for more accurate results without the unavoidable increase in errors as a result of human limitations. It also reduces the likelihood of generating unnecessary food waste, which is a great aspect of solving acute food insecurity or food shortages worldwide.

The list we just mentioned is just some of the most recent innovations in the food industry. In the past, more breakthrough innovations have revolutionized how business owners deal with production.

From the smarter way of packaging foods to more functional ingredients that provide a wide range of benefits, the food industry has faced some significant changes.

Here is a quick recap of breakthrough innovations in food in the previous years:

Smart packaging 

The science of food smart packaging is the process of incorporating smart technology or pharmaceutical active ingredients into the packaging system. The technological aspect of this innovation provides clearer and a wider range of information for consumers through the help of a tiny QR code. Information is embedded into the codes and can be accessed by consumers at any time. QR Code Creator  software can create these tiny codes for smart packaging."

This innovation is also seen as the incorporation of systems that intuitively tells consumers about the quality and safety of the product through indicative attachments . A great example of this technology is the color-changing sticker attached to the packaging of meat products. The color of the sticker tells consumers if the product is still fresh or past its peak quality.

Alternative ingredients

With the rise of healthier eating habits and consumer demands, the food industry has gradually shifted its ways to find healthier and more nutritious food ingredients. In recent years, food ingredients that have the tendency to become unhealthy when unregulated are being replaced with healthier options.

An example of this innovation is the growing alternative protein food sector. This refers to the use of alternative protein from edible plant species as a substitute for current animal-source food.

To date, plant-based foods for protein sources do not only come in their regular or powdered forms for human consumption. More innovative ways of incorporating them into the food system as an alternative to meat are discovered. Plant-based proteins are now present in cheeses and even in forms such as burger patties to reduce meat consumption and for consumers with specialized daily diets.

Food manufacturers have also used plant-based ingredients to resolve food intolerance, and some food allergy cases. Such is the case of plant-based kinds of milk. Instead of serving dairy-based milk, manufacturers have started offering products such as almond milk, coconut milk, and other products. Consumers with hypersensitivities can now enjoy plant-based meat and dairy alternatives.

Other alternative ingredients that are considered future foods include edible insect species, cultured meat, and algal food products or seaweeds. 

Sustainable food materials

Innovations have also led food scientists to explore the production of raw materials that are more resistant to extreme conditions as a result of climate change impacts . Scientists expanded on the use of managing the genetic profiles of food to create sturdier food products.

An example of this innovation is the production of more efficient crops that are resistant to crop pests and unfavorable conditions of agricultural lands. This innovation has increased the availability of foods worldwide as they have become more resilient against changes. Some seasonal foods can now be grown out of season. 

Another supplementary material that contributes to sustainability is cultured meat production . This innovation is a futuristic food product that reproduces live animal cells in the laboratory without the need to grow live animals. The resulting products contain the same protein quality without generating harmful environment impacts.

Cultured meat products can one day eliminate the problem of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels. When optimized, it can significantly reduce the environmental impact of previous food industry practices.

Active food

In addition to alternative ingredients, the modern science of functional or active food products has also gained increasing attention. In recent times, tastier foods and flashy food designs are not the only criteria observed by consumers. They focus more on the healthiness of foods and the benefits that they can get to reduce potential risks of diseases.

Active food items are products that are proven to help improve the immune system and offer other health benefits . Even more so during the pandemic, consumers focused on using natural products to improve their defense against illnesses.

A very popular functional food source that has gained much popularity over the years is probiotic foods. Products enriched with probiotics are proven to improve health and wellness by targeting the human gut microbiome or the group of good bacteria in the intestinal tract. Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms that help balance the biological activity of the gut and positively affect the wellness of the body.

Soon after its popularity, probiotics are seen in processed products, ready-to-eat foods, and even over-the-counter drugs. Other popular examples of active and functional food sources include fermented products, such as kimchi, kefir, kombucha, and beverages infused with active ingredients. The behavior of foods with active ingredients is significantly proven to be beneficial for consumers.

Incorporation of artificial intelligence

Perhaps one of the most significant factors in how the food industry has developed so much is because of the help of AI or artificial intelligence. This program is used in software applications and process automation to streamline food operations.

Artificial intelligence is a computer program that simulates human intelligence through the information that it collects. The program becomes more intuitive with the more information it gathers. In the food industry, AI is mostly used to improve customer service and the quality of food products. It fuels the majority of the restaurant software programs we mentioned earlier in this article.

One of the most useful applications of AI that led the industry to better customer service is Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology. This system uses AI to collect information about customer behavior with their consent. The gathered information is then used to improve purchasing experience by intuitively arranging products by consumer preference or automatically suggesting products that may complement previous purchases.

What will the food in the future be like?

With the pressing issues at hand, such as negative environmental impacts, increasing cases of chronic illnesses, food safety concerns, the challenges of hunger, and lack of sustainability, the food industry is only likely to move toward addressing these issues.

In addition, as consumers become more conscious of how the products that they purchase are sourced and produced, businesses are more likely to increase transparency.

This means that innovations in food and future food stories will be more focused on areas such as:

• Making safe food more accessible
• Making production information more available
• Developing more sustainable food supply and environmental-friendly food sources
• Moving toward smarter solutions in agricultural sciences, food processing, and distribution with less negative climate impacts (e.g., fewer greenhouse emissions and footprint of food products)
• Providing healthier options and focusing on improving the health and wellness of consumers

With the help of AI and food scientists, food business owners are more likely to understand the needs of the industry and the market to produce more innovative products and services. More plant-based and sustainably sourced foods are likely to hit the market as consumers seek for healthier and safer food choices.

If you are a food facility owner, one of your major concerns is maintaining food safety. You and your team need to quickly adapt to the increasing modern food challenges in the industry to stay compliant and relevant to consumers. In the fast-paced nature of the food industry, the most effective solution to get ahead of your compliance problems is to use digital technology solutions.

Using FoodDocs' digital Food Safety Management System you can get the efficiency and benefits of both AI and a machine-learning program to help you maintain food safety compliance . This food safety innovation was made to make food safety compliance accessible for all food business owners, thereby ensuring the safety of public health.

Our system can provide the following benefits:

• Using AI, our system can automatically generate the most essential monitoring logs based on your operations. You can immediately implement the personalized food safety system and start maintaining compliance more intuitively.

Cooking temperature monitoring log from FoodDocs

• Get a smart notification system that notifies food handlers of tasks that need to be done. With this feature, you can ensure that tasks are done on time and never forgotten.
• You can also get smart and time-saving prefilling solutions with our smart app . All generated monitoring logs are equipped with an auto-fill feature that automatically inserts information on the parameter field. The inserted information is based on previously logged data. Employees would only need to verify the data.

In addition to digital solutions for a more efficient operation, our system also provides features that will help manage your business :

• Generating and implementing our digital Food Safety Management System will only take approximately 15 minutes . In this short time, you can already start maintaining compliance using a digital platform.

Food safety system set up by FoodDocs

• Use our in-app traceability system to track and monitor food batches easily. All information about your products is organized in a traceability log and can be accessed anytime.

Product traceability in FoodDocs

• Manage your production processes using our application. Calculate and manage ingredient use based on the production schedule with our food safety application.
• Store and organize all digital information in the digital cloud provided for your business.

Switching to our digital platform is not only a smarter solution but also a sustainable food system . With a digital solution, there is no more need to print out numerous monitoring logs that you will use every day. You can perform and access all food safety tasks using a mobile device without producing further environmental concerns.

Maintain compliance with food safety regulations and enjoy the benefits of food innovation with our digital solution. 

Use our free 14-day trial to experience how your business can become more efficient with a digital Food Safety Management System.

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USDA Grows Private Sector Tech Innovation in Food and Agriculture

Highlights Technology Transfer Outcomes for Public Good

WASHINGTON, August 23, 2023 – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced an investment of over $12.5 million as part of the USDA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The Phase I awards will support 76 small businesses conducting high-quality research that addresses critical scientific challenges and opportunities in agriculture.

“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to investing, growing and supporting small businesses through increased market opportunities that also strengthen the food system nationally and locally,” said Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young. “Science-based innovations from federally funded research, often developed through public-private partnerships, create products and services that increase productivity and enhance global competitiveness for the U.S. agriculture sector.”

The awards announced today include the first round of USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)-funded STTR awards, which accelerate projects led by small businesses partnering with nonprofit research institutions to transfer technology to the marketplace. The STTR program supports 15 businesses in 12 states, from Georgia to Washington, with a $2.5 million investment.

“Small businesses play a key role driving innovation in the food and agriculture sectors,” said USDA NIFA Director Dr. Manjit K. Misra. “By partnering with research institutions, these small businesses are bridging an important gap between where science is conducted and how it is made available to the public.”

In addition to the STTR projects, NIFA is investing $9.9 million in 61 SBIR projects, supporting research addressing challenges in areas including conserving natural resources, plant and animal production, and developing biobased products.

Among awards in both programs, 20 go to minority- or woman-owned small businesses. Twenty-two of the small businesses are in HUBZones, which are urban or rural communities located in economically distressed areas.

Some of the funded businesses include Evergreen Aquatics in Washington to improve the viability of burbot, a cod-like freshwater fish, as a new U.S. aquaculture species; Home Grown Fuels in Vermont , in partnership with the University at Albany , to use plants to clean up contamination from “forever chemicals;” Padma Agrobotics in Arizona to develop an automated robotic harvester for cilantro and other specialty crops harvested in bunches; and Shende LLC in South Dakota to develop a novel heat transfer fluid system that converts solar energy into thermal energy to support an energy-efficient, wind and hail-resistant solar greenhouse usable in extreme winter temperatures.

Phase I request for SBIR and STTR funding is currently accepting proposals until September 19, 2023. The STTR program was implemented by NIFA in 2022 after USDA reached a $1 billion threshold in extramural research funding. Learn more about USDA’s SBIR-STTR programs on the NIFA website.

USDA also released its Fiscal Year 2022 Technology Transfer Annual Report . The report highlights science-based, innovative research outcomes from various USDA agencies that benefit farmers, ranchers, producers, foresters, the agricultural sector and the greater public good. This year’s report showcases 156 new inventions, 79 patent applications, 38 newly issued patents and 653 licenses.

Some outcomes highlighted in this year’s report include: NovolBio , a recipient of USDA SBIR funding, who is developing the world's first sustainable prescription eyeglass lenses and zero-waste production platform; USDA-certified biobased personal care ingredients made from renewable vegetable oils; Intellisense Systems LLC who is developing a novel Fire Weather Observation Sensor system to facilitate detection and management of wildfires on forest lands; and USDA’s release of six new conservation plants to the public and commercial growers.

Technology transfer functions are critical to accelerating public research and development investments, enhancing economic opportunities, and creating jobs. Continued investments in research and development are instrumental components of the newly released USDA Science and Research Strategy, 2023-2026: Cultivating Scientific Innovation . The Strategy (PDF, 21.4 MB) details how science and technology can shape the future of U.S. agriculture and forestry to be more prosperous, profitable and sustainable.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy, and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov .

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

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Cornell AgriTech

Food Innovation Lab

The Food Innovation Lab (FIL), located at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, New York, connects entrepreneurs and food companies with the necessary resources and expertise needed to discover and develop innovative food products, shaping the future of food in New York and beyond. 

The FIL is outfitted with commercial-grade appliances, as well as analytical equipment, creating a unique facility that allows food entrepreneurs to not only create new foods, but understand the scientific parameters around the products they create. The facility is intended to be self-service, with guides provided for equipment. 

The FIL is a collaboration between the New York State Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture (CoE) and the Cornell Food Venture Center (CFVC) .

Capabilities and equipment

• Digital refractometer
• Small benchtop scale
• Large benchtop scale
• Microscope - wide field
• Vacuum pump with gauge
• Gravity convection incubator
• Compact general-purpose centrifuge, with 8 x 15 ml mixed angle rotor
• Temperature-controlled water bath
• Thermocouple thermometer 
• Vacuum filtration system
• Hot plate with magnetic stirrer
• One-gallon 3.75 HP variable-speed food blender
• 21-inch heavy-duty Big Stik immersion blender, with 10-inch dual whisk attachment and bowl clamp
• Four-quart combination bowl cutter/mixer and continuous-feed food processor
• Chamber vacuum sealing system
• 3-cup heavy-duty wet/dry spice grinder
• 2.5-liter ice cream maker
• 10-inch professional food slicer
• 7-liter Luna planetary stand mixer
• 10-liter Luna planetary stand mixer
• Double vertical classic waffle maker
• Bubble waffle maker
• Double panini grill with timer
• Tabletop convection oven
• Microwave oven
• 16-liter thermal circulator water bath
• Pasta cooker
• Crepe maker
• Commercial dehydrator, with reusable silicone drying sheets
• Avantco A-49R-HC 54-inch solid door reach-in refrigerator
• Wells WVO-4HF VCS2000 ventless cooktop with four French plate burners
• Eurodib under-counter dishwasher
• Candy and meat thermometers
• Plastic funnel set
• Glass beakers
• Erlenmyer flasks
• Graduated cylinders
• Stainless steel mixing bowls
• 8-quart, 12-quart and 20-quart stainless steel stockpots
• 8-quart stainless steel colander
• 10-inch and 14-inch stainless steel frying pans
• 7-quart stainless steel double boiler
• Non-stick baking and cake pans
• Stainless steel basting spoons, ladles and whisks
• Heat-resistant silicone spatulas
• Scalloped sandwich spreaders
• Vegetable and fruit peeler
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Cutting boards
• Rolling pin
• Non-stick reusable pan liners
• Silicone heat-resistant pot holders
• Silicone oven mitts

The Food Innovation Lab offers a full suite of commercial-grade appliances.

Ovens, ranges, microwaves and everything else entrepreneurs need to produce new, innovative food products!

The large center island offers ample counter space for food entrepreneurs to work.

A centrifuge, magnetic hot plate and stirrer, refractometer and pH meter are among the analytical equipment available for users of the Food Innovation Lab.

The Food Innovation Lab is fully stocked with frying pans, stock pots and other cookware.

The Food Innovation Lab blends food safety and science with culinary production and innovation.

Pilot Plant Manager

Food Science

• (315) 787-2257
• rtm1 [at] cornell.edu

External Clients (individuals and companies not employed by Cornell):

Full use of food innovation lab and associated equipment: $360/day.

To reserve time in the Food Innovation Lab, please contact Roger Morse:  rtm1 [at] cornell.edu (rtm1[at]cornell[dot]edu)

• The Food Innovation Lab shall be cleaned and returned to the same condition it was initially found before any work was conducted in that area. This includes any equipment and all materials used.
• Any work performed in the Food Innovation Lab must be completed within normal working hours (8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.).
• Cornell reserves the right to change these prices based on the specifics of any particular project.
• All ingredients, product containers, analytical testing, shipping containers and shipping charges supplied by Pilot Plant are additional.

Funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.3, Theme 10.

Research and Innovation for Sustainable Food and Nutrition

We are a partnership for the sustainable development of food and nutrition, funded under the italian national recovery and resilience plan., taking action on food systems, focused on sustainability, working on safety, security and health., onfoods is a partnership extended to university, research centres and companies that brings together, coordinates and amplifies the work of 26 public and private organisations, leaders in scientific research and sustainable innovation of food systems..

Our project falls within the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), which the Italian Government has prepared as part of the Next Generation EU program. We are one of the 14 partnerships selected under the Education and Research mission, for the theme Models for Sustainable Nutrition . OnFoods works as a coordinating hub for seven thematic Spokes , each focused on a specific and crucial aspect of the food system , yet working together to achieve common goals regarding food safety and quality, nutrition, and malnutrition prevention.

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Newsletter from Spoke 7 “Politics, behaviour and education” - March 2024

Two days of multidisciplinary discussion and networking at the university of milan. onfoods marks the pace of its first year of activity, €1.55 million for sustainable food solutions: university of bologna's (spoke 7) cascade funding call is open, university of naples launches a funding call for innovative research partnerships on lifelong nutrition, on food perspective.

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Can hunger be eradicated by 2030?

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World hunger is growing at an alarming rate, with prolonged conflicts, climate change, and COVID-19 exacerbating the problem. In 2022, the World Food Programme helped a record 158 million people. On this trajectory, the United Nations’ goal to eradicate hunger by 2030 appears increasingly unattainable. New research at McGill University shines the spotlight on a significant piece of the puzzle: international food assistance.

With no global treaty in place, food aid is guided by a patchwork of international agreements and institutions. Using the concept of a “regime complex,” a study published in the Journal of International Trade Law and Policy examines those rules and the systems that shape them. Rather than create a new entity to solve the problem, the findings point to paradigm shift in the existing systems. Rethinking the dominant discourse among institutions is crucial to work towards zero hunger, posits author Clarisse Delaville, a second-year doctoral student at McGill’s Faculty of Law. 

“There are two main regimes that govern global food assistance—the trade regime and the food security regime. I encourage a stronger commitment from both regimes to implement a human-rights based approach, in order to question the prominent discourse on food trade regimes, which paints food assistance as a distortion in trade that ought to be minimized,” says Delaville.

About the study

“ A regime complex for food assistance: international law regulating international food assistance ” by Clarisse Delaville was published in the Journal of International Trade Law and Policy.

About McGill University 

Founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1821, McGill University is Canada’s top ranked medical doctoral university. McGill is consistently ranked as one of the top universities, both nationally and internationally. It is a world-renowned institution of higher learning with research activities spanning three campuses, 12 faculties, 14 professional schools, 300 programs of study and over 39,000 students, including more than 10,400 graduate students. McGill attracts students from over 150 countries around the world, its 12,000 international students making up 30% of the student body. Over half of McGill students claim a first language other than English, including approximately 20% of our students who say French is their mother tongue. 

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Ewe are what your grandparents ate, dairy innovation hub partners to support research to reduce cattle methane emissions.

It’s easy to ruminate over methane when thinking about dairy and its challenges. Dairy cattle are an essential piece of Wisconsin’s $45.6 billion dairy community, but cattle have to eat — and when they eat, they produce the greenhouse gas methane during digestion.

This methane-producing process is natural, with individual cows emitting 150 to 260 pounds of the gas per year — primarily in the form of belches. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce the amount of methane that cattle burp up. Scientists from the University of Wisconsin–Madison recently received funding from the Greener Cattle Initiative to do exactly that.

The Greener Cattle Initiative (GCI), originally launched by the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy in 2021, is an international multi-partner consortium of stakeholders created to support research that seeks to minimize enteric methane production in dairy cattle. In September 2023, GCI awarded a $3.3 million grant to Francisco Peñagaricano, UW–Madison assistant professor of animal and dairy sciences, for his project “Integrating genomics, milk spectrometry, and microbial manipulations to mitigate enteric methane emissions from dairy cattle.”

Peñagaricano’s project takes a three-pronged approach to the challenge: using genetics to selectively breed cattle that produce lower methane emissions; developing a milk-based test that can predict a cow’s methane emissions; and exploring the rumen microbiome for possible dietary or other interventions.

“The Greener Cattle Initiative was launched to address the many challenges that remain in identifying, developing, and validating effective enteric methane mitigation options… that meet farmers’ and broad socioeconomic needs,” says Juan Tricarico, director of GCI and senior vice president of environmental research and distinguished scientist at Dairy Management Inc. “The project awarded to Dr. Peñagaricano and his collaborators is important for long-term mitigation because selectively breeding low methane-producing dairy cattle is permanent and cumulative, and will probably also be cost-effective.”

Along with Peñagaricano, who is the project’s principal investigator (PI), three additional faculty members in the UW–Madison Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences are involved in the project: Hilario Mantovani, who specializes in rumen microbiology; Kent Weigel, who focuses on breeding and genetics; and Heather White, who studies nutritional physiology.

All four UW–Madison team members are associated with the UW Dairy Innovation Hub. The Hub, funded through a $7.8 million per year investment by the state of Wisconsin, harnesses research and development across the UW–Madison, UW–Platteville and UW–River Falls campuses to ensure Wisconsin’s $45.6 billion dairy community remains a global pacesetter in dairy innovation.

Through various funding awards, including one to Peñagaricano, the Hub has helped UW–Madison purchase two methane-measuring GreenFeed systems, bringing the university’s total to five. A GreenFeed device is a portable feeding bin that captures all the air exhaled by a cow while she is eating and delivers a reliable estimate of methane emissions for that individual cow.

“Thanks to the Dairy Innovation’s Hub contributions, we were able to begin work on this important topic at UW–Madison and attract a substantial grant award from GCI to expand it significantly,” says Peñgaricano.

A first step for the new GCI-funded project will be to develop a reference population of almost 4,000 dairy cows — and the first research prong will be to look at the genetics of these animals, focusing on the natural methane-burping variability found in the group.

All cows produce methane, but not every cow is alike. According to research previously conducted by Peñagaricano, some cows release around 600 grams of methane per day, while others average around 300 grams. For the GCI study, the cows in the reference population will undergo genomic evaluations for various methane emission traits, such as the quantity or frequency of production. Once these traits are better understood, the team can pursue selective breeding for cows that produce less methane.

“Variability is crucial, [and] part of that variability is due to genetics,” says Peñagaricano. “We can use that variation to improve cows in the next few generations through genetic selection.”

The second prong of the project explores milk testing. Generally, dairy farmers send monthly milk samples to a lab to monitor quality and to get an idea of protein and fat levels in the milk. Peñagaricano’s team envisions farmers also being able to receive a prediction of methane emissions from the herd. The new test would involve milk spectrometry, scanning milk samples with infrared light to identify specific chemical compounds. The goal is to develop a low cost, non-invasive tool that farmers could potentially use at the national level.

“Let’s say the federal government or milk buyers say [farmers] need to minimize methane emissions, but first the farmers need to have an idea of which cows are emitting more, and which are emitting less,” says Peñagaricano, “And if they know which ones are emitting more, they can target those cows with interventions, such as specific diets, to minimize that.”

The third prong of the project focuses on the rumen, where methane-producing bacteria are found. Not much is understood about the relationship between the rumen microbiome and methane production, or how cow diet or genetics impact the process. Using emissions data from the GreenFeed systems, the team will identify the 10% highest methane-producing and the 10% lowest methane-producing cows in the reference population and sample their rumen microbiomes. The sampled microbiota will be evaluated for differences, ahead of testing the impact of microbial or dietary interventions.

“Being a part of a project this big is really challenging, but at the same time, really amazing,” says Mantovani, a Hub-funded faculty member who will lead the rumen microbiome studies. “It is an opportunity to have access to a very large number of animals and to do research that could have a real impact in changing management practices and developing new tools.”

Over the course of three years, Peñagaricano, Mantovani, and the rest of the multi-state team will tackle the expansive project and deliver solutions with both short- and long-term benefits for farmers, the broader dairy community, and the environment.

Other key institutions involved in the GCI-funded project include University of Florida, Iowa State University, Michigan State University, the United States Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory, and the United States Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service Dairy Forage Research Center.

Two U of G research teams pursue agri-food solutions in sustainable growing challenge

Posted on Monday, March 18th, 2024

The teams are in phase two of the Homegrown Innvoation Challenge, which has granted each team up to $1 million to create small-scale, proof-of-concept solutions that make growing food more environmentally and economically sustainable. 

Dr. Youbin Zheng, researcher in the School of Environmental Sciences, is part of the AI Farming group, collaborating with industry partners and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

Retired professor Dr. Mike Dixon  is part of a team using vertical farming methods inside advanced greenhouses that maximize available sunlight and extend the growing season through customized LED lighting.

The teams are two of 11 grantees from across the country who are participating in the Weston Family Foundation’s  Homegrown Innovation Challenge .

Read the article in Farmtario:  State-of-the-art solutions for sustainable food systems

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Food – a catalyst for change CORDIScovery – unearthing the hottest topics in EU science, research and innovation

Did the ability to feed babies porridge help to fuel the population explosion seen in the Neolithic period? Did people take to the seas far earlier than previously thought to chase whales and seals? What is the difference between a flourishing desert frontier fort and one that dwindles into dust? We take a look at three times when food was a catalyst for change. Bettina Schulz Paulsson, an associate professor of Archaeology at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, specialises in research related to the Stone Age. Her interests encompass seafaring, megaliths, prehistoric whaling and scientific dating and methods.  Associate professor of Egyptology at the Polytechnic of Milan, Corinna Rossi, focuses her research on the relationship between architecture and mathematics in ancient Egypt. Rossi has been exploring the antiquities of Egypt’s Western Desert for over 20 years. Sofija Stefanović is professor of Physical Anthropology and Bioarchaeology in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Belgrade, Serbia. She is interested in the prehistoric patterns of fertility and the influence of the duration of breastfeeding on children’s health in the Neolithic period.

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FACT SHEET: President   Biden Issues Executive Order and Announces New Actions to Advance Women’s Health Research and   Innovation

In his State of the Union address, President Biden laid out his vision for transforming women’s health research and improving women’s lives all across America. The President called on Congress to make a bold, transformative investment of $12 billion in new funding for women’s health research. This investment would be used to create a Fund for Women’s Health Research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to advance a cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research agenda and to establish a new nationwide network of research centers of excellence and innovation in women’s health—which would serve as a national gold standard for women’s health research across the lifespan.

It is long past time to ensure women get the answers they need when it comes to their health—from cardiovascular disease to autoimmune diseases to menopause-related conditions. To pioneer the next generation of discoveries, the President and the First Lady launched the first-ever White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research , which aims to fundamentally change how we approach and fund women’s health research in the United States.

Today, President Biden is signing a new Executive Order that will direct the most comprehensive set of executive actions ever taken to expand and improve research on women’s health. These directives will ensure women’s health is integrated and prioritized across the federal research portfolio and budget, and will galvanize new research on a wide range of topics, including women’s midlife health.

The President and First Lady are also announcing more than twenty new actions and commitments by federal agencies, including through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). This includes the launch of a new NIH-wide effort that will direct key investments of $200 million in Fiscal Year 2025 to fund new, interdisciplinary women’s health research—a first step towards the transformative central Fund on Women’s Health that the President has called on Congress to invest in. These actions also build on the First Lady’s announcement last month of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Sprint for Women’s Health , which committed $100 million towards transformative research and development in women’s health.

Today, the President is issuing an Executive Order that will:

• Integrate Women’s Health Across the Federal Research Portfolio . The Executive Order directs the Initiative’s constituent agencies to develop and strengthen research and data standards on women’s health across all relevant research and funding opportunities, with the goal of helping ensure that the Administration is better leveraging every dollar of federal funding for health research to improve women’s health. These actions will build on the NIH’s current policy to ensure that research it funds considers women’s health in the development of study design and in data collection and analysis. Agencies will take action to ensure women’s health is being considered at every step in the research process—from the applications that prospective grantees submit to the way that they report on grant implementation.
• Prioritize Investments in Women’s Health Research . The Executive Order directs the Initiative’s constituent agencies to prioritize funding for women’s health research and encourage innovation in women’s health, including through ARPA-H and multi-agency initiatives such as the Small Business Innovation Research Program and the Small Business Technology Transfer Program. These entities are dedicated to high-impact research and innovation, including through the support of early-stage small businesses and entrepreneurs engaged in research and innovation. The Executive Order further directs HHS and NSF to study ways to leverage artificial intelligence to advance women’s health research. These additional investments—across a wide range of agencies—will support innovation and open new doors to breakthroughs in women’s health.
• Galvanize New Research on Women’s Midlife Health .  To narrow research gaps on diseases and conditions associated with women’s midlife health or that are more likely to occur after menopause, such as rheumatoid arthritis, heart attack, and osteoporosis, the President is directing HHS to: expand data collection efforts related to women’s midlife health; launch a comprehensive research agenda that will guide future investments in menopause-related research; identify ways to improve management of menopause-related issues and the clinical care that women receive; and develop new resources to help women better understand their options for menopause-related symptoms prevention and treatment. The Executive Order also directs the DoD and VA to study and take steps to improve the treatment of, and research related to, menopause for Service women and women veterans.
• Assess Unmet Needs to Support Women’s Health Research . The Executive Order directs the Office of Management and Budget and the Gender Policy Council to lead a robust effort to assess gaps in federal funding for women’s health research and identify changes—whether statutory, regulatory, or budgetary—that are needed to maximally support the broad scope of women’s health research across the federal government. Agencies will also be required to report annually on their investments in women’s health research, as well as progress towards their efforts to improve women’s health.

Today, agencies are also announcing new actions they are taking to promote women’s health research , as part of their ongoing efforts through the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research. Agencies are announcing actions to:

Prioritize and Increase Investments in Women’s Health Research

• Launch an NIH-Cross Cutting Effort to Transform Women’s Health Throughout the Lifespan. NIH is launching an NIH-wide effort to close gaps in women’s health research across the lifespan. This effort—which will initially be supported by $200 million from NIH beginning in FY 2025—will allow NIH to catalyze interdisciplinary research, particularly on issues that cut across the traditional mandates of the institutes and centers at NIH. It will also allow NIH to launch ambitious, multi-faceted research projects such as research on the impact of perimenopause and menopause on heart health, brain health and bone health. In addition, the President’s FY25 Budget Request would double current funding for the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health to support new and existing initiatives that emphasize women’s health research.

This coordinated, NIH-wide effort will be co-chaired by the NIH Office of the Director, the Office of Research on Women’s Health, and the institute directors from the National Institute on Aging; the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; the National Institute on Drug Abuse; the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; the National Institute on Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.

• Invest in Research on a Wide Range of Women’s Health Issues. The bipartisan Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP), led out of DoD, funds research on women’s health encompassing a range of diseases and conditions that affect women uniquely, disproportionately, or differently from men. While the programs and topic areas directed by Congress differ each year, CDMRP has consistently funded research to advance women’s health since its creation in 1993. In Fiscal Year 2022, DoD implemented nearly $490 million in CDMRP investments towards women’s health research projects ranging from breast and ovarian cancer to lupus to orthotics and prosthetics in women.  In Fiscal Year 2023, DoD anticipates implementing approximately $500 million in CDMRP funding for women’s health research, including in endometriosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and chronic fatigue.
• Call for New Proposals on Emerging Women’s Health Issues . Today, NSF is calling for new research and education proposals to advance discoveries and innovations related to women’s health. To promote multidisciplinary solutions to women’s health disparities, NSF invites applications that would improve women’s health through a wide range of disciplines—from computational research to engineering biomechanics. This is the first time that NSF has broadly called for novel and transformative research that is focused entirely on women’s health topics, and proposals will be considered on an ongoing basis.
• Increase Research on How Environmental Factors Affect Women’s Health. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is updating its grant solicitations and contracts to ensure that applicants prioritize, as appropriate, the consideration of women’s exposures and health outcomes. These changes will help ensure that women’s health is better accounted for across EPA’s research portfolio and increase our knowledge of women’s environmental health—from endocrine disruption to toxic exposure.
• Create a Dedicated, One-Stop Shop for NIH Funding Opportunities on Women’s Health. Researchers are often unaware of existing opportunities to apply for federal funding. To help close this gap, NIH is issuing a new Notice of Special Interest that identifies current, open funding opportunities related to women’s health research across a wide range of health conditions and all Institutes, Centers, and Offices. The NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health will build on this new Notice by creating a dedicated one-stop shop on open funding opportunities related to women’s health research. This will make it easier for researchers and institutions to find and apply for funding—instead of having to search across each of NIH’s 27 institutes for funding opportunities.

Foster Innovation and Discovery in Women’s Health

• Accelerate Transformative Research and Development in Women’s Health. ARPA-H’s Sprint for Women’s Health launched in February 2024 commits $100 million to transformative research and development in women’s health. ARPA-H is soliciting ideas for novel groundbreaking research and development to address women’s health, as well as opportunities to accelerate and scale tools, products, and platforms with the potential for commercialization to improve women’s health outcomes.
• Support Private Sector Innovation Through Additional Federal Investments in Women’s Health Research. The NIH’s competitive Small Business Innovation Research Program and the Small Business Technology Transfer Program is committing to further increasing—by 50 percent—its investments in supporting innovators and early-stage small businesses engaged in research and development on women’s health. These programs will solicit new proposals on promising women’s health innovation and make evidence-based investments that bridge the gap between performance of basic science and commercialization of resulting innovations. This commitment for additional funds builds on the investments the Administration has already made to increase innovation in women’s health through small businesses, including by increasing investments by sevenfold between Fiscal Year 2021 and Fiscal Year 2023.
• Advance Initiatives to Protect and Promote the Health of Women. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeks to advance efforts to help address gaps in research and availability of products for diseases and conditions that primarily impact women, or for which scientific considerations may be different for women, and is committed to research and regulatory initiatives that facilitate the development of safe and effective medical products for women. FDA also plans to issue guidance for industry that relates to the inclusion of women in clinical trials and conduct outreach to stakeholders to discuss opportunities to advance women’s health across the lifespan. And FDA’s Office of Women’s Health will update FDA’s framework for women’s health research and seek to fund research with an emphasis on bridging gaps in knowledge on important women’s health topics, including sex differences and conditions that uniquely or disproportionately impact women.
• Use Biomarkers to Improve the Health of Women Through Early Detection and Treatment of Conditions, such as Endometriosis. NIH will launch a new initiative dedicated to research on biomarker discovery and validation to help improve our ability to prevent, diagnose, and treat conditions that affect women uniquely, including endometriosis. This NIH initiative will accelerate our ability to identify new pathways for diagnosis and treatment by encouraging multi-sector collaboration and synergistic research that will speed the transfer of knowledge from bench to bedside.
• Leverage Engineering Research to Improve Women’s Health . The NSF Engineering Research Visioning Alliance (ERVA) is convening national experts to identify high-impact research opportunities in engineering that can improve women’s health. ERVA’s Transforming Women’s Health Outcomes Through Engineering visioning event will be held in June 2024, and will bring together experts from across engineering—including those in microfluidics, computational modeling, artificial intelligence/imaging, and diagnostic technologies and devices—to evaluate the landscape for new applications in women’s health. Following this event, ERVA will issue a report and roadmap on critical areas where engineering research can impact women’s health across the lifespan.
• Drive Engineering Innovations in Women’s Health Discovery . NSF awardees at Texas A&M University will hold a conference in summer 2024 to collectively identify challenges and opportunities in improving women’s health through engineering. Biomedical engineers and scientists will explore and identify how various types of engineering tools, including biomechanics and immuno-engineering, can be applied to women’s health and spark promising new research directions.

Expand and Leverage Data Collection and Analysis Related to Women’s Health

• Help Standardize Data to Support Research on Women’s Health. NIH is launching an effort to identify and develop new common data elements related to women’s health that will help researchers share and combine datasets, promote interoperability, and improve the accuracy of datasets when it comes to women’s health. NIH will initiate this process by convening data and scientific experts across the federal government to solicit feedback on the need to develop new NIH-endorsed common data elements—which are widely used in both research and clinical settings. By advancing new tools to capture more data about women’s health, NIH will give researchers and clinicians the tools they need to enable more meaningful data collection, analysis, and reporting and comprehensively improve our knowledge of women’s health.
• Reflect Women’s Health Needs in National Coverage Determinations. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will strengthen its review process, including through Coverage with Evidence Development guidance, to ensure that new medical services and technologies work well in women, as applicable, before being covered nationally through the Medicare program. This will help ensure that Medicare funds are used for treatments with a sufficient evidence base to show that they actually work in women, who make up more than half of the Medicare population.
• Leverage Data and Quality Measures to Advance Women’s Health Research. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) are building on existing datasets to improve the collection, analysis, and reporting of information on women’s health. The CDC is expanding the collection of key quality measures across a woman’s lifespan, including to understand the link between pregnancy and post-partum hypertension and heart disease, and plans to release the Million Hearts Hypertension in Pregnancy Change Package. This resource will feature a menu of evidence-informed strategies by which clinicians can change care processes. Each strategy includes tested tools and resources to support related clinical quality improvement. HRSA is modernizing its Uniform Data System in ways that will improve the ability to assess how women are being served through HRSA-funded health centers. By improving the ability to analyze data on key clinical quality measures, CDC and HRSA can help close gaps in women’s health care access and identify new opportunities for high-impact research.  

Strengthen Coordination, Infrastructure, and Training to Support Women’s Health Research

• Launch New Joint Collaborative to Improve Women’s Health Research for Service Members and Veterans. DoD and VA are launching a new Women’s Health Research collaborative to explore opportunities that further promote joint efforts to advance women’s health research and improve evidence-based care for Service members and veterans. The collaborative will increase coordination with the goal of helping improve care across the lifespan for women in the military and women veterans. The Departments will further advance research on key women’s health issues and develop a roadmap to close pressing research gaps, including those specifically affecting Service women and women veterans.
• Coordinate Research to Advance the Health of Women in the Military. DoD will invest $10 million, contingent on available funds, in the Military Women’s Health Research Partnership. This Partnership is led by the Uniformed Services University and advances and coordinates women’s health research across the Department. The Partnership is supporting research in a wide range of health issues affecting women in the military, including cancers, mental and behavioral health, and the unique health care needs of Active Duty Service Women. In addition, the Uniformed Services University established a dedicated Director of Military Women’s Health Research Program, a role that is responsible for identifying research gaps, fostering collaboration, and coordinating and aligning a unified approach to address the evolving needs of Active Duty Service Women.
• Support EPA-Wide Research and Dissemination of Data on Women’s Health. EPA is establishing a Women’s Health Community of Practice to coordinate research and data dissemination. EPA also plans to direct the Board of Scientific Counselors to identify ways to advance EPA’s research with specific consideration of the intersection of environmental factors and women’s health, including maternal health.
• Expand Fellowship Training in Women’s Health Research. CDC, in collaboration with the CDC Foundation and American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, is expanding training in women’s health research and public health surveillance to OBGYNs, nurses and advanced practice nurses. Through fellowships and public health experiences with CDC, these clinicians will gain public health research skills to improve the health of women and children exposed to or affected by infectious diseases, mental health and substance use disorders. CDC will invite early career clinicians to train in public health and policy to become future leaders in women’s health research.

Improve Women’s Health Across the Lifespan

• Create a Comprehensive Research Agenda on Menopause. To help women get the answers they need about menopause, NIH will launch its first-ever Pathways to Prevention series on menopause and the treatment of menopausal symptoms. Pathways to Prevention is an independent, evidence-based process to synthesize the current state of the evidence, identify gaps in existing research, and develop a roadmap that can be used to help guide the field forward. The report, once completed, will help guide innovation and investments in menopause-related research and care across the federal government and research community.
• Improve Primary Care and Preventive Services for Women . The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) will issue a Notice of Intent to publish a funding opportunity announcement for research to advance the science of primary care, which will include a focus on women’s health. Through this funding opportunity, AHRQ will build evidence about key elements of primary care that influence patient outcomes and advance health equity—focusing on women of color—such as care coordination, continuity of care, comprehensiveness of care, person-centered care, and trust. The results from the funding opportunity will shed light on vital targets for improvements in the delivery of primary healthcare across a woman’s lifespan, including women’s health preventive services, prevention and management of multiple chronic diseases, perinatal care, transition from pediatric to adult care, sexual and reproductive health, and care of older adults.
• Promote the Health of American Indian and Alaska Native Women. The Indian Health Service is launching a series of engagements, including focus groups, to better understand tribal beliefs related to menopause in American Indian and Alaska Native Women. This series will inform new opportunities to expand culturally informed patient care and research as well as the development of new resources and educational materials.
• Connect Research to Real-World Outcomes to Improve Women’s Mental and Behavioral Health. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is supporting a range of health care providers to address the unique needs of women with or at risk for mental health and substance use disorders. Building on its current efforts to provide technical assistance through various initiatives , SAMHSA intends, contingent on available funds, to launch a new comprehensive Women’s Behavioral Health Technical Assistance Center. This center will identify and improve the implementation of best practices in women’s behavioral health across the life span; identify and fill critical gaps in knowledge of and resources for women’s behavioral health; and provide learning opportunities, training, and technical assistance for healthcare providers.
• Support Research on Maternal Health Outcomes. USDA will fund research to help recognize early warning signs of maternal morbidity and mortality in recipients of Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and anticipates awarding up to $5 million in Fiscal Year 2023 to support maternal health research through WIC. In addition, research being conducted through the Agricultural Research Service’s Human Nutrition Research Centers is focusing on women’s health across the lifespan, including the nutritional needs of pregnant and breastfeeding women and older adults.

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Here are the concerns with artificial food dyes, as California weighs a ban in schools

Joe Hernandez

Students finish their lunch at Lowell Elementary School in Albuquerque, N.M., on Aug. 22, 2023. A legislative proposal would ban six artificial food dyes in California schools. Susan Montoya Bryan/AP hide caption

Students finish their lunch at Lowell Elementary School in Albuquerque, N.M., on Aug. 22, 2023. A legislative proposal would ban six artificial food dyes in California schools.

You may have heard that California wants to ban Flamin' Hot Cheetos. That's only partially true.

Under a proposal in the state legislature, public schools across California would no longer be allowed to serve foods that contain certain substances, including some artificial dyes commonly found in snacks.

It comes about five months after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the California Food Safety Act, which outlawed the sale of food and drinks that contained certain ingredients, including brominated vegetable oil and red dye 3.

Supporters of the new bill point to a possible link between artificial dyes and child development problems as a reason to outlaw the additives in schools, but some in the food industry have countered that there's not enough scientific evidence to make that connection.

"California has a responsibility to protect our students from chemicals that harm children and that can interfere with their ability to learn," Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, a Democrat who sponsored the legislation, said in a press release .

Some of the food items that could disappear from school cafeterias include Doritos, M&Ms, sports drinks and sugary breakfast cereals such as Froot Loops and Cap'n Crunch, CapRadio reported .

Do food dyes really harm kids?

The bill would prohibit schools from serving foods containing six food dyes — blue 1, blue 2, green 3, red 40, yellow 5 and yellow 6 — as well as titanium dioxide.

Gabriel points to a 2021 report from the California Environmental Protection Agency, which found that the consumption of food dyes can cause or worsen hyperactivity and other behavioral problems in children.

California becomes the first state to ban 4 food additives linked to disease

Though the Food and Drug Administration approves additives, including dyes , used in food and drinks in the U.S., critics have increasingly pushed on the agency to reevaluate its decisions to permit certain substances that may now be understood to be harmful.

Some parents worried about the health effects of artificial dyes have appealed to snack makers directly, and companies have taken action. Kraft Foods announced in 2013 that it was removing artificial food dyes from its mac and cheese and replacing them with spices such as paprika, annatto and turmeric.

The additive titanium dioxide, which is also targeted in the California bill, produces a "smooth finish" and shine in food and has been in use for more than half a century, according to the Environmental Working Group.

A Skittles lawsuit raises questions over titanium dioxide — a legal food additive

In 2022 it was banned by the European Commission, which said it could not rule out that titanium dioxide may pose a health risk and present "genotoxicity" concerns, which means it could cause DNA or chromosomal damage.

Still, some food producers argue that the decision to pull additives from the shelf should be up to regulators at the FDA — not lawmakers.

"These activists are dismantling our national food safety system state by state in an emotionally-driven campaign that lacks scientific backing," Christopher Gindlesperger, a spokesperson for the National Confectioners Association, said in a statement.

"The only institution in America that can stop this sensationalistic agenda that is not based on facts and science is the FDA," he said.

What's next for this proposal in California?

Gabriel, the legislator, said he expected the bill to be heard in the Assembly Education Committee in the coming weeks.

A spokesperson for the Association of California School Administrators told the Los Angeles Times that few schools currently sell snacks that would be subject to the ban, and the biggest impact would be on student stores raising money for student funds.

The FDA proposes banning a food additive that's been used for a century

As for Flamin' Hot Cheetos, the question of their fate remains — like many a bag of the crunch orange puffs — open.

The popular snack does contain several of the artificial dyes that would be banned under the proposal, including yellow 5 and yellow 6, but the current bill only applies to the sale of such snacks in public schools.

Backers of such bans have suggested that manufacturers can simply tweak their recipes to comply with any new prohibitions — and that consumers will continue to nosh on their snack of choice.

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American Skin Association (ASA): 2024 La Roche-Posay Research Grant Melanoma and Skin Cancer

Research category, funding type, internal deadline.

Limit: 1 //   E. Thornley (Child Health)

American Skin Association (ASA) is accepting applications for support of research in melanoma and skin cancer. ELIGIBILITY: Applicants must be working actively in areas related to dermatology targeting melanoma and skin cancer. Funds may be used for support of a new or ongoing research/clinical investigation project. There is no age requirement. However, applicants without prior funding, who are in a formative stage of their career, or who are undergoing a mid-career research change, will be given preference. CONTENTS OF APPLICATION: An application must include: 1. A letter from the applicant stating: a. a lay statement of 2-3 sentences describing the relevance of the proposed research b. career goals c. relevance of the grant at this time d. acknowledgment of the requirement to submit a progress report (written in layman’s language) and an expenditure report at the end of the grant period e. acknowledgement of the requirement to list ASA support in all presentations/publications f. acknowledgement to keep ASA informed of current and future dates of presentations and/or publications

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External deadline, solicitation type.

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More From Forbes

Can the senate finance committee save u.s. research and innovation.

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UNITED STATES - MARCH 14: Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., left, and ranking member Sen. Mike Crapo, ... [+] R-Idaho, talk before a Senate Finance Committee hearing (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Even though the House of Representatives passed the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 , including the reinstitution of immediate expensing for domestic research expenditures, in a staggering bipartisan vote of 357 to 70, it still remains unclear if the Senate can pass this crucial legislation. The Senate Finance Committee held a meeting last week titled: “ American Made: Growing U.S. Manufacturing Through the Tax Code .” While many hoped the committee hearing was a sign for the act to move forward in the Senate, it remains uncertain whether the much-needed tax policy involving the immediate expensing of research expenditures will be pushed back until the 2025 tax year, even though all panelists at the hearing unanimously agreed that there is a critical need for this legislation in the current year.

The chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), a co-writer of the act with Representative Jason Smith (R-Mo.), highlighted that millions of small businesses are anxiously awaiting the passage of the act as many of those same small businesses will cease to exist if the legislation is postponed. In addition, the Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Crapo (R-Idaho), addressed the panel by not only stating his agreement in extending or making permanent the three major business tax provisions included in the act but also promoting that he may be the strongest advocate in Congress concerning the proposed business tax legislation changes. Crapo continued the discussion by praising the panelists for their examples of why extending the three business tax provisions from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is so critical.

The three major tax provisions included in the act that would impact businesses across the United States, include:

1. Immediate expensing of domestic Section 174 research and experimental expenditures

2. Increasing bonus depreciation for qualified property to 100% (currently only 60% for the 2024 taxable year), and

3. Allowing for the interest expense limitation to be based on 30% of adjusted taxable income before depreciation and amortization.

While all of three of these provisions are familiar to the business community, they started to become severely limited in the 2022 and 2023 taxable years. To learn more about the proposed Act, click here:

Apple’s Surprise Update Just Made iPhone More Like Samsung

Wwe raw results, winners and grades on march 18, 2024, mgm denies viral report claiming bruno mars has serious casino debt.

A consistent theme from all the panelists was that research expenditures are not made on a year-to-year basis, but instead require investment over an extended period. Panelists representing small to large businesses urged the Senate Finance Committee members to restore immediate expensing for domestic research and to make this change permanent in order to provide security and stabilization for businesses across the United States.

CEO Mark Widmar of First Solar FSLR manages the largest solar manufacturer in the Western Hemisphere. First Solar’s primary competition is in China, and Mr. Widmar fears the current requirement to defer research expenses instead of immediate expensing will cause a further delineation between the U.S. and other innovative countries. Due to the new requirement to defer research expenditures in the 2022 taxable year, the company has ceased to invest in a new Ohio manufacturing plant worth $400 million and has significantly decreased its $200 million annual research spending. The current legislation not only delays First Solar’s ability to increase innovation in the U.S. when compared to its Chinese competitors but will also result in the loss of over 1,000 jobs.

Shannon Janis, vice president of global tax at Onsemi, highlighted that since the change to require the amortization of research expenditures, the United States has slipped to No. 30 out of 37 when measuring research incentives among the advanced world economies. She expressed her concern that if the ability to immediately expense research was not restored quickly, research would quickly shift to Europe, Asia, and other companies. Janis urged the committee to restore the immediate expensing of research expenditures to ensure imperative innovation in the United States.

Peter Huntsman HUN , Chief Executive Officer of Huntsman Corporation, reiterated the need for stability in federal income tax legislation by highlighting China's manipulation of the pricing of ethylene carbonate, a much-needed chemical for EV batteries. As a result, Huntsman was forced to suspend a $50 million project in Conroe, Texas, which would have increased U.S. manufacturing and production of the desired chemical. Huntsman emphasized the company’s horizon in research investments spanned 20 years at a time and would be severely limited if the company were required to analyze and make investments on a year-by-year basis.

If the act is supported by both the chair and ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee and clearly will help growth and innovation to prosper in the United States, could the budgetary impact of the act on the federal deficit be slowing down the process? The short answer is no. The overall estimated 10-year revenue effect of the act would decrease the federal budget by $399 million. The projection reflects over $77 billion of revenue being generated from eliminating fraud in relation to enforcement provisions surrounding the Covid-19-related employee retention credit, allowing not only the three business tax provisions to be offset, but also funding the modifications to the child tax credit and affordable housing income tax credits. Supporting immediate research expensing to foster U.S. innovation over the next two years appears to be an obvious choice, especially if it is primarily paid for by reducing government waste and fraud surrounding a Covid-19 pandemic program.

So, what is the hesitancy in moving the act forward? It depends on who you ask, but it appears that technical problems with the proposed bill are minimal. If you listen to the hearing, the one minor item of note concerned the “lookback” provision, which would allow families to utilize their current year or prior year earnings when calculating the enhanced child tax credit included in the bill. Instead, it could be likely that both parties feel they are close enough to the November 2024 elections, which could alter the representation in the White House and Congress, allowing a more partisan bill to move through in the future.

Similar to the panelists on the committee, we can only hope that Congress hears the voice of the people in that delaying crucial business tax legislative changes for two years could drastically hinder innovation in the United States and put the future of many small to mid-size businesses into jeopardy. The immediate deduction of research expenditures is imperative for the growth of business. However, the ability for businesses to access cash and pay a drastically increased tax bill can be distinctly different between large and small businesses. It is essential that Congress acts now to ensure small and mid-size businesses can continue to innovate alongside large multinational businesses, while allowing the United States to remain a global competitor.

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