What solutions can we try to offer to achieve greater sustainability of the agri-food ecosystem?
The agri-food system is in transition, even in crisis. We can no longer continue with the same methods to produce even more food at even lower prices. Technological innovation in laboratories is a powerful tool for companies that want to commit to greater sustainability.
In international companies and foodtech start-ups that currently enjoy a large outpouring of support and investment, innovation is part of the DNA. But as in many areas, SMEs struggle to implement certain technological innovations due to ignorance of their existence, lack of time to move from ideas to products, lack of qualified personnel or even lack of financial means.
The accompaniment of the actors in the form of idealization of innovation projects and financing of pilots is, therefore, welcome, but potentially unknown. It is with this in mind that the innovation agency Innosuisse has set up an awareness program called “Network event series» that tends to inform, raise awareness, create communities of interest by bringing together economic and academic actors and including others
stakeholders such as accelerators, investors and consumers.
the consumer
Precisely, what about the consumer in all this? He seems to be in complete contradiction: he is increasingly sensitive to issues of sustainability, proximity and seasonality, but he may find it normal that the basic food basket represents a relatively small proportion of the family budget (although recently abused by inflation). And at a time when a food crisis threatens, he’s not necessarily ready to give up on his lawyers and
blueberries or choosing fruits and vegetables that don’t burst with perfect colors and shapes, not to mention eating cuts of meat labeled as non-noble. And those looking to replace meat altogether can sometimes err on the side of overconsumption of over-processed products like fast food, or that have a significant carbon impact. There are, therefore, major discrepancies that deserve discussion, without forgetting the essential cultural, convivial and emotional aspect of food, which often seems ignored in the debate on
future of food.
But it is also the consumer who, through their choices, puts pressure on the players in the ecosystem. Look at the topic of circularity, which is on the rise and which is, in fact, one of the main approaches to making the ecosystem healthier.
The circular economy in the food industry, what is it? It is essentially about recovering products not consumed during food production, such as solid waste and wastewater. use fonts
unused thermal energy. Find organic alternatives to plastic packaging. Use untapped protein sources.
Some examples
The keratin recovered during the chicken meat preparation process is transformed into a polymer that can be used as a cling film. Algae that replace plastic packaging. Valorization of the whey produced during the manufacture of cheese. Use of waste from brewing production. Making drinks from coffee pulp. Not to mention insect meal, algae, mycelia, yeast and other spirulinas, fermented products, and lab-grown meat or seafood.
We appreciate the abundance of solutions and it is precisely the exchange of ideas in the form of open innovation and thanks to collective intelligence that is encouraged from field to fork.
On the 18th of May from 1:30 pm we will meet at HEG-Fribourg at the event Circular Economy in Agribusiness impact the agri-food ecosystem in a constructive way.
See too, interviews of entrepreneurs, researchers and agribusiness facilitators who will speak at the May 18 event.
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– Circular economy: one of the paths to sustainability
Food is an increasingly hot topic, as the impact of agrifood on the climate is well established, and the simple equation that we will not be able to feed the growing population with current production methods is obvious, and that we are discovering the fragility of the ecosystem. global food in the face of conflicts on our doorstep.
Suzanne Hraba-Renevey