Recent developments in the sustainable foods industry, including the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, were discussed at the Sustainable Foods Summit. The AsiaPacific virtual edition was hosted in the latter part of March, whilst the North American edition was hosted a few weeks earlier. Key outcomes from these two editions.
Food ingredients for immunity. The pandemic has led to a surge in demand for health and wellness products as consumers look to boost their personal immunity. Philip C Calder, Professor of Nutritional Immunology at the University of Southampton, gave details of the nutrients that can help improve our immune responses. An update was given on food ingredients that contain immune-boosting vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fatty acids.
Sustainability in food delivery. Lockdowns and home working has bolstered demand for food delivery services in the last 12 months. Woody Chan, CSR and Sustainability Manager at foodpanda Hong Kong showed how the food delivery firm is addressing its impacts. The company is reducing food waste, packaging use, and encouraging customers to make green choices. Foodpanda is also on target to become a carbon neutral company by the end of 2021.
New retail platforms for circularity. Many new retailers are focusing on the circular economy. Eric Kawabata from Teracycle Asia-Pacific gave details of the new Loop shopping platform, which enables consumers to buy foods in refillable packaging. A remake of the traditional ‘milkman model’, the platform has been introduced in the US, France, UK, and Canada. It will be launched in China, Japan and Australia this year.
Silvija Rumiha presented the Zero Waste Bali retail concept. Opening in August 2018 in
Bali (Indonesia), the store sells bulk foods to reduce packaging waste. Natural Grocers (USA) and Farm Chimp (UAE) also shared their experiences in sustainable food retailing.
Packaging alternatives to plastics. Daniella Russo, Founder and CEO of Think Beyond Plastic, spoke about the issues food companies face when trying to move away from plastic packaging. She explored the solutions provided by ocean plastic, biopolymers, bio-benign materials like algae, chitin, and agricultural waste. According to Daniella, “there are no silver bullets” when moving away from plastics. Andy Sweetman from Futamura discussed the growing applications of cellulose-based compostable packaging in the food industry.
Plant-based foods market potential. Trang Dang from Humane Society International highlighted the business opportunities in the Asian market for plant-based foods. The organisation is actively working with catering and foodservice establishments to add plantbased options. Michelle Wolf, Co-Founder of New Wave Foods, showed how it is targeting the same outlets with its plant-based shrimp. Made from sustainable seaweed and mung beans, New Wave Shrimp plans to disrupt the $9 billion American shrimp market this year.
Upcycled food ingredients. There is growing interest in sourcing ingredients from food side streams as operators look to reduce food waste. Shen Lee from the Crust Group explained how the Singaporean company is using surplus bread to make craft beers. It is also making soft drinks from discarded fruit & vegetables. Turner Wyatt introduced the world’s first certification scheme for upcycled foods at the North American edition. The draft of the Upcycled Food Association certification standard was launched in January 2021.
Biodiversity and food production. Lorena Jaramillo from UNCTAD BioTrade highlighted the role of agriculture and food production in preventing biodiversity loss. Giving insights from its new biodiversity barometer, the Union for Ethical BioTrade showed awareness of biodiversity was very high in Asia; 95 per cent of consumers in China and Vietnam are aware of biodiversity. The organisation called on food companies to meet consumer expectations of biodiversity.
Success stories were given of sustainable food operators encouraging biodiversity. IBIS Rice is sourcing organic jasmine rice from the northern plains of Cambodia. By providing additional income to over 1500 forest farmers, it is helping preserve wildlife sanctuaries for various bird species, including the giant Ibis. The Brazilian company Native Products showed how its move to organic sugar cane production in 1983 has led to a large increase in fauna biodiversity.
Addressing social inequalities by ethical sourcing. The Covid-19 pandemic has increased food poverty and food insecurity in many developing countries. Simarna Singh from CocoVedas explained how ethical sourcing can improve incomes of coconut producers. The Singaporean company is working closely with farmer cooperatives in the Philippines to source organic coconuts.
Blockchain technology. Discussions covered the use of blockchain technology to provide traceability and transparency in supply chains. Steven Lupien, President and CEO of BeefChain, gave details on how it is using blockchain to add value to Wyoming grass-fed beef. Alistair Douglas from Eachmile Technologies showed how the technology is being deployed for seafood via the Fishcoin scheme.
Regenerative agriculture benefits. There is growing recognition that regenerative agriculture can help restore ecosystems and combat climate change by improving soil fertility, as well as increasing biodiversity and farmers’ resilience. Diana Martin from the Rodale Institute and Mathieu Chaumont from Harmless Harvest outlined the principles of regenerative agriculture. Although large companies like Danone, General Mills, WalMart and Cargill are embracing this sustainable form of agriculture, there are concerns about lack of uniform standards and greenwashing. Diana Martin called for operators to adopt the new Regenerative Organic Certified scheme.
Impacts of certification schemes. Craig Sams, Co-Founder and President of Green & Black’s, explained how sustainability certification schemes can make a difference to producers and consumers. He gave a historic account on the pioneering brand. Launched in 1991, Green & Black’s was the first certified organic and fairtrade chocolate in the world. Details were also given of emerging certification schemes, such as GlyphosateFree, Sustainable Rice Platform, and Plastic Neutral.