Matt Eastland and Lukxmi Balathasan present the Food Fight, a new series from EIT Food examining the biggest challenges facing the food system, and the innovations and entrepreneurs looking to solve them.
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The Food Fight
The role of youth in transforming the food system
It’s been over a year since our FutureFoodMakers released their #MenuForChange - six clear action points the sector needs to address for a sustainable food system. For the last episode of series 4, we checked in with Júlia Montoliu and Chloé Dorin (two of our youth food system representatives) to hear about their journey so far and plans for prompting a positive change in our food system. Stay tuned for Series 5 coming soon!
Healthy soil, healthy people
Owner of Grand Farm and Vermigrand, Alfred Grand, talks to us about the importance of soil health and how his companies employ earth worms to regenerate soils.
Upcycling fruit pits to cut food waste
Luca Fichtinger, Co-Founder of Kern Tec, highlights the huge opportunity in the food industry for repurposing wasted side streams, and explains how his startup is creating novel products from surplus fruit pits.
AI-infused recipes with a personal twist
Jochem Bossenbroek, CEO of Verdify, highlights the role that artificial intelligence can play in personalised nutrition – enabling people to make better food choices.
Circular coffee – can we make coffee sustainable?
Coffee is close to many people’s hearts, but the coffee industry needs fixing. Deforestation, water scarcity and poverty are among the issues associated with coffee’s global supply chain. This poses the question: can we reinvent our coffee production processes to make them totally circular? To discuss the future of coffee – and positive changes already happening – Matt is joined by Kane Statton (Head of Coffee at Kiss The Hippo) and Juan Medina (CEO & Co-Founder of Kaffe Bueno).
Tackling root issues in vertical farming
HAI TECH LTD is developing a solution for monitoring the health of crop roots in vertical farms. The technology could help farmers to reduce wastage, predict crop yields and increase profitability within this emerging sector of agriculture. To find out more, EIT Food’s Matt Eastland is joined by HAI TECH LTD’s Diego Corona, Andrea Izquierdo and Vasileios Tsormpatzoudis.
Investing in a fairer food system
Stefan Wilhelm of the Bayer Foundation and Lisa Jordan from the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation join EIT Food’s Matt Eastland, following the EVPA Annual conference in Brussels. They discuss how food system solutions are supported by a range of philanthropic finance mechanisms, and the opportunities to invest in positive change.
Designing the reusable packaging of tomorrow
Can Lewandowski, Co-founder of Crafting Futures, talks to us about the issue of single-use plastics and how his company is attempting to change consumer habits through systems change and material science innovations.
Plastic-eating larvae
Nathalie Berezina, Founder and CEO of Norbite, describes their unique approach of turning plastic waste into sustainable goods with their insect-based biorefinery.
The sustainable insect revolution
Marc Bolard, Co-Founder of Nasekomo, highlights how using sustainably farmed insects across our food system, could be an efficient way of solving the worlds protein dependency.
Whats on the menu? Food Trends for 2023
It’s that time of the year again! Matt is back with Ed Bergen (Senior Analyst for Food & Nutrition at FutureBridge) and Sam Newman (Senior Enterprise Account Executive and ‘Chief Cheese Officer’ at TasteWise) looking back on the past year to predict the trends we can expect to see in our food system throughout 2023 and beyond.
The impact of grocery shopping
Hélène Saurais, Co-founder and Head of Marketing at Inoqo, highlights the environmental issues of grocery shopping and how they have created a solution to help retailers measure the impact of their products.
On the breadline - tips for saving money on food
Matt is joined by TikTok Chef MealsbyMitch, and Head of Customer Relation and Business Development at Gander, Stacey Williams, who are sharing all their grocery saving tips so you can keep your bills low and stomachs full.
Predictive technology - a solution for water scarcity?
Antonella Maggioni, Co-Founder and CEO at Agrow Analytics, highlights the global issue of water scarcity and how they designed a solution to optimise farming productivity and help farmers monitor their water use.
How can we stop wasting fish?
Both fish farms and wild capture fisheries understand the importance of sustainable production, but will it ever be possible to have a fully circular system where we use 100% of the fish we catch or farm? Thor Sigfusson (Founder and Chairman of Iceland Ocean Cluster) and Emil Linfors (Aquaculture Innovation Researcher at the University of Norway) highlight the issue of waste in aquaculture and provide insight into how we could fix our production methods to utilise all of our unwanted fish.
Sky's the limit for urban farming
Jens Juul Krogshede, CEO and Co-Founder of Nabofarms, highlights how city centres can be used to grow fresh and sustainable crops to feed local communities.
Is algae the new superfood?
As our population grows, innovators are turning their attention to sustainable ways of feeding the world. One new solution emerging is Algae! But could this micro plant be the answer our food system is looking for? Isaac Berzin, the Founder and Chief Technology Officer of VAXA, and David Bassett, the Secretary General for the European Aquaculture Technology and Innovation Platform, join Matt Eastland to discuss this unloved material and the impact it could have on our planet.
Breeding better plants
Sebastian Schultheiss, Managing Director of Computomics, teaches us all about plant breeding and how they are streamlining the industry with their new hybrid plant prediction technology.
Responsible fishing - are we in too deep?
Is there an urgent need for us to look at fish farming with fresh eyes and fresh ideas? Matt Eastland is joined by Dan Watson (CEO and Co-Founder of SafetyNet Technologies) and Tony Chen (CEO and Co-Founder of Manolin) to discuss whether the fishing industry needs change and how their new technologies are helping usher in a new era of responsible farming.
Reading between the wines: the art of viticulture
Sushma Shankar, Co-Founder of Deep Planet, discusses vineyard care and how their new technology is helping to increase sustainability at the farm level.
The Future of Food: Skills for the future
After a busy summer, The Food Fight Podcast is back! In June 2022, EIT Food held the Future of Food conference in Brussels. In today’s episode, we will be hearing pitches from the conference by talented young Europeans involved in the Skills4TheFuture Project, which is empowering youth entrepreneurs to innovate in the agrifood sector and to develop solutions for a future-fit food system
The Big Takeaway Series 3
It’s that time again! Matt is back with another Big Takeaway Episode, picking out some of the standout moments in Series 3 from food loss and regenerative agriculture, to protein diversification and tackling inequality in the food system.
Spotlight: The Consumer Trust Grand Challenge
Richard Bennett, Activity Leader for the EIT Food Consumer Trust Grand Challenge, highlights how they are developing new initiates to increase consumer trust throughout the food system.
Spotlight: TRACOD on fresh fish transparency
Dov Dori, Co-ordinator of the TRACOD Project, highlights how they are improving trust and transparency in the food system with their technology that identifies species of fish.
Spotlight: uFraction8 on biotechnology
Monika Tomecka, Founder and Director of uFraction8, highlights how they are optimising biotech processes with their scalable and high yield filtration systems for bio manufactures.
High Steaks: will cultured meat save the planet?
Curious about cultured meat? In this episode, Matt is joined by Didier Toubia, Co-Founder and CEO of Aleph Farms, and Seren Kell, Science and Technology Manager at the Good Food Institute, to discuss farming cells rather than animals, and the important role of cultured meat as a climate solution.
Spotlight: Glucanova on nutritious, sustainable food concepts
Ana Rascón, CEO at Glucanova, highlights how their technology is creating liquid oat products which are high in fibre, sustainable and nutritious.
Emerging trends in the food system: 2022 and beyond
In this special episode, Matt is joined by Ed Bergen, a Senior Analyst at FutureBridge, to discuss predictions for the food system in 2022 and the emerging trends which we can expect to see in the sector.
Spotlight: Phytolon on natural food colours
Tal Zeltzer, Co-founder and CTO of Phytolon, describes their technology which is producing sustainable, high-quality natural food colours
Making better choices: how to achieve the ideal diet
The modern western diet is making us and our planet sick. Matt and Lukxmi are joined by Dr. Gunhild Stordalen, founder and executive chair of the EAT Forum, and Anjli Vyas, food and impact lead at Planet Nourish, to discuss where it all went wrong and what an ideal diet looks like for all of us.
The future of food with EIT Foods FutureFoodMakers
Join Matt backstage at the Future of Food conference where he gets the lowdown from EIT Food FutureFoodMakers Sasha Cohen Ioannides, Chloé Dorin and Emilija Oreščanin. Find out their thoughts on future-proofing the food system and how they developed the highly anticipated Menu for Change.
Naturally Meaty Meat Alternatives
How do we convince people to switch from steak to healthier, more sustainable meat alternatives? Could the answer be a meatier taste and texture? Matt Eastland is joined by author and podcaster Paul Shapiro (CEO of The Better Meat Co.) and biologist and food entrepreneur Alison Stille (Co-founder and CEO of Walding Foods) to get their thoughts on the alternative meat market and how the industry can influence further change.
Spotlight: OneThird on predicting food shelf life
Marco Snikkers, CEO and Founder of OneThird, describes how they are preventing food waste with their AI scanner which can determine the true shelf life of fresh produce.
UNFSS ‘Good Food For All’ Competition Winners: Part 2
Matt is joined by EIT Food’s Strategic Relationship Manager, Barbaros Corekoglu, to celebrate the small business entrepreneurs who are transforming their food systems for a better tomorrow. These innovators are all winners of the recent UN Food Systems Summit ‘Good Food For All’ competition. In part 2, you will hear about farming and agricultural innovations including solar powered cold rooms, pay as you use solar energy for farmers, saltwater-based agriculture and super chickpeas.
Spotlight: Pure Algae on sustainable seaweed cultivation and carbon capture
Esben Christiansen, CEO and Founder of Pure Algae, highlights how they using their technology to add value to land-based aquaculture systems
Tackling food inequality: nourishing the body, nourishing the brain and supporting society
What do we need to do to stop food inequality, and ensure everyone everywhere has access to nutritious food? Matt is joined by Co-ordinator of the Scaling up Nutrition Movement (SUN Movement), Gerda Verburg and Senior Regional Project Manager from Feedback Global, Lucy Antal. They discuss food poverty, how it is interconnected with sustainable development, and how we all have a role to play in preventing people from going to bed hungry.
Spotlight: SuSea on reducing seafood waste
Mark Chryssolouris, CEO at SuSea, highlights their technology to reduce food waste which is increasing the shelf life of seafood
Food loss in farming: the invisible threat to sustainability
Around 40% of the food we grow goes uneaten. This is one of the findings from the “Driven to Waste” report published by the World Wildlife Fund and Tesco. So what can we do to reduce the huge amounts of food loss occurring before it reaches our supermarket shelves, and limit the environmental impact of agriculture? Pete Pearson, a senior Food Waste director at WWF joins Matt to discuss the findings of the new report, that uses data to quantify and highlight loss occurring in the supply chain. He is also joined by Emilie Vanpoperinghe, the Co-Founder of Oddbox a food waste startup delivering wonky fruit and vegetables from farmers to consumers across the UK.
Spotlight: Soil Capital on carbon payments for regenerative agriculture
Soil Capital’s Andrew Voysey describes Europe’s first certified carbon payment programme for farmers, which places value on the way food is produced by rewarding regenerative practices.
Using tech to farm better: how new technology is speeding up the transition to sustainable, regenerative agriculture
Do farmers have a taste for tech? In this episode, Matt is joined by Will Wells (Founder of Hummingbird Technologies) and Marina Martin Curran (Sustainability Manager at Vivent) to discuss the role of new technologies in agriculture, and how these innovations are being adopted by farmers.
Spotlight: Farmforce on improving agriculture value chains
Anne Jorun Aas, CEO of Farmforce, describes how they are turning data into tools for the agriculture value chain - securing sustainable sourcing, protecting the environment and improving farmer quality of life.
Regenerative agriculture: starting out
What are the steps for creating a regenerative farm? Matt is joined by Farmer and Founding Director of the Sustainable Food Trust, Patrick Holden, and Agriculture Project Manager at EIT Food, Philip Fernández, to discuss regenerative agriculture. If you are interested in improving soil health and increasing biodiversity through sustainable food production, then this podcast is for you.
Spotlight: Marine Feed on sustainable aquaculture solutions for the fish feed industry
Marine Biologist and founder of Marine Feed, Fredrik Norén, highlights how they are developing sustainable products from the sea squirt using a low-carbon, zero waste production system.
UNFSS ‘Good Food For All’ Competition Winners: Part 1
Matt is joined by EIT Food’s Strategic Relationship Manager, Barbaros Corekoglu, to celebrate the small business entrepreneurs who are transforming their food systems for a better tomorrow. These innovators are all winners of the recent UN Food Systems Summit ‘Good Food For All’ competition. In part 1, you will hear about farming and agricultural innovations including weed killing toothpicks, aerial precision-spraying drones and agricultural technologies which connect smallholder communities with consumers.
Spotlight: DryGro on the future of water lentils
Sean Peters introduces DryGro – a company innovating in the alternative protein space, using water lentils to develop a food innovation solution for animal and human consumption. He describes how water lentils can be grown in enclosed manufacturing environments which require less water compared to traditional crops, offering a sustainable future farming technology.
Spotlight: Durrow Mills on sprouted flour
Lisa Larkin, CEO and Founder of Durrow Mills, explains how they are fighting back against processed bread with their nutrient dense, gut-friendly sprouted flour.
Spotlight: SatAgro on satellite data
Stefan Jozefowicz, Project lead at SatAgro, highlights how they are using satellite data to improve processes across agriculture.
Spotlight: DouxMatok on reducing sugar
Ari Melamud CEO of RisingFoodStar DouxMatok, explains how their unique technology uses sugar to reduce sugar
Spotlight: RootWave on zapping weeds
RootWave CEO, Andy Diprose, highlights new technology which uses electricity instead of chemical herbicides to kill weeds in a sustainable way.
Addressing gender bias: how to build an equitable food system
Gender equity is better for business - so why do gender barriers still exist? How do we ensure we are designing a fair and equitable future for us all? To better understand the challenges and experiences of women in the agrifood industry, EIT Food commissioned a report on the state of gender bias. In this episode, Matt and Lukxmi are joined by entrepreneur Karen Karp (President of KK&P) and investor George Coelho (Co-Founder and Partner of Astanor) to break down the research and kickstart discussions around how we can make positive changes.
Spotlight: Faromatics on robotic farming
CEO of Faromatics, Heiner Lehr, highlights how they are using their ‘ChickenBoy’ robot to help livestock farmers increase both animal welfare and farm productivity.
Spotlight: Thor Ice on preserving food quality
CEO of Thor Ice, Thorsteinn Víglundsson, highlights how they are increasing food safety by reducing bacteria growth with their advanced fresh food chilling systems.
Spotlight: Menutech on allergen clarity
Co-founder and CEO of Menutech, Laure Joumier, highlights how they are using technology to simplify allergy-friendly menu preparation for the hospitality sector
Spotlight: NutriLeads on health nutrition
Erik Dam, CEO at NutriLeads, highlights how they are developing crop-derived food ingredients with clinically proven health benefits
Spotlight: Essento on snackable insects
Founder and CEO of Essento, Christian Bärtsch, highlights how they are developing tasty and sustainable food products made from farmed insects.
Should Nutrition be a fundamental part of Healthcare?
Registered nutritionist Hannah Baugh and Doctor Margherita Ronco join Matt and Lukxmi to discuss whether GP’s are getting enough training and education on nutrition and whether there is more that can be done. This episode is brought to you in partnership with the new EIT Food online course on Nutrition for Health and Sustainability, which aims to bridge this skills gap for medical students.
Spotlight: Better Nature on the potential of tempeh
Christopher Kong, Co-Founder and Head of Business Development at Better Nature, highlights how they are leveraging an ancient fermentation process to create a minimally processed, protein and fibre rich meat-free alternative, without compromising the taste.
Are alternative proteins healthy?
As more people look beyond meat and dairy, we have seen a boom in the alternative protein market - but what are the new options available to us and are they actually healthy? Dr. Simone Frey (Founder and Managing Director of NUTRITION HUB) and Josephine Quist (Founder and CEO of Nutrilution) join Matt and Lukxmi to talk about alternative proteins, plant-based foods and what these new opportunities mean for our health.
Spotlight: Probitat on friendly bacteria food designs
Founder and CEO of Probitat, Carme Plumed-Ferrer, highlights how they are developing gut friendly fermented plant-based products to help people live a healthier life.
The Microbiome & Healthy Guts
The microbiome - a word growing in popularity - but how does it affect our gut health and what is its impact on our overall wellbeing? To discuss the topic, Matt and Lukxmi are joined by ‘The Gut Stuff’ founder Lisa Macfarlane, one of the two Mac Twin DJ’s, who traded in her decks to build the UK’s first e-commerce online shop for gut health; and Anthony Finbow, CEO of Eagle Genomics, a startup that develops enterprise platform solutions addressing complex microbiome and genomics data for clients in healthcare, personal care and agritech sectors.
Spotlight: Vegshelf on plant-based food availability
Co-founder and CEO of Vegshelf, Baiba Soika, highlights how they helping plant-based CPG’s get in front of food retailers with their online B2B platform.
Getting personal with nutrition
Next big thing in health? Matt and Lukxmi are joined by Emma Ek (Product Manager at the startup BeYou) and Thomas Hayes (Research Analyst at Lux Research) to talk about the future of personalised nutrition and whether technology is simplifying – or overcomplicating - the proven methods of staying healthy.
EIT Food: the power of an innovation community
Lukxmi sits down with Stella Spanou, who is in charge of fundraising at The University of Aarhus, to discuss the relationship between EIT Food and Aarhus and the benefits of the EIT Food community for agrifood startups and scaleups.
The Big Takeaway Series 2
Matt and Lukxmi are back with another big takeaway episode, where they reflect on some of the stand out moments from series 2. From extreme places to grow food, to what makes an entrepreneur, they look back on the unusual year and celebrate the purpose-driven agrifood heroes they met.
Spotlight: Vaxa on microalgae
Isaac Berzin, CTO of Vaxa, highlights how they are converting clean energy to sustainable food by farming omega-3 rich microalgae.
Spotlight: ScanTrust on reconnecting with consumers
Ricardo Garcia, Head of Partnerships and Blockchain Advisory at ScanTrust, highlights how they are helping brands regain trust with consumers through QR code technology.
Spotlight: Connecting Food on blockchain transparency in the food system
Maxine Roper, Co-Founder of Connecting Food, highlights why transparency in our food chain is so important for both consumers and brands.
Forecasting the future: the biggest agrifood trends for 2021
This week Matt and Lukxmi peer into their crystal ball to predict the big trends and innovations to hit the agrifood sector in the upcoming year. They’re joined by Edward Bergen from Mintel – an expert Food and Drink Analyst – who presents findings from Mintel’s latest research, alongside Annick Verween who lifts the lid on some exciting projects and trends that are emerging from within EIT Food’s RisingFoodStars community of startups and scale-ups.
Spotlight: Porphyrio on poultry data management
Kristof Mertens, Managing Director and Co-founder of Porphyrio, highlights how they are improving poultry farming with their cloud-based data management system.
The impact of Covid-19 on consumer food habits and the agrifood sector
Matt and Lukxmi are joined by consumer scientist Klaus Grunert from Aarhus University, who shares results from a recent study looking at the intriguing ways the pandemic has changed our eating habits. And Brij Sahi from SwissDeCode explains how his startup has pivoted in response to the pandemic to produce rapid DNA testing solutions to detect Covid-19 in food manufacturing units.
Spotlight: BeYou on digital health
Abir Mehawej, Director and Co-Founder of BeYou, highlights how they are shaping the future of digital health with their personalised wellness platform.
Bridging the skills gap
Are we doing enough to attract new talent and skills into the agrifood industry? Matt and Lukxmi are joined by Carl Edwards, Director Education & Public Engagement at LEAF (Linking Environment & Farming), serial entrepreneur Ykä Marjanen (Grainsense/Manna Insect), and EIT Food’s Professional Development Lead Barbara Mason, to discuss strategies for attracting more people into the exciting world of food and technology. Recorded as part of New Scientist Live’s Future of Food and Agriculture day.
Spotlight: AgriFoodX on plastic alternatives
Graham Bonwick, Director of AgriFoodX, highlights how they are protecting the environment with their sustainable and biodegradable plastic alternatives made from agrifood by-products.
Childhood nutrition and health: are we doing enough?
Dr Natalie Masento from University of Reading and Sarah Hickey from Guy's and St Thomas’ Charity join Matt and Lukxmi to discuss the current state of childhood nutrition in the UK and globally. They explore the impact of “food environments” and how physical and emotional surroundings can play a role in building positive habits. Natalie introduces 'See and Eat!’, a series of eBooks developed to get children interested in vegetables – and Sarah also shares how Guy's and St Thomas’ Charity is working with partners to reduce childhood obesity in London.
Spotlight: Eagle Genomics on data science
Anthony Finbow, Chief Executive at Eagle Genomics, highlights how they are using data, technology and science to further understand the health and environmental impact of microbiomes.
Spotlight: Freeze-em on insect farming
Yuval Gilad, Co-founder and CEO of Freeze-em, highlights the benefits of the black soldier fly and how their freezing technology is helping to grow the industry of insect protein production.
From seed to scale: the journey of an agrifood entrepreneur
Matt and Lukxmi meet three entrepreneurs from different EIT Food Business Creation programmes. Ying Shao, shares the story of Plantik Biosciences – a startup looking into new advancements into plant breeding. Lorenzo Conti introduces his company Crover, who have developed a robotic grain monitoring system. And Solveiga Pakštaitė talks about her journey as inventor of “Mimica Touch”, a product revolutionising smart food packaging.
Spotlight: Trellis on food production efficiency
Head of Product at Trellis, Uri Rosenzweig, highlights how their AI technology makes data more transparent and accessible for the entire food supply chain.
Insects in the food system: novelty or necessity?
This week bugs are on the table, as Matt and Lukxmi meet two entrepreneurs serving up insects in the hunt for alternative protein sources. Philipp Egli introduces Crick – a Swiss company producing crackers made from crickets – and Miha Pipan explains how his company, Better Origin, are using Black Soldier Fly larvae to convert agricultural waste into animal feed.
Spotlight: Innovopro on chickpea potential
Taly Nechushtan, CEO at Innovopro, is committed to bringing their chickpea-based protein ingredients to the global food market in order to create sustainable and tasty food solutions
Has modern farming failed?
Ana Digón from Agricultura Regenerativa, and lay Englard, the co-founder of Trellis, join Matt and Lukxmi to discuss the sustainability issues of modern industrial farming. Ana, who represents a group of progressive farmers in Spain, shares the benefits of 'Regenerative Agriculture' a system promoting crop diversity and soil rehabilitation through natural methods. Ilay also shares his hopes for Trellis – a tech driven platform built to help farmers use data and AI – improving sustainability and profits along the way.
Spotlight: Tastewise on understanding food trends
Director of Accounts and Sales at Tastewise, Laura Hoffman, describes how they are helping companies understand the latest culinary trends with their AI-powered insights and real-time data
Innovating through adversity
This week Matt is joined by EIT Food CEO Andy Zynga to meet two recipients of the new Covid-19 Bridge Fund, a €5.4m investment fund helping startups through the crisis. Fanny Rolet introduces Antofenol – a biotechnology company developing vine-wood extracts that can be used in place of chemical preservatives for food – and Françoise de Valera shares the story of Food Sourcing Specialists, a company tackling sustainability in the sports nutrition market.
Spotlight: Orbisk on food waste technology
Orbisk CEO, Olaf van der Veen, explains how their smart camera and AI technology can reduce food waste in the hospitality sector by providing detailed insights into the quantity and type of food being thrown away.
Does food need to be packaged?
Archana Jagannathan (Senior Director Sustainable Packaging at Pepsico) and Daphna Nissenbaum (Co-Founder of compostable packaging company TIPA) join Matt and Lukxmi to talk about the latest innovations in food packaging – and why now is the time to fight the plastic packaging crisis.
Spotlight: Prolupin on plant proteins
CEO of Prolupin, Malte Stampe, highlights the versatility of lupin and how the plant can be made into a healthy and sustainable alternative protein.
Waste Not, Want Not
Food historian Dr Annie Gray and sustainable restauranteur Alice Gilsenan (of Nature London) join Matt and Lukxmi to talk about ways to avoid food waste. They explore whether tips and tricks from the past can help us solve food waste issues today – featuring kimchi, pigswill, and meal planners.
Spotlight: Urban Crop Solutions on vertical farming
Founder of Urban Crop Solutions, Maarten Vandecruys, highlights how they are pioneering technologies for state of the art indoor farming systems.
The most extreme places to grow food
Have you ever thought about growing food in the subzero temperatures of the arctic tundra, or even in space, on a space station or on a far away planet? This week Matt and Lukxmi meet Benjamin Vidmar (founder of Polar Permaculture Solutions) and Angelo Vermeulen (co-founder of SEADS [Space Ecologies Art and Design] and researcher at TU Delft) to talk about farming in "the extreme” and why it’s such an important area of study.
The Big Takeaway
Matt and Lukxmi look back at some of the most poignant moments from series 1 of the Food Fight podcast. From improving diets to reducing food waste – they discuss the encouraging progress that’s being made to fix some of the food system’s biggest problems... and where work still desperately needs to be done.
Spotlight: Agricolus on smart farming
Federica Bordoni, Business Developer at Agricolus, explains how they are pushing the boundaries of smart agriculture by creating a cloud platform to support and optimise the work of farmers across the globe.
Food in crisis: is the food system resilient enough?
Matt and Lukxmi are joined by Professor Chris Elliott OBE from Queens University Belfast (Founder of the Institute for Global Food Security), alongside Food Unfolded journalist Silvia Lazzaris. They discuss the current fragility of the global food system, how businesses are evolving through Covid-19, and the technology providing the solutions.
Spotlight: Wasteless on saving perishable food
David Kat, the Vice President of Business Development at Wasteless, discusses how they are helping food retailers and suppliers reduce food loss through their AI-powered dynamic pricing.
How to build a purpose-driven food company
Matt Eastland is joined by Mark Cuddigan, the CEO of organic baby food brand Ella’s Kitchen, alongside Solveiga Pakštaitė, the founder of Mimica – a startup fighting food waste with temperature reactive labels. They explain why they put values before profit, and why every food business should be driven by the desire to do good in the world.
(This episode was recorded prior to the Covid-19 outbreak)
Spotlight: Banabooms on reducing food waste
Inna Zhuravlova introduces Banabooms, a start-up created out of EIT’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Project, who are giving new life to surplus bananas by turning them into a sustainable breakfast cereal for all to enjoy.
Is our food safe?
From allergens to food fraud, knowing what's in our food and understanding the ingredients is more important than ever. In this episode Matt and Lukxmi are joined by Brij Sahi, who introduces SwissDeCode, a company pioneering the use of portable DNA testing. Jaed Khan also shares the story of FoodMaestro – a company helping to answer the question “can I eat this” by building apps and retail solutions that help to navigate dietary needs. (This episode was recorded prior to the Covid-19 outbreak.)
Spotlight: Aleph Farms on cultivated meat
Aleph Farms CEO and Co-Founder, Didier Toubia, discusses how they are shaping the future by taking cells from a real cow and replicating them outside of the animal to grow slaughter-free meat
Is sugar the new tobacco?
This week Matt is joined by Annick Verween to host a panel discussing what the food sector is doing to reduce sugar consumption, in response to growing health concerns. Recorded live at EIT Food’s Venture Summit in Lisbon, guests include Tom Simmons (Founder of Stem) and Ilan Samish (Founder of Amai Proteins) who have pioneered novel ingredients that can replace sugar, both its sweetness and structure. Karine Delafaye also explains how the world-renowned food company Danone are also championing the movement, with their own Sugar & Sweetness acceleration project.
Spotlight: Natural Machines on printing food
Alba Martin introduces Natural Machines - a company that has created a 3D food printing appliance called Foodini, which enables consumers to eat healthier, lower their food waste and personalise the food they print.
Can we trust the food we eat?
This week we’ve got trust issues. Matt & Lukxmi are joined by Anthony Warner (The Angry Chef) and Liesbet Vranken (from the KU Leuven University in Belgium) to discuss who we can trust in the food system to give us reputable information about the food we're eating. From farmers to food packaging, social media influencers to health food shops – they shed some light on who to trust, and who to take with a pinch of salt.
Spotlight: GrainSense on ensuring crop quality
Edvard Krogius introduces GrainSense – a company that has developed a handheld tool to help farmers analyse the quality of grains in the field. He explains how the production of higher quality grain proteins, could play a key role in creating a more profitable and sustainable food supply.
Is technology protecting or exploiting our seas and oceans?
Matt and Lukxmi are joined by Thor Sigfusson (Founder of the Iceland Ocean Cluster), Hordur Kristinsson (Chief Science & Innovation Officer at Matis) and Isabel Hoffmann (CEO & Founder of startup Tellspec) – to discuss whether technology is protecting, or indeed exploiting our seas and fish stocks? This episode was recorded live at the YFood London Food Tech Week in May 2019.
Spotlight: NapiFeryn on sustainable protein
NapiFeryn’s CEO, Magdalena Kozłowska, highlights the pressing need to feed an increasing world population and how her startup is delivering a sustainable solution in the form of protein from rapeseed.
What’s the beef with alternative protein?
Whether you’re a meat eater, vegan, or vegetarian, the role of protein in our diet is something we all need to think about. In the food industry it’s widely accepted that ‘alternative proteins’ will play an important role in creating a more sustainable food system – but what exactly are they, and should we all be eating them? To answer these questions Matt and Lukxmi meet Roberta Iley from Forum for the Future's Protein Challenge 2040, and Jim Laird, CEO of 3F Bio, a startup developing alternative proteins through fermentation.
Spotlight: Stem on sugar replacement
Tom Simmons introduces Stem – a company working to develop natural plant-based sugar substitutes to help manufacturers reduce the sugar content of physical food products such as those in bakery, confectionery, and snack segments.
Is there value in food waste?
44% of bread baked around the world is never eaten – but for Toast Ale, this is an opportunity. Matt and Lukxmi meet Rob Wilson, "Chief Toaster" at Toast Ale, to hear how the brewery is creating delicious beer from crusts that would have otherwise ended up in the bin. They are also joined by Linda Grieder, founder of RethinkResource, to discuss how the food industry can do more to divert waste and side streams, by putting them to good use (and making money along the way).
Spotlight: Tipa on disrupting plastic packaging
Tipa's CEO, Daphna Nissenbaum discusses why plastic has dominated the packaging industry and how they are tackling the plastic problem through their sustainable alternative.
Can we really influence consumers to make healthier food choices?
Matt and Lukxmi are joined by Danielle Nierenberg (co-founder of Food Tank), Ignace De Nollin (MD of SmartWithFood) and chef, nutritionist and food activist Bela Gil – to discuss how we can influence consumers to make healthier food choices. This episode was recorded live at Seeds & Chips Food Innovation Summit in Milan in May 2019.
Spotlight: FoodParing on making sustainability tasty
FoodPairing co-founder, Bernard Lahousse, explains how his company is combining flavour science with data science – to create new exciting pairings that are tasty, healthy and sustainable.
Should producers be responsible for making food healthy?
Matt and Luxkmi present a podcast recorded live at Seeds & Chips Food Innovation Summit in Milan in May 2019. Joined by Alexandre Bastos (Director of Science & Technology for the Flavours division of Givaudan), Eshchar Ben-Shitrit (Founder of Redefine Meat) and Lorena Savani (EIT Food Innovation Programme Manager) they ask the question “Should producers be responsible for making food healthy?”
Spotlight: RethinkResource on creating value from food waste
Linda Grieder introduces RethinkResource, a company looking at ways that food waste and side streams can be turned into profit. She also explains how RethinkResource's new platform – Circado – is working to connect industries to make the most out of food waste opportunities.
How do we clean up all the food waste?
According to UN research, one-third of all food produced is wasted. In this episode Matt and Lukxmi meet with Tessa Clarke (founder of food-sharing platform OLIO) and Veerle Carlier (R&D and Innovation manager at food retailer Colruyt) to discuss strategies for tackling the problem.
Spotlight: 3F BIO on alternative protein
Protein is a vital component of any healthy diet – but with a rising global demand how can we scale production without destroying the planet along the way? Jim Laird introduces 3F BIO, a company focusing on meat alternatives that taste just as good.
Can we really feed 10 billion people by 2050?
In the first episode of the The Food Fight podcast Matt and Lukxmi are joined by Professor Corinna Hawkes, Director of the Centre for Food Policy of City University London, and Stephane Durand from Queen’s University Belfast, to debate the question "Can we really feed 10 billion people by 2050?"