Leaders from industry, academia, and nonprofits exchanged strategies on how to build a safe, equitable, and nutritious food supply through research, technology, and cross-sector partnerships around issues like food security, ren Monday at IFT FIRST that was moderated by Blake Harris, managing director of IFT’s Global Food Traceability Center
Mercy Lung’aho, lead – food security for the Nutrition and Health Program and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, noted that much funding has gone toward research and pilot projects in this area but very little has gone toward meaningfully expanding them. “That takes the question from ‘Does it work?’ to ‘Is it economically feasible at scale?’” she said
While sustainability solutions abound, the challenge often comes in making solutions workable for industry and consumers, especially since there’s often not an immediate payoff, said Carmen Moraru, professor of food science at Cornell University. “Early adoption is not necessarily rewarding,” she said. “Sometimes, companies shy away from translating scientific studies into solutions for that reason. More incentives would help.”
To ensure that the conversation stays grounded in community needs rather than simply production or environmental metrics, Lung’aho pointed to three key ingredients: clearly identifying dietary and nutrition challenges, developing a theory of change on how your project will address those challenges, and finding financial remake it a priority,” she said of the latter. And to guide implementation, data is essential, she added
Water can create a hidden constraint on the food and beverage business, especially outside of the United States, said Paul Bowen, senior water consultant at GHD. “Without water, we don’t have a business,” he said. “We use it for production; we use it for ingredients. We need water to make our businesses operate, and we don’t think about it from that perspective.”
Processing technology can help build more sustainable, resilient systems if they use less energy and water, for example by using thermal technologies, Moraru said. “But some of these solutions are kind of isolated,” she continued. “If we could integrate these better, it would allow for better integration of [underlying power] re
To get over the hump of convincing company managers at the local level to get on board with sustainability initiatives even if they don’t immediately see the payoff, corporate needs to communicate the value, Bowen said. “Often times, that value is not translated,” he said. “The plant manager is concerned about key KPIs—like, ‘How many cases, or units, or bottles can I get out the door?’” People at the corporate level sometimes underestimate what they need to do to gain buy-in, he added.
Once people at the local level understand the targets, two questions arise: Whose responsibility is it, and who will pay for it? Bowen said. “Those are the two areas you will hear people fight over,” he said. “That is not in my role, and that’s definitely not in my budget.”
While many see plant-based proteins and dairy products as more sustainable, their adoption has been limited, although that could improve in the future, Moraru said. The taste and texture still need significant advances to catch on more widely, she said, and “price points are still quite expensive. Hopefully, we’re getting there. We’re also looking at new technologies for fermentation. We’re not quite there yet in terms of adopting those, but we’re moving in the right direction.”
To build cross-sector collaboration, the governmental, corporate, and consumer perspectives need to be taken into account, Lung’aho said, and stakeholders need to determine precisely what challenges they are trying to solve. “Is it safety? Is it nutrition? Is it convenience? Is it sustainability?” she asked
Before scaling production, companies should ask about the quality and quantity of water needed, based on considerations like what they are trying to produce and whether it’s designed for drinking or the byproducts associated with the process, Bowen said. “What’s the energy required for this product or process?” he said. “There are multiple facets you have to look at when you start to innovate.”
For collaboration to work in the end, it requires shared goals, values, and benefits, Moraru said. Bowen recalled a cooperative project from his days as a water and sustainability executive at Coca-Cola through which several major beverage companies came together to share technologies and best practices to save and conserve water. “We sat down and said, ‘What do we do?’” he said. “We were all facing the same thing.”
To achieve that dynamic requires one quality above all, according to Lung’aho: “You have to be intentional in building trust.”
Explore IFT FIRST Coverage
Discover the latest reporting, interviews, and expert insights
Authors
Ed FinkelJournalist
Ed Finkel is a freelance journalist based in Evanston, Ill. (edfinkel@edfinkel.com)
Categories
Food Security
Food Technology Magazine
Sustainable Food Systems
Energy Management
Issues and Insights
