Gourmet News

IFT, Seeding The Future Announce 8 Seed Grant Winners

Published October 31, 2022

The Institute of Food Technologists and Seeding The Future Foundation have announced the Seed Grant winners and finalists for Growth Grants and Grand Prizes of the Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge. Out of more than 600 application submissions from 75 countries, eight organizations were selected to receive Seed Grants and 11 finalists were identified for Growth Grants and Seeding The Future Grand Prizes.

The Global Food System Challenge is an initiative created and funded by the Seeding The Future Foundation to inspire and support innovative, diverse, and multidisciplinary teams to develop game-changing innovations that will help transform the food system by making healthier diets more accessible and empowering consumers to make choices benefitting both personal and planetary health. To qualify, innovations must be highly impactful and benefit the following intersecting domains: safe and nutritious food for a healthy diet; environmentally responsible practices; and consumer trust, accessibility, appeal, and affordability.

To incentivize innovations at varying stages in their development, the Challenge offers three different levels of awards. The $25,000 Seed Grants are awarded to teams or organizations that are planting and nurturing high-potential innovative ideas and have developed a prototype and/or initial proof of the concept demonstrating feasibility. The $100,000 Growth Grants are awarded to organizations that have demonstrated their innovation is doable and have projected both economic feasibility at scale and high-impact potential to transform the food system. And the $250,000 Seeding The Future Grand Prizes are awarded to organizations that have created innovations that are scalable, economically feasible at scale, trusted and compelling to consumers, and have demonstrated major impact potential to transform the food system affecting the lives of millions of people.

“Amid climate change, rising malnutrition, chronic hunger, and supply chain shortages, the Challenge was created to unlock science and technology-based innovations that have the potential to overcome current obstacles and drastically improve our global food system,” said Bernhard van Lengerich, founder of the Seeding The Future Foundation. “The vast variety and high quality of forward-thinking solutions submitted this year in all award categories have been amazing. In its second year of the Challenge, we’re very excited to see momentum grow and to have the opportunity to help accelerate impactful initiatives from multidisciplinary teams from around the world.”

Innovations for the Seed Grant winners and finalists for the Growth Grant and Seeding The Future Grand Prize ranged from food waste mitigation to novel food distribution projects to plant breeding and behavior science approaches leading to healthier eating patterns.

The Seed Grant winners are:

Chandra Associates, “CAFRESH-Connecting the Food Supply Chain”
Kly, “Upcycling Food Waste Through Fermentation”
Welthungerhilfe, “Mobile Vertical Gardens for Refugees and Internally Displaced People”
MAVUNOLAB, “Preventing Postharvest Fish Losses through Low-cost and Mobile Solar-Drying Technologies in Tanzania”
Radices Bio, “Commercialization of a Novel Microbiome-based Synbiotic Food Ingredient to Support Heart Health in Aging and Minority Populations”
University of Dar es Salaam, “Micronutrient Profile and Household Use of Indigenous Crops in Tanzania”
Yayasan Kopernik, “Farmer’s Livelihood Support”
QuantumHeights GmbH, “Innovative Contributions for Process Improvement of the National School Feeding Programme in Mozambique”

The Growth Grant finalists are:

Central Luzon State University for its work to improve Philippine smallholder goat farmers’ enterprise through commercialization of innovative, healthy, convenient, and halal-certified chevon-based products.

This project aims to strengthen the whole goat value chain by empowering smallholder goat producers and processors with four innovative chevon-based products developed by Central Luzon State University that give consumers, especially those in halal markets in the Philippines and throughout the world, wider options and access to nutritious, safe, convenient and delicious food.

INMED Partnerships for Children for its Aquaponics Social Enterprise program which accelerates the deployment of a simplified, adaptable form of aquaponics, combining soilless crop production and fish farming in a closed symbiotic system, to increase global food production in the face of climate change and transition historically marginalized populations from subsistence to sustainable livelihoods.

International Rice Research Institute for their high zinc rice breeding project. High zinc rice is the cheapest, regenerative, resilient, and sustainable food-based solution to address Zn malnutrition in Nepal. This seed-based innovation helps transform the food system by providing safe, affordable, and nutritious rice to all farmers and consumers equitably.

Nurture Posterity International for their NutriPosh project for improved school diet in Uganda. NutriPosh is a composite flour that is nutritious, safe and affordable, and is appealing to students and trusted by school directors, teachers and school cooks. In addition to providing enhanced nutrition, NutriPosh processing protects the environment against the detrimental impacts of climate change and environmental degradation via the utilization of regenerative agricultural practices, solar powered dehydration technologies and biodegradable packaging.

Smart Villages Research Group for their Smart Agri-Centres, a community-led solar powered cold storage program that uses energy as a catalyst for rural development. Smart Villages focuses on using energy to enable access to improved agricultural techniques and practices, which in turn can improve quality of life in multiple ways.

World Wildlife Fund for its Farmers Post Program, which leverages the US Postal Service (USPS) as a significant yet underutilized asset to help bring fresh produce from farms to front doors across the United States. Farmers Post has the potential to transform how we get food from farms to consumers, benefitting farmers, consumers, the environment, and the USPS.

The Seeding The Future Grand Prize finalists are:

Acceso for its work to eliminate Aflatoxin from smallholder supply chains. Acceso is working to eradicate dangerous aflatoxins in smallholder supply chains, starting with peanuts in Haiti. This system utilizes an innovative combination of economic incentives, rigorous testing, and strategic logistics which prevents aflatoxin contamination at the farmer, buyer, and consumer levels.

Food Systems for the Future Institute for their work in commercializing black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) as chicken feed to enhance egg nutrition and lower the cost of eggs in Rwanda. FSF Institute is working with the Rwanda Ministry of Agriculture and technical partner Protix Ltd. to develop Africa’s first fully automated black soldier fly larvae production facility. This innovative facility will sustainably and cost-effectively scale poultry production and make it easier and more affordable for consumers to access nutritious, protein-rich eggs.

HarvestPlus for its Growing Stronger Growing Smarter project which introduces biofortified foods in school meals. Nutrient enriched crops, delivered through biofortification, will be integrated into children’s school meals in Zambia. Transforming school food systems will enhance child learning and growth and reduce morbidity.

ProVeg UK for their School Plates Project which is unique in bringing nutrition and sustainability expertise together with behavioral insights to make school meals healthier and more sustainable by using fewer animal products. With ProVeg’s help, schools are changing the positioning and language of millions of meals on menus to nudge children to eat more plant-based foods and take a personal and more active role in addressing the climate crisis at school, at home, and for the rest of their lives.

Save the Children, India for their work addressing malnutrition through the improved food system and consumer behavior. Access to optimal nutrition depends on a host of multi-sectoral issues deeply influenced by economic, social and political factors. The innovative idea has taken that into account and influences each of these factors incorporating multi-disciplinary approaches such as public health, nutrition, food and agriculture, food policy, economics and behavioral sciences.

“The Global Food System Challenge is quickly becoming one of IFT’s most anticipated events of the year,” said Christie Tarantino-Dean, chief executive officer at IFT. “We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate with Seeding The Future Foundation, an organization that shares our values and is aligned with our vision. Thank you to everyone who’s participated, and congratulations to our Seed Grant winners and Growth Grant and Seeding The Future Grand Prize finalists.”

Winners of the Growth Grants and Seeding The Future Grand Prizes awards will be announced in December.

More information on the Global Food System Challenge can be found at ift.org/food-system-challenge.

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Giant Foods Holding Annual ‘Lend a Hand for Hunger’ Food Bank Fundraiser

Published October 31, 2022

Giant Food, the leading greater Washington, D.C. regional grocery chain, is holding its annual “Lend a Hand for Hunger” food bank fundraiser campaign to benefit five area Feeding America food banks – Capital Area Food Bank, Maryland Food Bank, Food Bank of Delaware, Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank and Blue Ridge Area Food Bank – and other area nonprofits.

The campaign, running from Oct. 28 to Dec. 31 in all 164 Giant stores, offers customers an opportunity to support their neighbors by rounding up their change to the nearest dollar amount during checkout in-store or selecting a donation of $1, $3 or $5 during checkout in-store or online. The \goal for the food bank fundraiser is to raise over $1 million to support the fight against hunger.

Additionally, in partnership with Shady Brook Farms, Giant Food will be donating 10,000 turkeys to its local Feeding America food banks partners as well as local organizations including Martha’s Table, Manna Food Center, THEARC: Building Bridges Across The River, Greater Washington Urban League and Greater Baltimore Urban League. Since 2011, Giant has donated 52,000 turkeys during Thanksgiving and this year, Shady Brook Farms is generously providing additional turkeys to make an even larger impact.

“We realize many of our neighbors are facing tough choices when it comes to their food dollars, and, as in years past, we want to do our part to make sure our neighbors in need enjoy their holiday celebrations with a traditional turkey meal,” said Ira Kress, president of Giant Food. “We are thrilled to partner with Shady Book Farms to nearly double our annual turkey donation program and are grateful to be able to extend our support to even more families.”

“At Shady Brook Farms, we take great responsibility in not only giving back during the critical holiday season, but also throughout the year to ensure families and local communities have access to delicious and nutritious meals,” said Hannah Kern, Shady Brook Farms marketing manager. “Partnering with a like-minded organization such as Giant Food to provide turkeys to those in need is incredibly meaningful and we’re beyond appreciative of their collaboration on impactful initiatives such as this.”

Giant will be observing normal hours throughout the holiday season to provide convenient shopping times and a one-stop shop for grocery needs in-store. Customers can also safely and efficiently browse aisles, fill their carts, and schedule a contactless Giant Pickup or Giant Delivers order on giantfood.com.

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To Compete With Grocers, Convenience Stores Eye Fresh Food

Published October 27, 2022

Convenience retailers are increasingly feeling the pressure from grocery and general merchandise retailers offering a larger assortment of food and essentials through convenient delivery and pick-up options. Incisiv, a leading industry insights firm that helps retailers and brands navigate the changing retail buying journey, and Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, a global market share leader in retail store technology and the industry’s first choice for unified commerce solutions, today announced their survey findings, titled State of the Industry: The Future of Convenience Stores.

According to the research, the convenience industry is adopting many new strategies to stay relevant. These include reallocating store space, ramping up fresh offerings, embracing flexible, speedy checkout, and further investing in their advantage – catering to their local communities. But the speed of change remains a problem for most chains, with 74% of respondents dissatisfied with their ability to experiment quickly. In addition, convenience has lagged compared to other segments technologically as it has not moved as fast toward unifying experiences across digital and in-store channels. This will need to be prioritized to compete for shopper’s wallet share.

“There is a significant opportunity for the convenience industry to prioritize unified commerce to gain market share against other segments,” said Fredrik Carlegren, VP Marketing & Communications, Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions. “While grocery and delivery trends continue to encroach on ‘convenience’ trends unifying in-store, online and delivery, convenience retailers see the need to innovate rapidly to compete and succeed in a competitive market to win consumers.”

Additional key findings of the research include:

82% of c-stores lack a unified architecture across digital and physical commerce, and only 8% offer shoppers a unified eCommerce and in-store basket.
72% of c-store executives say it is important to differentiate on higher quality fresh food, but only 32% are satisfied with their banner’s current offering.
30% of c-stores are planning to increase in-store space for fresh food prep, and 25% for in-store dining.
26% of c-stores plan to reduce space allocated to fixed checkout, and artificial intelligence or machine learning assisted self-checkout is set to outpace traditional self-checkout over the next 12-18 months.
62% of c-store executives consider becoming more relevant to the local community as a critical part of their growth strategy.
61% of c-store executives are satisfied with their banner’s current capabilities around localizing assortment. However, they must become more adept at high-frequency replenishment, quicker inventory turns, and more frequent store layout resets.

“C-stores no longer just compete with the corner shop down the street. Grocery and general merchandise retailers offer a larger assortment of food and home essentials through convenient delivery and pick-up options. Quick Commerce upstarts such as Gopuff offer ultra-fast delivery in urban areas,” said Giri Agarwal, Chief Strategy Officer, Incisiv. “C-stores have the unique opportunity to become a unifying agent for some of the most exciting consumerism trends of the future: health and wellness, electric mobility and sustainability, and the rise of local ecologies. If they can do that successfully, they would have smartly redefined “Convenience 2.0” to be about more than the need for speed.”

Click here to download the complete findings from State of the Industry: The Future of Convenience Stores.

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