We caught up with Louise Neilson from NutriWales, who last week jetted off to one of the happiest countries on earth to focus on all things food! The Alternative Protein and Dairy Show was held in the exquisite NEMO museum, Amsterdam with many topics to cover over the two-day event. Here is Louise’s recap of the event:
From lectures, talks, workshops and networking, this event was packed with opportunities to get in the know and build strong relations with leaders in sustainability. The main topics of the event were turning waste into food, cell-based seafood, algae science for food and health as well as looking at consumer preferences and attitudes.
Presentations were given from companies developing processes around carbon transformation to create protein from air or carbon dioxide that can be used as animal feed or for human consumption, a hugely creative process to deliver beneficial circular economy solutions.
Furthermore, John Edel of Bubbly Dynamics was present at the event. Known for his work in transforming derelict industrial buildings into urban farming spaces in Chicago, John showed how supporting incubators can result in innovative, sustainable and industrial pilot models that can be replicated and grow into successful businesses which support local communities.
Two hot topics of the event were the development of cellular agriculture and the use of algae to deliver numerous solutions for the food industry.
What is cellular agriculture?
Cellular agriculture can be defined as the method of making foods that traditionally come from animals by using cell cultures with a combination of biotechnology, cell biology and tissue engineering techniques *and breathe*.
Cellular agriculture can be a costly process, but with lots of start-ups actively entering the space there is no doubt be more to follow in this cutting-edge technology.
Why did we attend this event?
We thrive on innovation and this event was the perfect opportunity to meet like minded individuals looking for new ways to feed our ever-growing population.
We are creating a special interest group, Costal Edge, to collaborate on a number of different R&D projects, therefore the talks and discussions around the use of algae were particularly interesting! Algae is currently at the centre of a protein replacement whirlwind, looking to replace eggs, food colouring as well as to deliver more efficient agricultural processes.
Proving that networking events really do the job, we are currently in discussion with passionate and forward-thinking companies who are interested in collaborations.
The progression of solutions to address the challenge to feed 10 billion people worldwide by 2050 is extremely rapid and collaborations will be the only way to be able to make significant changes in the way we grow, produce and deliver food.
The NutriWales and Future Foods programmes are one way that we can work together across academia and industry to develop and deliver innovative, industry changing solutions to benefit the region’s population and beyond. If you have an idea, concept or a gap in expertise, getting involved in the Cluster’s initiatives could help deliver solutions for your business.
Contact Louise Neilson at louise.neilson@bic-innovation.com for more information.
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