Food Science and TechnologyVolume 37, Issue 1 p. 14-17 FeaturesFree Access Smartly Packaged First published: 08 March 2023 https://doi.org/10.1002/fsat.3701_4.xAboutSectionsPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Suzanne van der Maarel and Franziska Böhm, Food retail Co- Leads at Kickstart Innovation explain how innovation platforms can help foster startups’ new solutions and ideas as well as create partnerships and cooperations with the aim of driving deep- tech innovations. To conquer humanity's greatest challenge such as climate change, one of the strategies are to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero. Thus, sustainable concepts and solutions are becoming increasingly crucial. The food system alone is responsible for around one third of the world's greenhouse gas emissions[1] The production, processing and distribution of food cannot be considered in isolation from our environment. Unfortunately, the Industrial or ‘conventional’ way of producing food leads to widespread environmental degradation, The cultivation of monocultures require the use of fertilizers and pesticides, which flow into the soil and waterways. Factory farming produces large amounts of animal waste that contaminate soil, water and air Ultimately, these food production methods use up important resources without restoring any of them. The negative impact of the production and consumption of food towards global climate change creates even further, challenges for the food system. For example, environmental catastrophes such a drought, floods, extreme heat and cold are already affecting food harvests. To combat this new developments in sustainable agriculture are based on regenerative methods and practices based on a holistic ecosystem approach. These invest in the natural environment instead of exploiting it, and ensure healthy soils, clean water systems and greater biodiversity. The sustainable approach also reduces emissions from industrial agriculture, strengthens ecological resilience and adapts both food production and land to climate change. A shift is also required in the industrial sector, particularly regarding food distribution. Supply chains, storage, and packaging, have to become more sustainable. Companies know the urgency for transformation and focus on new and innovative ideas. Young companies and start –ups, in particular, are dedicated to creating change. But how do these innovative ideas and solutions get into companies and the retail sector? Innovation leaders and bridge-builders with a unique ecosystem One of Europe's largest innovation platforms, Kickstart Innovation, fosters these new solutions and ideas from start- ups and brings them together with renowned swiss and Austrian Companies, cities, foundations, and universities. This creates partnerships and cooperations with the aim of driving deep – tech innovations. In addition to Food & Retail, they also focus on the areas of Finance & Insurance. Health & wellbeing, New work & Learning, Smart Cities and Intrapreneurship. Kickstart supports its partners in identifying key topics and opportunities for open innovation. A selected number of the best national and international start – ups and scaleups are chosen each year to participate in a 10-Week program that facilitates collaborative innovation partnerships and commercial deals in the form of proof – of- concepts, pilots and commercial projects with Kickstart partners, leading organizations and companies such as AXA, Coop, Swisscom, La Mobiliere, Post Finance, Sanitas, the City of Zurich, the Canton of Vaud, Credit Suisee, CSS Insurance and others. I the last year, over 170 jury experts were involved in the final selection of this cohort, with Circular Economy and Sustainability at the forefront of the decision making process. This was reflected in the fact that 40% of the final pitches were related to Circular Economy, compared to 30% in 2021. The food industry: the largest manufacturing industry in the EU Some of the world's leading food companies, as well as very strongly positioned retailers with their own manufacturing facilities, are based in Switzerland and Europe. The food industry generates an annual turnover of over €1 tn[2] making it the largest manufacturing industry in the EU. Kickstart brings together innovative start –up founders with major food and retail groups in Switzerland and beyond. These win-win partnerships lead to more sustainable production, distribution, packaging and consumption of food and consumer good, positively impacting the climate, health and social crises we face today. Potential collaborations exist in the areas of food Technologies & New Product development, smart Retail Technologies, Healthy & Personalised Nutrition, Farm to Fork Value Chain and Alternative Protein Space. Planted packaging on the shelves Strong Cooperation needs strong partners Coop, one of the largest retail and wholesale companies in Switzerland, has been one of Kickstart's Global Partners since the founding of the innovation platform; It is also the largest partner in the area of Food& Retail. Since then, the company has collaborated with numerous start ups and boasts many products in its portfolio. An example of their many successful partnerships includes their collaboration with planted, a plat based meat alternative company who have since achieved astronomical growth. In 2019, Coop was the first retailer to introduce the popular pea –based chicken alternatives. Today, planted is also available in the UK, Germany, France and Italy. Another example is from a partnership developed in 2021 between start-up Kern Tec and Coop, who worked together to develop a unique and more sustainable cereal product using Kern Tec's upcycled ingredients, which offer a more sustainable resource than almonds. Kern tec products will be available in coop shops from 2023. Galenica has been engaging in the Health & Wellbeing sector. It manages the coop Vitality pharmacies as well as several other pharmacy chains. These were also closely involved in the Food & Retail sector, which led to a collaboration with SUPASO, producing sustainable insulated packaging made from recycled wastepaper for shipping chilled or frozen food and other temperature- sensitive goods. Other partners include Swiss Food& Nutrition Valley and SATW, which support Kickstart in further developing the food ecosystem in Switzerland.SATW is a Kickstart partner for special events. It does not participate in the program itself but organises joint events with Kickstart.In 2022, two events were co-organised in November in honour of SATW's Food 4.0 initiative in Lausanne and Zurich. Products are verified and certified by the toughest international certification standards. 2022 Trends All startups that were selected for Food & Retail vertical in 2022 are working towards a more Circular Economy. The food and retail trends we observed in 2022: Zero Food Waste and waste reduction; Customer data; Farms of the future – indoor and vertical farming; Fungai-based applications – packaging, alternative proteins, functional; Grocery delivery; Buying local and traceability; Plastice – free packaging and edible packaging; Less processed/cleaner label plant based foods; Cellular protein commercialization expected to accelerate Personalised food and nutrition(use of AI, plant and Fungi focused). One of the leading trends in 2022 was sustainable packaging in terms of material and supply chains. As mentioned earlier, this is a promising development, with the food industry being the largest manufacturing industry in the EU. The collaborations formed through Kickstart also reflect this. Four of the 11 deals alone in 2022 were secured by Austrian startup SUPASO with its sustainable insulated packaging made from recycled wastepaper. Products are verified and certified by the toughest international certification standards. Eco-materials and their functionality Our ecoliners and ecobags are true performers, thanks to the unique qualities and functionality of their materials. From protective skins to a patent-pending cellulose fibre insulation/air mix, they are designed and manufactured to keep both our environment and your products safe. Rest assured they are also produced CO2-neutrally. Lasting performance Through hundreds and hundreds of test rounds, we managed to create a superior bio-based alternative to unsustainable products currently on the market. Our performance record speaks for itself, keeping your goods fresh as if hand-picked at your famer's market. To your packaging needs tailored We understand that one-size-fits-all is not what you expect from your packaging materials. The production line is designed to ensure perfect fits without the need to change your cardboard dimensions. Thanks to the specific design, you won't have to worry about corners, settled insulation material or thermal bridges either. Climate Zones versatile. insertable When sending multiple products requiring different cooling temperatures at once, our ecobags are here for you. But what if more items need to be cooled? For bigger jobs, we developed adaptable, insertable climate layers for our ecoliners that allow you to send larger amounts of temperature-sensitive products to your customers, without the need to split them up into different shipping boxes. International start-ups bring industry innovative solutions Austrian-based SUPASO has developed a patented solution for producting an inlay of temperature-insulating elements made of cellulose fibre that can be inserted into regular cardboard shipping boxes. They employ a technological upcycling process to transform cellulose fibre from wastepaper or waste cardboard into efficient and effective cold-chain packaging. The insulation elements consist of more than 97% paper (except the outer lining) entirely from recycled wastepaper and can therefore be sustainably disposed of in most countries. SUPASO is set to work with MediService AG, a Galenica Group company, to cooperate in developing and implementing a sustainable, cellulose fibre-based insulated shipping solution for pharmaceutical products. Furthermore, previously mentioned alumnus Planted, intends to use SUPASO's sustainable cold chain packaging solutions for B2C shipping of its innovative plant-based dishes. PlasticFri is a Swedish green tech company utilizing its breakthrough technology to transform agricultural waste and non-edible plants into eco-friendly plastic replacement products. The company's proprietary technology uses a cellulose and starch blend with fibres, vegetable oils, and other natural ingredients. Starch comes from various sources, including agricultural waste and forestry side streams. This saves costs, water, energy, land use, and carbon dioxide and does not compete with the food chain, unlike its competitors. PlasticFri has received the ‘Swedish Grand Engineering Prize’ for its innovative work and was named ‘World's Most Innovative Sustainability Startup’ out of 1400 companies worldwide. PlasticFri will provide Coop with sustainable plastic alternatives such as compost bags as part of a proof of concept to expand its sustainability efforts in the retail sector. SUPASO will also integrate PlasticFri's award-winning biodegradable film into its innovative insulated packaging to further increase sustainability and efficiency and offer customers a competitively priced insulated shipping solution that is 100% cellulose fibre-based. Ampliphi from the US has developed a data-driven technology solution that helps food brands measure, reduce and report their environmental footprint. Such technology includes: Cloud-based onboarding sequence and APIs that makes collecting and uploading relevant product and sales data easy; Application of data analytics and machine learning to recommend tailored initiatives that help brands reduce their plastic waste; Helping brands streamline mandatory and voluntary sustainability reporting, storytelling and stakeholder engagement. Ampliphi and Swisscom will jointly facilitate data collaboration using Swisscom's TrustRelay Saas platform to increase efficiency, improve security and reduce legal risks associated with data sharing. Nordic Umami Company is a Finnish start-up developing a natural food technology to create taste from food industry by-products in a closed-loop system. At the heart of the technology is umami extraction: this uses nature's processes to release intense umami from plant-based ingredients. Their technology is a new interpretation of traditional fermentation processes that create flavours and change food's chemical and physical structure. The magic behind this process is that it is not done mechanically but by nature's own workers: microbes. The technology is based on nature enhancing nature. The innovative way of fermentation makes it possible to use a wide range of raw materials with different textural and taste characteristics. This way, several base flavours are used to create umami-rich liquids and solids. Unlike many other technologies, they can use a wide range of botanical ingredients in different formats and flavours – both fresh and dried. Multi-stage fermentation and innovative New Product Development ensure that all of-stream ingredients that enter Nordic Umami Company's processing plant end up on the consumer's plate. Thanks to the closed loop, nothing is wasted. Coop and Nordic Umami Company intend to recycle waste products from Coop's food production and develop a vegan umami product range. This will be sold at retail and/or used in food production to enhance vegan meals and provide a better taste experience. The Nordic Umami Company, develops food technology to create taste from food industry by-products in a closed-loop system. Another US-based start-up, Purcell is on a mission to advance packaged-at-purchase retailing to realize the benefits of a hyper-efficient bulk supply chain. Their mission is to bring bulk food from the niche to the mass market to solve the problem of excessive packaging. In the future, they will work with food retailer Coop on sustainable retail equipment and test plastic-free, smart refill systems for food and everday items. Ampliphi will work with SUPASO and Purcell to make sustainable packaging more accessible, saving time and money for consumer brands. Last year Kickstart also welcomed Swiss vegan creamery New Roots, which develops, produces and sells ethical, sustainable and healthy alternatives to cheese and other dairy products based on 100% plant-based, organic ingredients. New Roots and Coop have initiated a proof of concept to test a new innovative plant-based cheese at retail from 2023. They also plan to work with Ampliphi to test a data-driven approach to sustainable packaging and responsible plastic management. Bringing bulk-food from the niche to the mass market by packaging it at the point of purchase in order to reduce excessive packaging. Kickstart, supports a network of startups dedicated into creating positive changes. The future belongs to Circular Economy Startups use new ideas and technologies to help established companies evolve their business model significantly. In addition to the technology booster, sustainability plays a crucial role. Since 2015, Kickstart has supported over 400 startups and facilitated over 270 deals in pilot and commercial projects from over 80 countries, raising more than CHF 2bn in investment. In 2020, Kickstart joined forces with Impact Hub Lausanne and Impact Hub Geneva to expand its presence in Romandie, the French-sepaking part of Switzerland, and to integrate the principles of the Circular Economy into the program. Ideally, the principle of Circular Economy is already integrated into business modes. However, innovation and new technologies are often required, making Circular Economy challenging for all parties involved. At the same time, innovation means a competitive advantage for companies: they are less dependent on the availability of resources and supply countries and chains. In addition, ecodesign and recovering raw materials through recycling and other routes can lead to cost savings. Suzanne van der Maarel and Franziska Böhm, Food Retail Co-Leads at Kickstart Innovation Email foodsafetynetwork@quadram.ac.uk Web quadram.ac.uk/food-safety-research-network/ References 1Crippa, M., Solazzo, E., Guizzardi, D., Monforti-Ferrario, F., Tubiello, F. N., Leip, A. 2021. Food systems are responsible for a third of global anthropogenic GHG emissions. Nature Food 2: 198– 209. Available from https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-021-00225-9/ 2 CBI. 2022. What is the demand for natural food additives on the European market? Available from https://www.cbi.eu/market-information/natural-food-additives/what-demand Volume37, Issue1March 2023Pages 14-17 ReferencesRelatedInformation