From the CEO
2021 begins with renewed global commitment to innovation across food systems and significant growth opportunities for our industry partners.
Some of the world’s biggest investors are throwing their weight behind the future foods megatrend – see, for example, this CNBC story about how to ‘ride the boom’.
Meanwhile, the United Nations is hosting its inaugural Food Systems Summit in September ‘to launch bold new actions to transform the way the world produces and consumes food, delivering progress on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals’.
Significant growth in demand is projected for products with nutritional and environmental credentials, and Australian growers and manufacturers are in a good position to benefit.
With this in mind, we’re pleased to announce that Australia’s largest health-food company, Sanitarium, has joined the CRC.
In its initial project with the CRC, Sanitarium is collaborating with food-tech experts in UNSW’s School of Chemical Engineering to optimise the functional attributes of selected Sanitarium products, including The Alternative Dairy Co’s Barista range of plant-based milks.
Sanitarium joins our cohort of innovative growers, manufacturers and solution providers, who are variously working to optimise their systems and bring high-quality products to market.
David Eyre
CEO, Future Food Systems
Project news
Sanitarium and UNSW breaking new ground in plant-based product segments
Australia’s iconic health-food company is collaborating with UNSW food chemistry specialists to improve the functional properties of selected ‘free-from’ products, including The Alternative Dairy Co plant-based, low-fat, emulsifier-free Barista brand milks. Read more
Featured news
United Nations shines a spotlight on sustainable food systems in 2021
In the lead-up to its inaugural Food Systems Summit, scheduled for September 2021, the United Nations is focusing on developing more resilient, sustainable and equitable global food systems. Read more
Partner news
Hort Innovation set to bring high-tech horticulture to Australia’s cities
Australia’s peak industry body for fruit and vegetable growers has teamed with Sydney-based researchers and agricultural experts to explore the potential social, environmental and economic benefits of intensive indoor urban cropping systems. Read more
Australian-first innovation powering jobs at Peel Business Park
Australia’s first renewable-energy industrial microgrid is up and running at DevelopmentWA’s Peel Business Park, with the innovative network now providing power to the site following the completion of Stage 1 works. Read more
NSW Agriculture Commissioner and NSW DPI seeking agriculture sector feedback on future land use strategy
NSW Department of Primary Industries, keen to bolster the position of agricultural producers in the state’s proposed new land-use strategy, urges all agribusiness stakeholders to contribute feedback to the Agriculture Commissioner’s land-use Options Paper by the end of February. Read more
RDA ACT surveys stakeholders to help it develop ‘a resilient, food-secure city’
Canberra Region Food Collaborative and Regional Development Australia ACT are seeking input from food-industry stakeholders to help them structure more sustainable, self-sufficient, supportive food systems for the nation’s capital. Read more
WA lupin genome breakthrough paves the way to superior plant-based proteins
A genetic breakthrough made by crop scientists at the Murdoch University’s new Grains Research Centre in collaboration with WA DPIRD will speed the development of new, superior varieties of lupin, benefiting growers and health-conscious consumers alike. Read more
UNSW Sydney academics help protect IP for Indigenous foods and medicines
Daniel Robinson, a professor of environmental management at UNSW, is working with colleague and Senior Scientia Lecturer Dr Margaret Raven, a Yamatiji and Noongar woman from Western Australia, to ensure that Indigenous peoples and communities reap the benefits of products developed from bush foods and traditional remedies. Read more
Sanitarium named Woolworths Supplier of the Year 2020
Sanitarium Health Food Company, the name behind iconic Australian food products such as Weet-Bix, netted two major awards including the top gong at Woolworths’ Supplier of the Year 2020 awards in December. Read more
Newsbytes
Sustainable Aussie food and beverage packaging wins at WorldStar 2021
Eco-friendly food and beverage packaging innovations have netted Australian firms a swag of accolades at the latest WorldStar Packaging Awards. Read more
Hot-water immersion pre-storage improves nutrient content and shelf life in tomatoes
US researchers have found dunking in hot water prior to cold-storage boosts antioxidant content and curbs chilling injuries in tomatoes, reducing costly food loss. Read more
New analysis reveals upside of digitalising food supply chains
COVID-19 related disruptions have focused attention on the food supply chain, prompting the question: What does it take to get data and produce – flowing from producer to plate? Read more
Events
The Future of Food USA Conference
24-26 March 2021
Join 50+ high-level speakers to explore how food and beverage companies can take effective climate action, drive sustainable innovation and boost supply-chain resilience. Read more
UN Secretary General’s Food Systems Summit
Sept 2021
This inaugural ‘people’s summit’ will bring together an array of stakeholders committed to transforming food systems worldwide. Read more
evokeAG. & Cicada Growlab: Grassroots Series
Weekly, 15 Feb-22 Mar 2021
AgriFutures’ evokeAG. has partnered with Sydney-based Cicada GrowLab and an expert team to develop a free online mentoring program designed to nurture Australia’s next-gen agrifood-tech entrepreneurs. Read more