FFS Summit discounted earlybird tickets on sale
Planning is in full swing for For Food’s Sake: It’s our future in February. We’ve now launched a dedicated event portal, so you can check out the agenda, confirmed speakers and sponsors, details about our Gala Dinner at the prestigious 6HEAD restaurant in Perth, and more. Tickets for the Summit and Gala Dinner are selling fast, so don’t delay: Register now and take advantage of the 20% discount on Summit tickets. Offer ends Saturday, 30 September 2023 – use code FFSEARLYBIRD24. View site
Just what the doctor ordered?
Could a six-month dose of free, medically prescribed fresh produce lead to significant improvements in the health of food-insecure Australians with type-2 diabetes? The ‘Produce prescription’ project, a four-year, million-plus-dollar collaboration between The George Institute for Global Health at UNSW Sydney, Harris Farm Markets and Future Food Systems, aims to find out. Read more
Meet W. Alexander Donald: Chemistry & mass spectrometry expert
As an early-career researcher, UNSW A/Prof. Donald won multiple awards and ARC grants for his work in chemistry and mass spectrometry. Now an expert in both fields, A/Prof. Donald leads a Future Food Systems-backed precision fermented proteins project with All G Foods. Read more
Claudia Vacca, PhD student: Boosting resilience in Broccolini™
Claudia Vacca’s Bachelor in Biological Sciences at The University of Edinburgh became a passion for fighting plant pathogens after a Forest Research internship studying oak die-back disease. Now a Future Food Systems-backed PhD candidate, Claudia is working with Prof. Ian Anderson at Western Sydney University, helping leading grower Perfection Fresh find new ways to improve resilience in Broccolini™. Read more
6HEAD: Standing out from the herd
Upmarket steakhouse chain 6HEAD is part of the Seagrass Hospitality Group. Its Sydney franchises get herbs and greens from urban farm Vertical Patch, cutting food miles to near-zero and ensuring their salads and garnishes are super-fresh. 6HEAD is a major sponsor of our For Food’s Sake Summit, and we’re excited to announce that its new Perth restaurant is the venue for the Summit Gala Dinner. In this short video, Vertical Patch co-founder Pascal Nakhle and CEO Wayne Ford talk with Seagrass Head of Culinary Sean Hall about their unique relationship, and what puts 6HEAD a cut above its competitors. Watch it here
Update on FFS participants
Over the past financial year, Future Food Systems has offboarded some initial participants and onboarded several new partners. We’ve farewelled Fable Food Co, FarmGate MSU, Myera Group, Olive Vale Pastoral, Oz Medicann Group, Apex Greenhouses, Liquid Fertilizer Systems, Smart Trade Networks, Episteme Solutions; and welcome incoming participants Agrisma Tech, All G Foods, Baker & Co, FP Paradigm, the Global Initiative of Crop Microbiome & Sustainable Agriculture, and Vertical Patch.
FFS team visits WA for pre-Summit planning tour and FIPWA-based workshop
It was all systems go in Western Australia during August, with FFS team members flying to Perth for a series of stakeholder meetings, including visits to Mt Lindesay and Melville Park farms in WA’s southwest and a guided tour of the Australian National Phenome Centre at Murdoch University; and delivery of an agrifood-producer-focused workshop on new product development in tandem with the Food Innovation Precinct Western Australia. Read more
PhD scholarships on industry-led FFS projects
Three Industry PhD scholarships are on offer with Future Food Systems-backed projects. At UNSW, work with iconic Aussie manufacturer Sanitarium Health Food Company optimising its cereal-grain-drying process on the ‘Art of grain drying’ project; or join the UNSW-Sanitarium team seeking non-wasteful ways to test packaged milks in the ’Non-destructive milk product testing’ project. At Charles Darwin University, work with a collaborative research team including the NT Government, QUT and Indigenous-led enterprise Pudakul on the ‘Commercialisation of native rice for Indigenous enterprise development’ project exploring the agronomy and commercialisation of native rice. Apply for the first scholarship by 31 January 2024; for the other two by 15 September 2023.