The Future Global Food System Challenge promises “powerful pipeline” of innovation

26 May 2022 --- The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is returning the Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge, which aims to scale solutions to help transform the food system while supporting healthier diets and planetary health.

Funded by the Seeding The Future Foundation, the Challenge offers three levels of awards totaling up to US$1 million annually.

“IFT and the Seeding The Future Foundation share similar visions of a world where science and innovation are universally accepted as essential to improving food for everyone,” remarks Christie Tarantino-Dean, CEO at IFT.

“Last year’s challenge was a great success with nearly 900 organizations engaging from around the world, and we strongly believe this initiative will be impactful for years to come by helping to accelerate scientific breakthroughs.”

Earlier this year, IFT announced the winners for the previous Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge. These included arsenic-excluding rice varieties, solar-powered cold storage units for rural smallholder farmers of perishable produce and a sustainable aquaculture project.

The Challenge offers three levels of awards totaling up to US$1 million annually.A global crisis compounded
IFT underscores that globally up to 811 million people are suffering from hunger and facing food-related challenges. As the war in Ukraine further threatens global malnutrition, experts have called on governments and donors to step up and concentrate on critical nutritional investments. 

Over the last year, industry-led collaborations have answered this call to action. Just yesterday, nutrition giant DSM partnered with the World Food Programme to scale up rice fortification across the globe.

Applications for the IFT’s Challenge will open on June 1, 2022, and close on August 1, 2022. 

“We believe that the most revolutionary ideas start at a very small scale, come from passionate and diverse teams, and have the potential for a big impact,” says Dr. Bernhard van Lengerich, Founder of the Seeding The Future Foundation.

“Our hope is the challenge creates a robust and powerful innovation pipeline that leads to transformative change within the global food system.”

Three tiers of awards
Seed Grants of up to US$25,000 each will be awarded to organizations that are planting and nurturing high-potential, innovative ideas and have developed a prototype and/or initial proof of concept demonstrating feasibility. Innovation must benefit at least one, ideally, two domains with no negative impact on the others.

Growth Grants of up to US$100,000 each) will be awarded to organizations that have demonstrated their innovation is doable and have projected economic feasibility at scale and high-impact potential to transform the food system. The innovation must benefit at least two, ideally, three domains with no negative impact on the others.

Seeding The Future Grand Prizes US$250,000 each will be 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. The innovation must benefit at least two, ideally three domains with no negative impact on the others.

Seed Grant recipients will be announced in September 2022, while Growth Grant recipients and Seeding The Future Grand Prize recipients will be announced in January 2023. 

Edited by Benjamin Ferrer