A New Food Future: Innovations Shaping Tomorrow's Food System
Our current food system is fundamentally broken...
From staggering levels of food waste and the environmental toll of industrial farming to the massive resources required to sustain a growing global population, the evidence is clear: our current system is unsustainable.
Today’s food travels across complex global value chains, leaving behind a heavy footprint, and contributing over 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The status quo is pushing us past planetary boundaries, and a transition toward a more sustainable model is not just an option—it’s a necessity as Joris Lohman highlights in his latest book, Boter, Kaas en Havermelk (Butter, Cheese, and Oat Milk).
Discovering the innovators reshaping the food system
The current food system crisis demands urgent solutions, and thankfully, there’s reason for hope. While the challenges are immense, a wave of innovation is emerging, offering a path towards a more resilient and sustainable future.
During our research into these emerging change-makers, we’ve encountered innovations that offer a glimpse into what the future of our food system could become. Across every link in the food chain, from ingredient-level advancements to tech-driven transparency, these trends could redefine how we feed the planet sustainably.
Impact Hub Amsterdam believes in the power of innovative entrepreneurs who are experimenting with solutions and business models for a sustainable food system. By enabling these pioneers to collaborate with other leading figures, while simultaneously sparking the interest of influential players and promoting accessible policies, we can accelerate the transition to a more equitable and resilient food system.
Diversifying Nutrition:
Forgotten and Underutilized Crops
A standout trend in food innovation is the push toward ingredient-level diversification, focusing on forgotten and underutilized crops to create a more resilient and nutritious food system. Today, over 20,000 edible plant species exist on Earth, yet 95% of our calories come from just 30. This heavy reliance on a limited selection makes our food system unnecessarily fragile.
Innovative companies like Aardaia and Gabanna Foodworks are working to reintroduce diverse crops and ancient grains, reviving high-potential plants and enhancing biodiversity in our fields and on our plates. By integrating crop improvement with production, we can “domesticate diversity” and develop a stronger, more adaptable food ecosystem.
Protein Innovations:
From Grass to Precision Fermentation
The search for new sources of plant-protein is another area driving transformative change. While we have been working with algae based innovations in the past, innovators, such as Grassa, are exploring new protein options, such as those derived from grass, the largest cultivated crop in the world.
In the Netherlands alone, grass accounts for one-third of the surface area, yet its potential for human consumption remains untapped. Making grass a viable protein source for humans could not only diversify our diets but also create new revenue streams for farmers, positioning them as plant-based protein producers.
Meanwhile, precision fermentation is bringing biotech into the spotlight by using microorganisms to produce high-quality dairy proteins. Companies like Vivici are leading the charge, combining traditional fermentation techniques with biotechnology to develop cream, cheese, and fat alternatives to create better tasting and more nutritional plant based diets.
Tech in Food:
Transforming Food Production and Supply Chain Transparency
Controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) technologies, like vertical farms and hydroponic systems, allow crops to be grown in urban areas with minimal space and resource use. These systems reduce transportation emissions, use less water than traditional farming, and can provide fresh produce year-round. Automation and AI optimize conditions to produce high yields, making urban farming a viable and sustainable option.
From seed to plant in only 6 days, firms like Grovero make it possible by combining food production with high-tech solutions thereby bringing communities closer to their food and transforming the way we nourish ourselves.
Blockchain technology is also playing a vital role, especially in traceability. By eliminating data silos, companies like Open Food Chain use blockchain to enhance transparency across the entire food supply chain, ensuring more robust tracking of ingredients and origins from farm to table.
Toward a Resilient, Inclusive Food System in the Netherlands
Impact Hub’s Food Chain Accelerator is designed to help entrepreneurs overcome these challenges by helping them become investment- and partnership ready. In this years’ iteration of the program we are working together with 11 entrepreneurs that are advancing the outlined trends to a more sustainable food system.
Are you an impact investor, producer or industry partner that is ready to work with these entrepreneurs and is looking to create a food system that prioritizes health, sustainability, and inclusivity for generations to come? Feel free to reach out to Emily via emily.rendel@impacthub.net.
THIS ARTICLE IS WRITTEN BY EMILY RENDEL – Emily is part of the Venture Support team and is focussing on creating a vibrant community within our startup ecosystem. She is curating inspiring projects and events aimed at nurturing a community of impact innovators. She wants to foster an environment of knowledge sharing to craft the finest incubator and accelerator programs to help our entrepreneurs on their impact journey. Connect with Emily on LinkedIn.