With interactive new networking formats, a conference programme in cooperation with Anuga HORIZON and a “Communication Breakfast” for the journalists at the trade fair and successful food start-ups, EIT Food, Europe’s largest innovation hub for healthy and sustainable diets, is going to be represented at Anuga 2023 for the first time.

Founded by the European Union and at the same time Europe’s largest innovation hub for healthy and sustainable food production, EIT Food is the official partner of Anuga this year: “The big goal is the transition of the food system over to sustainable and healthy diets. In this connection, EIT Food is supporting Anuga with experts, networking events for the food industry with innovative newly-founded companies and new, deep dives for the media. “Our overall intention behind this is to get the innovations onto the consumers’ plates faster!” is how Dr. Georg Schirrmacher describes the goal.

In the scope of a free conference programme in cooperation with Anuga HORIZON, the points of contact between the food industry and young start-ups will be examined closely. For instance the young start-up “mushlabs” from Hamburg will report about the steps it took to ensure its successful market entry and its new cooperation with the beer producer, Bitburger. As a major component of EIT Food’s network, science is also on board at the conference: “Innovator’s Toolbox: How food innovations arise from customer insights,” is for example the title of the lecture of Professor Dr. Carsten Demmings from the Baden-Württemberg Dual Studies High School. Visitors are invited to attend four lectures and a subsequent panel discussion as part of the conference programme of Anuga HORIZON on Tuesday, 10 October, under the title: “Innovation: From the niche to success with start-ups”.
For further information see: https://www.anuga.de/events/side-events/eit-food-conference/

The conference is taking place from 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon in the Konrad-Adenauer-Saal on the ground floor of the Congress Centre North.

It will be followed directly by the interactive format “meet the experts”. Here, EIT Food will bring together many recognised experts from the food sector, industry and science and from EIT Food itself. With short time slots like at a speed dating as many interested parties and trade fair visitors are to be given the opportunity to pose questions and receive initial answers about new developments, the transition of the food system over to sustainable and more healthy diets, the right touchpoints for business cooperations in this section, but also to learn about networks that enable the sector to get to know the ideas of the food start-ups in Europe. Matters of a more special nature like support programmes for young founders and the related right contacts will also be included in the “meet the experts format. Among others, the experts comprise of the Director of Innovations at EIT Food, Dr. Adam M. Adamek, for the contacts to the industry of the European Network, Head of Corporate Venturing, Dr. Christoph Mandl, but also scientists and representatives from the industry.
For further information on “meet the experts” see: EIT Food Conference in partnership with Anuga HORIZON | Anuga

Together with Anuga, EIT Food is offering a “Communication Breakfast for the media on the Sunday already. While enjoying a vegetarian breakfast, the journalists can not only get to know EIT Food and its many tasks by and activities in the entire European Union, but also directly become acquainted with new products during a pitch by two start-ups from the programmes of EIT Food. 

For example, “Crafting Future” from Hanover is combating disposable packaging waste in the gastronomy trade with the help of innovative reusable containers. The theme reusable is being not least more and more intensively discussed at EU level in the face of the proposed packaging regulation (PPWR). A survey by Greenpeace revealed that 52% of the affected businesses in Germany for example don’t comply with the obligation and don’t offer any reusable alternatives for take-away food and beverages. “Our aim is to support business catering in successfully implementing reusable systems and pushing forward the transition to a sustainable future,” emphasised Jan Patzer from “Crafting Future”. Crafting Future offers valuable resources and practice-oriented solutions in a Reusable Guide so that “the advantages of reusability can be optimally exploited in business catering.”

During the “Communication Breakfast” the second start-up from Berlin will present an alternative to the endangered tuna, which at over 60 percent of the population is considered to be “over-fished”. “Bettaf!sh” successfully produces its products from European organic seaweed that is cultivated in collaboration with local farms in Norway and Ireland: “For us the seas take priority and with them fantastic taste experiences. Our “fishy alternatives” are thus 100 percent plant-based and full of protein,” explained Lilith Gawol from “Bettaf!sh”. This means having “tuna” cream on one’s sandwich or “tuna” pizza is still possible. And of course there is the chance to sample everything at the vegetarian press breakfast!

The invitations for the “Communication Breakfast” will be sent out to the press in good time.

At its stand right next to Entrance North of the trade fair, EIT Food will present an outlook of true success stories of cooperations between start-ups and the food industry to the trade audience: Over 20 start-ups from all over Europe from the “Rising Food Stars” premium programme will be present there over the days of the fair.

Further quotes:

Dr. Georg Schirrmacher, Director EIT Food Region West:

“Here at EIT Food, we are convinced of the transformative potential of young companies. We particularly consider cooperations between innovative start-ups and established companies and networking between all of the players that primarily occupy themselves with the transformation in the food sector to bekey factors for the positive change and for overcoming the current challenges in the agricultural and food industries.” “I firmly believe that more visibility and translation of scientific results, adapted to suit a wide trade audience, but also the public, will accelerate the extremely necessary transition of the food system over to sustainable and healthy diets.” 

Background information:

EIT Food is the largest innovation network in European that addresses the topics nutrition, food and agriculture. EIT Food is supported by the EU and has the aim of making the nutrition, food and agricultural sector more transparent and more sustainable. www.eitfood.eu