Eight thoughts to prep for the 8th edition of Future Food Asia | SAVE THE DATE

- Tweet0
- 0
- Pin It 0
- 0
- Subscribe to RSS
Subscribe

Subject: Eight thoughts to prep for the 8th edition of Future Food Asia | SAVE THE DATE | 15-16 May, Singapore

Was this email forwarded to you?

Follow us on LinkedIn and join our community today

Hello 2024!

An 8^th anniversary is quite a developmental milestone, and while we wish you individually a happy and prosperous year 2024 in all aspects of your life, we have a little treat for our FFA community this year.

So, without further ado please save the date to join “The Great Reshuffle”, the 8^th edition of our annual Future Food Asia conference, on 15 & 16 May in Singapore. And with renewed ambition and relentless passion, here are 8 bite-sized foods for thought we would like to share with you.

THE WONDERFUL 2

(1) 100%. It’s the rate of interest for investing in the future-proof food systems from all the investors we have met in 2023. From discreet family offices and general VC investors to asset allocators, private equity funds and sovereign wealth funds from Asia, the Middle East, Europe and America. Is it because we were “preaching the convert”? Maybe a little bit, but 8 years ago that was simply not the case. We are thrilled and encouraged by this remarkable collective achievement.

(2) Calling out greenwashing. After the EU introduced new regulations on misleading sustainability related claims, policymakers in Asia Pacific followed with guidelines and fines against unsubstantiated eco-friendly claims. Here are some examples of greenwashing by companies in 2023, including some food and agriculture giants. With additional guidelines and stricter measures, the aim is to enable consumers to make more informed, sustainable choices that are credible and supported by evidence.

THE PUZZLING 2

(3) Is livestock the solution to mitigating climate change? You heard us right, it’s not a post -year end celebrations’ typo nor some New Age thesis. It’s the thesis of Allan Savory, the “Father of Regenerative Agriculture” who considers the reversal of desertification and increase in biodiversity as the real challenges to be addressed, and government policies the root cause for them. So much so that for him, the quantification analyses of carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions are like “rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.”

(4) Ultra processed food, another fake problem? Three months ago, amidst plant-based meat backlash we were sharing how processed ingredients are not intrinsically bad. A rarely nuanced recent media coverage has shed light on potential unintended consequences that could arise from classifying foods according to their processing methods. It also shares the many remaining unknowns around ultra-processed foods. A more important conversation is addressing the topic of nutritional equivalence in new food innovations.

THE ITCHY 2

(5) Is information overload in essence information desert? Mainstream media cannot always be trusted as a source of information on food and health. Here is a glaring example of misinformation spread at lightning speed, following a press release from Harvard stating that a new study had found that consuming meat increases your risk of diabetes. Also brought to you by the excellent New Nutrition Business podcast.

(6) Down but not out. In the 2023 VC landscape, down rounds were prevalent across various sectors, excluding AI. The challenging funding environment meant that startups tackling real challenges likely had a more favorable experience in fundraising. Valuations for the majority of sectors underwent a process of "right-sizing," which, although not a death sentence for startups, hinges on the preservation of appropriate incentives. A more concerning prospect however, would be the resurgence of "VC barbarians" seeking aggressive outcomes for themselves while neglecting critical incentives driving founders to succeed. Hopefully, this scenario does not materialize in 2024.

THE PROMISING 2

(7) Innovation through regulation. From recombinant human milk oligosaccharides approved in China to stirrings around gene-edited crops and food, regulators in the EU and Asia, notoriously cautious compared to jurisdictions like the US and Singapore, are sending signals that massive opportunities for the collective good could soon be unlocked thanks to new regulations.

(8) Innovation for agricultural self-sufficiency. In the face of increasing unpredictability in geopolitics and international trade relations, nations are actively pursuing solutions for food security. From East Asian countries investing in rice flour innovation projects as a result of wheat flour supply chain disruption to desert aquafarming in East Asia and the Middle East, we are seeing more breakthroughs in efforts to ensure self-sufficient development.

A topic you particularly like? A question that keeps you awake at night?

Tell us more as we finalize the FFA agenda!

Subscribe

Subject: Eight thoughts to prep for the 8th edition of Future Food Asia | SAVE THE DATE | 15-16 May, Singapore