{"id":822853,"date":"2025-01-29T10:13:27","date_gmt":"2025-01-29T16:13:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/29\/upf-ai-and-cultured-food-one-industry-insiders-2025-wish-list\/"},"modified":"2025-01-29T10:13:27","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T16:13:27","slug":"upf-ai-and-cultured-food-one-industry-insiders-2025-wish-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/29\/upf-ai-and-cultured-food-one-industry-insiders-2025-wish-list\/","title":{"rendered":"UPF, AI and cultured food \u2013 one industry insider\u2019s 2025 wish list"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sitting at the centre of one of the world\u2019s most important food nations, Switzerland, and as head of an organisation that brings together some of the most innovative F&B upstarts from across the globe, places Senn-Jakobsen in a seat of enviable knowledge. <\/p>\n

She\u2019s headed the four-and-a-half year-old organisation for almost all of its life, having first spent two decades curating a CV that features some of the world\u2019s biggest FMCG names with Mondel\u0113z International. <\/p>\n

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You want to save lives? You can talk to Doctors Without Borders or you can join the food system. Unleash your superhero powers<\/p>\n

Christina Senn-Jakobsen is the CEO of Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

And with 155-plus partners \u2013 from ag-tech to green packaging \u2013 signed up to Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley and sharing ideas together in a bid to further and future-proof global food and drink, Senn-Jakobsen\u2019s 2025 F&B wish list makes a logical read. <\/p>\n

So what does the food and drink innovation champion want to see happen in the sector this year? <\/p>\n

UPF \u2013 the myths, facts and its role <\/h2>\n
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\"Where<\/picture><\/div>
The UPF debate is focusing on the wrong areas. The food and drink industry must raise its voice in the discussion (Miguel Tamayo Diaz\/Image: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Industry, scientists, the media and consumers must \u201cstop using the phrase ultra-processed food (UPF)\u201d as a catch-all, because we\u2019re talking about the wrong thing, she argues. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to talk about food classifications, because it\u2019s about formulation and not processing.\u201d <\/p>\n

She agrees that there\u2019s a challenge to bring salt, fat and sugar under control within this space. \u201cIt\u2019s challenging and we need to find a way to regulate HFFS through policy or other ways.\u201d <\/p>\n

However, the world needs feeding and a lot of the nutrition, food safety and other benefits of the food and drink industry comes through products that are currently being demonised as UPF. <\/p>\n

If the processing doesn\u2019t happen, \u201cwe\u2019ll just get a lot of other problems down the line\u201d. <\/p>\n

The industry has been cautious entering the discussion on UPF, but \u201cthey really want to talk about it and we need to get together to put it on the table\u201d, she says. <\/p>\n

AI and precision farming<\/h2>\n
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\"Where<\/picture><\/div>
The industry must adopt new and future tech with a greater speed (Tim Robberts\/Image: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why is the sector holding back when it comes to throwing itself into technologies such as AI and precision farming? Senn-Jakobsen asks herself. \u201cIt\u2019s a no-brainer what precision farming can do. If we look at it, what it can do is significantly reduce harmful chemicals in food production, the use of fertilisers and the impact on biodiversity,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n

While the potential benefits for the environment are undeniable, the business benefits are plentiful too, \u201cwith increased yield for farmers and lower water use\u201d. <\/p>\n

Though it is an expensive technology, especially for what some people might consider a conservative industry \u2013 which the food and drink industry can be. <\/p>\n

But it will come to a point, Senn-Jakobsen concedes, when the industry has no option but to invest great sums into what are now still new and emerging technologies.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, it\u2019s all a nice to have,\u201d she says. \u201cBut if we look at climate change and how it\u2019s impacted the likes of cocoa prices, it hurts companies and they\u2019re looking for alternatives.\u201d <\/p>\n

But there are companies, such as Ecorobotix, developing technologies to reduce the use of pesticides and other chemicals on crops through targeted spray systems.<\/p>\n

Alternative proteins<\/h2>\n
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The conversation must move on from plant-based and alternative proteins to cultured (gorodenkoff\/Image: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The conversation has to move on to cultured foods in 2025, she believes. \u201cPlant-based has to deliver on taste, and if it doesn\u2019t then it doesn\u2019t work.\u201d <\/p>\n

Switzerland has a brand called Planted, which Senn-Jakobsen says delivers on the clean-label front as well as taste. \u201cThey\u2019re building a new plant in Germany to produce for six countries in Europe and they\u2019re also focusing on proprietary fermentation technology.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cultured food, however, is the way forward because it delivers on so many fronts, from nutrition to the environment. <\/p>\n

It will likely be \u201cseparated by the believers and non-believers though\u201d, she says. \u201cIt will be a religion and you will either stay away from it because you believe it\u2019s Frankenfood or run towards it because it eliminates the use of antibiotics<\/a> in food.\u201d <\/p>\n

Sustainable packaging<\/h2>\n
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\"Where<\/picture><\/div>
New packaging technology is focusing on sustaining shelf life while reducing environmental impact (Image: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As a self-confessed, previous sceptic of the sustainability credentials and necessity of packaging, \u201cI have since changed my mind after a state-of-play meeting with our partners\u201d, Senn-Jakobsen says. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s our friend,\u201d she continues. \u201cAnd what is the role of it? It\u2019s to keep food safe and extend the shelf life. Scientists say there are two main things we can do to improve climate, which is to reduce meat consumption and reduce waste. And packaging plays a vital role in the latter especially.\u201d<\/p>\n

She went from thinking it\u2019s \u201cridiculous to wrap a cucumber\u201d to \u201cseeing the whole cycle of it\u201d, because without packaging food is damaged, it degrades and is ultimately wasted.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also significant work being carried out to find alternatives like cellulose to stop the use of virgin wood, to make the packaging itself more sustainable and environmentally friendly. <\/p>\n

The future will be spray packaging technologies, such as that from companies like Agrosustain which is able to extend the shelf life of strawberries using a spray technology that utilises strawberry roots.<\/p>\n

Careers \u2013 getting more of the right people into food and drink<\/h2>\n
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\"Where<\/picture><\/div>
Food and drink workers are saving lives (The Good Brigade\/Image: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When it comes to industry talent, \u201cSwitzerland is a bit spoiled\u201d as it is host to many of the food industry\u2019s global headquarters, while the supporting system around it \u2013 universities and government funding \u2013 encourages people to enter it. <\/p>\n

However, there\u2019s an uptick in interest from university students in biochemistry, AI and other sectors, Senn-Jakobsen believes. But that\u2019s not a significant concern. <\/p>\n

For the food sector in general, it needs to consider what is driving the young and talent towards any business across all sectors, she explains. <\/p>\n

\u201cNew talents are very keen on purpose and they want to drive impact and want to work for a company that walks the talk.\u201d <\/p>\n

She sums up the food industry\u2019s mission statement to this generation simply: \u201cYou want to save lives? You can talk to Doctors Without Borders or you can join the food system. Unleash your superhero powers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Away from employment and specific sectors, the food sector as a whole must become better at empowering and making it easy for consumers to go to the supermarket and buy products that are nutritious and good for the planet. <\/p>\n

But this can only be done by speaking the consumer\u2019s language: it must be, for example, cheaper, taste good and be enjoyed by \u2018the kids\u2019, believes Senn-Jakobsen.<\/p>\n

Nicholas Robinson
Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sitting at the centre of one of the world\u2019s most important food nations, Switzerland, and as head of an organisation that brings together some of the most innovative F&B upstarts from across the globe, places Senn-Jakobsen in a seat of enviable knowledge. She\u2019s headed the four-and-a-half year-old organisation for almost all of its life, having<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":822854,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66942,648],"tags":[141246,7377],"class_list":{"0":"post-822853","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cultured","8":"category-industry","9":"tag-cultured","10":"tag-industry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/822853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=822853"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/822853\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/822854"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=822853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=822853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=822853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}