From sustainable processing and circularity to the challenge of turning promising research into solutions that work at scale, Professor Alexander Mathys believes the future of food innovation depends on taking a systems approach. Having recently joined the Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley Steering Committee, Alexander brings extensive experience spanning academia and industry, including ETH Zurich, the German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL), Nestlé and international research initiatives in Singapore.

We caught up with him to explore where he sees the greatest opportunities to build a more sustainable food system, what it takes to move emerging technologies from the lab into real-world applications, and why closer collaboration across Switzerland’s food innovation ecosystem will be key to accelerating impact.

Alexander, welcome to the Valley! What inspired you to join the Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley Steering Committee, and what are you most looking forward to contributing?

Thank you! I’ve had the opportunity to work across academia, applied research and industry, from ETH Zurich and DIL to Nestlé and international research initiatives in Singapore. One thing I’ve learned along the way is that structural food system transformation requires seamless cross-sector integration.

Switzerland has an extraordinary mix of research, food-tech startups and global companies. What excites me about joining the Steering Committee is the opportunity to bring these strengths together. I look forward to bringing a systems-oriented, process-engineering perspective to help convert scientific discoveries into validated, scalable solutions for global food security.

Your work at ETH Zurich takes a systems approach to sustainable food processing, considering the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the entire value chain. Where do you see the greatest opportunities to make our food system more sustainable over the coming decade?

The most impactful shift is moving away from isolated single-indicator metrics, like evaluating carbon footprint alone, and embedding multi-indicator sustainability frameworks directly into early-stage processing design. We must assess environmental boundaries systematically, alongside nutritional quality, energy efficiency, cost, and sensory appeal.

In terms of product design, hybrid food formulations offer immense potential. By strategically combining functional properties from plants, fungi, microalgae, and traditional dairy, we can achieve better nutritional profiles and taste experiences that naturally drive consumer adoption.

I believe we should also focus on optimising processing efficiency, exploring resilient raw materials like microalgae, and integrating robust side-stream conversion into value chains.

Much of your research explores how emerging technologies and new raw materials can help us produce healthy, high-quality food more efficiently. Which innovations do you believe have the greatest potential to move from research into real-world impact?

Advanced processing methodologies, like ultra-short thermal treatments, high-pressure processing, pulsed electric fields and specialised extrusion, can help us preserve heat-sensitive nutrients and create the structures we need, while making production more sustainable.

The real challenge is getting these technologies out of the pilot plant and into industry. They need to work continuously, reliably and at a competitive cost. That transition from promising technology to something that can perform at industrial scale is where we now need to focus.

Circularity is another recurring theme in your work, particularly the use of side streams and more efficient use of biomass and energy. Where are we currently missing opportunities to turn food-system waste into value?

We still have many nutrient-rich side streams that end up in relatively low-value applications. There is a real opportunity to make better use of them. For example, liquid side streams can be used to cultivate microalgae for food-grade biomass, while other residues can be used in insect farming to produce more sustainable feed.

To make this work, we need efficient ways to convert, stabilise and extract these resources close to where they are produced. We also need clear safety standards and regulatory pathways. If we can get those pieces right, circular approaches can help us produce more nutritional value from the resources we already have.

When assessing new food technologies, sustainability can’t be reduced to a single metric. How should innovators balance environmental impact with nutrition, affordability, consumer acceptance and commercial viability?

We need to think about these trade-offs from the beginning, rather than waiting until a product is ready to launch. At ETH, for example, we look at environmental impact alongside nutrition, cost and how a technology is likely to develop over time.

A process might perform very well environmentally, but that alone isn’t enough. If it reduces important nutrients, creates taste challenges or makes the final product too expensive, it will struggle to succeed.

That’s why collaboration is so important. Process engineers, food scientists, nutritionists and industry partners need to work together early on. It gives us a much better chance of developing solutions that work technically, commercially and for consumers.

You’ve worked across academia and industry, including at ETH Zurich, the German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL), and the Nestlé Research Centre. What have those different perspectives taught you about what it takes to successfully translate food innovation into practice?

You learn something new in every new role. Universities are very good at exploring fundamental science and longer-term breakthroughs. Applied research institutes such as DIL can test whether those ideas work under food-grade, pilot-scale conditions. Industry brings the experience needed to understand markets, supply chains and scale.

Problems often arise when these groups work sequentially rather than concurrently. Setting up pre-competitive collaborative platforms, joint pilot infrastructures, and shared risk-assessment frameworks allows us to streamline technology transfer and bring scientific concepts to commercial application significantly faster.

Finally, is there a message or invitation you’d like to share with the Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley community?

Switzerland is in a prime position to set a global benchmark for sustainable food processing and nutrition. Through our international activities, including the Singapore-ETH Centre and the Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein at NUS, we observe how Swiss scientific quality and engineering precision are respected worldwide.

My invitation to the Valley community, across universities, startups, established enterprises, and government, is to leverage our joint capabilities. Let’s focus on de-risking novel processing technologies together, validating circular value chains, and creating science-based solutions that demonstrate real-world impact both regionally and internationally.

Never miss a Swiss food innovation morsel.

Latest News

The Canton of Fribourg officially handed over the keys to Agroscope’s new laboratory building in Posieux to the Swiss Confederation. The ceremony was attended by President of the Swiss Confederation Guy Parmelin and delegations from the Fribourg State Council and the Agroscope executive board as well as the Federal Offices for Agriculture (FOAG) and Buildings and Logistics (FOBL). The centrepiece of Agroscope’s new site strategy is now ready for use.

This hand-over marks the completion of a strategic project that was conducted in close cooperation between the Canton of Fribourg, the FOBL and Agroscope.

Modern infrastructure for agricultural research

The 11,000 m² floorspace includes 7,700 m² of highly specialised laboratories and 3,300 m² of cutting-edge technical equipment designed to meet the current and future needs of agricultural research. The building incorporates laboratories for chemical and biological analysis, an experimental cheese dairy, biotechnical facilities and extensive energy and digital infrastructure. The laboratory was designed according to the minimum energy performance standard and the principles of sustainable construction in Switzerland and has photovoltaic modules covering large areas of its roof.

Milestone for the Canton of Fribourg and Agroscope

This hand-over of keys is a major milestone in the implementation of Agroscope’s site strategy. Focussing the bulk of laboratory activities and research technologies in Posieux enables Agroscope to reduce the costs of operating and maintaining laboratory infrastructure. Once the various sites have relocated to Posieux – to the laboratory building and the admin building, which is still to be refurbished – the new central campus will be home to around 420 Agroscope employees. This will consolidate the role of the Canton of Fribourg as a national centre for agricultural and food research with two neighbouring institutions – Grangeneuve (cantonal) and Agroscope (federal).

Guided tours of the building were available to members of the public after the opening celebrations. Employees will start to move in from the end of August 2026.

Never miss a Swiss food innovation morsel.

Latest News

How do we develop foods that are healthier, more sustainable and genuinely meet consumer needs? That question sat at the heart of Bridge2Food Europe 2026, where more than 600 food industry leaders, researchers, startups and innovators from over 30 countries gathered to explore the future of food innovation. As media partners, Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley contributed to the conversation by sharing perspectives on one of the sector’s biggest emerging opportunities: metabolic health.

Metabolic health: the next frontier for food innovation

During her keynote, Christina Senn-Jakobsen, CEO of Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley, explored why metabolic health is becoming one of the defining challenges — and opportunities — for the food industry.

As scientific understanding continues to evolve, improving metabolic health has the potential to reshape how foods are developed, evaluated and brought to market. Unlocking this opportunity will require close collaboration between industry, academia, startups and healthcare to translate scientific advances into products that improve health outcomes at scale.

Putting consumers at the heart of innovation

A recurring theme throughout the event was that successful innovation begins with a deep understanding of consumers.

Johannes Hartmann, Senior Director Consultancy & Analytics at Innova Market Insights, examined the global trends influencing purchasing decisions and how changing consumer expectations are shaping the next generation of food and beverage products.

Dr Sophie Attwood, Senior Behavioural Scientist at Behavior Global, explored how behavioural science can help organisations better understand why people make the food choices they do, enabling more effective strategies to encourage healthier and more sustainable diets.

Building on this, Mads Holme, Senior Partner at ReD Associates, demonstrated how anthropology and behavioural science can be embedded into the innovation process to develop products that reflect real consumer behaviours and needs, rather than assumptions.

Together, the sessions reinforced a shared message: innovation is most impactful when it starts with people.

Strengthening collaboration across the food ecosystem

Bridge2Food Europe once again demonstrated the value of bringing together expertise from across the food system. By connecting researchers, startups, corporates and investors around shared challenges, the event created opportunities to exchange knowledge, build partnerships and accelerate innovation.

Bridge2Food Europe will return on 15–17 June 2027 in Den Bosch, The Netherlands. Organisations interested in speaking, sponsoring, exhibiting, or partnering are invited to contact the Bridge2Food team to learn more.

Never miss a Swiss food innovation morsel.

Latest News

Non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity are among the fastest-growing health challenges facing societies worldwide. Yet evidence indicates that many of these conditions are largely preventable.

At Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley’s General Assembly, Dr John Schoonbee, Global Chief Medical Officer at Swiss Re, joined CEO Christina Senn-Jakobsen on stage to discuss why a global reinsurance company is partnering with the Valley to launch Nutrition4MetabolicHealth, a new initiative focused on prevention, awareness and cross-sector collaboration.

In this interview, John explains why nutrition has become a strategic priority for Swiss Re, why Switzerland is uniquely positioned to lead in this space, and what it will take to make healthier choices easier for everyone.

Why is a reinsurance company interested in nutrition and metabolic health?

John Schoonbee: At first glance, it might seem like an unusual connection. But from our perspective, the link is very direct. As a reinsurer, we are exposed to the long-term consequences of poor health through life insurance, disability insurance and chronic disease trends. We see first-hand the impact that diabetes, obesity and other metabolic conditions have on individuals, families, businesses and healthcare systems.

For many years, healthcare has focused primarily on treating chronic disease after it occurs. Treatment is important, but we also need to focus on prevention. Nutrition is one of the most powerful levers we have to improve health outcomes before people become ill. It can help to improve or even reverse many chronic conditions where the root cause is insulin resistance. Quite simply, food is health.

What concerns you most about the current trajectory?

John Schoonbee: The data tells a worrying story. Across the world, rates of obesity, diabetes and metabolic dysfunction continue to rise. In Switzerland, healthcare expenditure has now exceeded CHF 100 billion per year, with the majority of these costs linked to non-communicable diseases.

What is often overlooked is that metabolic health affects far more than weight or diabetes. Metabolic dysfunction is linked to cardiovascular disease, fatty liver disease, many cancers, cognitive decline and even mental health outcomes. If current trends continue, we risk creating a future where people live longer but spend more years living with chronic illness. That has consequences not only for healthcare systems, but also for quality of life, workforce productivity and economic resilience.

Why do you believe nutrition deserves greater attention?

John Schoonbee: Because it is one of the few interventions that touches almost everyone, every day. We make decisions about food multiple times a day, throughout our lives. Those decisions accumulate over decades and have a profound impact on long-term health.

The challenge is not simply telling people what they should eat. We need to create environments, systems and incentives that make healthier choices easier and more accessible. This is why nutrition cannot be viewed solely as a healthcare issue. It is also a food industry issue, an education issue, a policy issue and a societal issue.

Why launch this initiative in Switzerland?

John Schoonbee: Switzerland has something many countries lack: a highly connected ecosystem. We have world-class research institutions, innovative startups, global food companies, healthcare organisations, insurers and policymakers all operating within a relatively small geography. That creates a unique opportunity to bring together different perspectives and test new approaches more quickly than would be possible elsewhere.

Switzerland is also a trusted global brand. If we can demonstrate successful models for prevention and nutrition-driven health here, those lessons have the potential to influence discussions and fix metabolic health far beyond our borders.

What do you hope the Nutrition4MetabolicHealth initiative will achieve?

John Schoonbee: Our ambition is to create momentum around prevention and metabolic health. Over the next three years, we want to bring together stakeholders from across food, health, science, insurance and policy to explore practical solutions and develop real-world pilot projects.

We don’t want to just create another platform for discussion. We want to test ideas, learn from the evidence and identify approaches that can make a measurable difference to people’s lives. Ultimately, success would mean helping more people live healthier, longer lives while reducing the burden of preventable disease on society.

What gives you hope for the future?

John Schoonbee: The fact that so many different organisations are recognising that they cannot solve these challenges alone. Improving metabolic health requires collaboration across sectors that do not traditionally work together.

The encouraging thing is that we are seeing growing interest from food companies, startups, researchers, healthcare providers, insurers and policymakers alike. When diverse stakeholders come together around a shared challenge, new possibilities emerge. That is exactly what Nutrition4MetabolicHealth aims to achieve.

Find out more on the Nutrition4MetabolicHealth landing page or request an invite to the Nutrition4Metabolic Health Summit

Never miss a Swiss food innovation morsel.

Latest News

From talent and testing to features and facilities – how the Swiss ecosystem helps startups grow

Building a successful startup takes more than a great idea. SFNV’s recent dialogue series invited Valley partner featured in the SFNV Navigator to explore three challenges that can make or break an innovation journey. Click on the links below to find out what they’ve learnt while working with food innovators, the trends shaping their fields, and how startups can access support through the Valley ecosystem. 

Raising visibility
in a competitive market

– with Stefan Kyora from startupticker.ch

Making innovation visible

Stefan Kyora, Editor-in-Chief, Startupticker.ch

Many startups underestimate the role of communications in their growth journey. Why does visibility matter, particularly for early-stage innovators?

Stefan Kyora: Customers, business partners, investors and even potential employees want to know the background and history of a start-up so that they can assess its credibility and potential. By being featured in reputable media, start-ups make it easier for themselves to build relationships with these stakeholders. The risk of being copied as a result of such coverage, on the other hand, is significantly overestimated.

Having worked with countless Swiss startups, what distinguishes the companies that successfully capture attention from those that struggle to be heard?

Stefan Kyora: The startups that communicate most effectively are usually very clear about the problem they are solving and why it matters. They avoid jargon and make it easy for people outside their immediate field to understand the relevance of their work.

Furthermore, communication is only successful if it is targeted.  This means successful start-ups know when to report what to whom. Traditional business journalists are interested in investments or sales successes. Local newspapers always need a local angle. And platforms such as 20 Minuten or Watson can be enticed with celebrity endorsements or high-profile clients.

How can Valley partners benefit from startupticker.ch’s media partnership with SFNV?

Stefan Kyora: Through our collaboration with Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley, Valley partners are able to share relevant stories and milestones with the editorial team. This could be news, but also events, calls to action or information for our Ecosystem Directory.

We consider ourselves part of the Swiss start-up support scene. This means we support start-ups with our communications expertise as much as we can. In particular, you don’t need to come to us with a perfect story if you want Startupticker to cover it. We’re happy to help work out the angle that’s interesting for both us and our readers.

What would you like to see more startups doing to strengthen the visibility of Swiss food innovation, both nationally and internationally?

Stefan Kyora: It is precisely when you are successful, everything is going well and the company is growing that you might not think to share your continued success. Yet this would not only help the start-up itself, but also the ecosystem as a whole. Greater visibility for rapidly growing companies would make it clear that Swiss start-ups have an impact on the wider economy that should not be underestimated.

Ready to share your story?

Valley partners can access communications support, content guidance and benefit from our media partnerships through the SFNV Communications Hub.

Latest News

From talent and testing to features and facilities – how the Swiss ecosystem helps startups grow

Building a successful startup takes more than a great idea. SFNV’s recent dialogue series invited Valley partner featured in the SFNV Navigator to explore three challenges that can make or break an innovation journey. Click on the links below to find out what they’ve learnt while working with food innovators, the trends shaping their fields, and how startups can access support through the Valley ecosystem. 

Talent as a growth strategy

Manuel Lanz, Managing Director, FoodTechScout

When people talk about startup success, they often focus on funding or technology. Why do you believe talent deserves a place in that conversation?

Manuel Lanz: Funding and technology are important, but ultimately it is people who bring ideas to life. Talent plays a decisive role in how quickly a company can grow and whether products can be brought to market successfully. Especially in the food and nutrition sector, companies need teams that combine technical expertise, market understanding and execution strength. That is why forward-looking recruitment planning, a strong understanding of the talent market and access to the right profiles at the right time are essential. 

How are hiring needs evolving across the food and nutrition sector, and what skills or profiles are becoming increasingly important?

Manuel Lanz: Hiring needs in the food and nutrition sector are becoming increasingly interdisciplinary. Companies are looking for people who can connect science, technology, sustainability and business. At the same time, flexibility is becoming more important: talent is increasingly brought in on a project basis or for specific growth and innovation phases.

Beyond technical expertise, soft skills are now central. Companies need people who take ownership, communicate clearly, learn quickly and can work effectively in dynamic, cross-functional teams. What matters most is the fit between skills, personality, company culture and the current growth stage.

What support does FoodTechScout offer innovators, and how can startups ensure they attract the right people at the right stage of growth?

Manuel Lanz: FoodTechScout supports food companies in finding the talent they need to grow. With our market knowledge in the food and nutrition sector, we help companies identify the right profiles, better understand the talent market and plan recruitment more strategically. Depending on their needs, we can also take over parts of the recruitment process and provide operational support.

Through our collaboration with Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley, partners also benefit from complimentary 30-minute recruitment consultations, free events on building high-performing teams and the opportunity to post roles free of charge on the FoodTechScout job board.

If you could change one thing about how the food industry approaches talent development and recruitment, what would it be?

Manuel Lanz: I would like to see the diversity and attractiveness of the food industry become visible to talent much earlier. Many exciting companies, roles and career paths are still not well known today. Yet the food industry is a particularly attractive sector — especially in view of the transformation of the food system and its interfaces with health and longevity.

This is exactly why we developed the FoodTech Map: it makes visible which companies are active in the sector and how diverse the ecosystem is.

Building your team?

FoodTechScout’s recruitment resources and hiring support is available to Valley partners through the SFNV Navigator

Latest News