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Impact Digest | Cultured foods: How can we drive impact at scale?
With the global population projected to reach 10 billion by 2050, scaling innovative protein solutions is essential to meeting both demand and climate targets. Cultured food could provide protein products that taste and feel like the animal-based original, but with a...
The Igeho Rising Star Award 2025 focuses on FoodTech innovations
In 2023, Igeho launched the Igeho Rising Star Award to support founders and start-ups in the hospitality sector. Its second edition is now inviting all FoodTech startups to submit their applications by January 31, 2025. Fifteen start-ups will have the chance to...
OPINION | Christina Senn-Jakobsen: Empowering citizens to drive food system transformation
Empowering citizens to drive food system transformationBy Christina Senn-Jakobsen, CEO, Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley“It’s the food companies!” he says.“It’s the government’s job to legislate,” she argues.“It’s people’s own responsibility,” others shout.“It’s the...
2024: Taking a big step towards a more future-proof food system
2024 Taking a big step towards a more future-proof food systemAs 2024 draws to a close, we wanted to take a moment to look back at some of our key highlights - both as individual innovators and as an ecosystem. In the year that Switzerland was ranked leading...
Givaudan and Moonshot Pirates work together to shape the future of alternative protein
Valley partner, Givaudan, a global leader in flavours, taste, functional and nutritional solutions, has announced a new collaboration with Moonshot Pirates, a dynamic movement of young leaders and changemakers. The “Shape the Future” Challenge will inspire Gen Z...
Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley and The Cultured Hub bring together experts and industry to accelerate cultured food to market
On 4th December 2024, Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley, together with Valley partner The Cultured Hub brought together Swiss and international experts to explore the state of the industry and discuss how to collaborate to capitalise on opportunities for growth.The...
The Cultured Hub opens its state-of-the-art biotech facility in Switzerland
Kemptthal (Switzerland), December 3, 2024 –The Cultured Hub officially opens its doors today, marking a milestone for the global cellular agriculture and food industry communities. The pioneering scale-up and growth service aims to revolutionize the cultivated food...
Impact Digest | Ultra-processed foods: myths, facts and future role
Nearly 29% of the global population experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2023. As the world population grows, we don’t only need to consider food availability - we need to find new solutions to ensure that everyone has access to a nutritionally complete...
Seaweed-based packaging innovator, B’ZEOS, secures seed round and strategic partnerships
B’ZEOS, a European blue-tech innovation company, has closed its seed round led by Faber with participation from ICIG Ventures, the venture capital unit of International Chemical Investors Group (ICIG). The development marks a significant milestone in the company’s...
Bühler’s Grain Innovation Center, a powerhouse for innovation, opens its doors
Swiss technology group Bühler today inaugurates its new Grain Innovation Center (GIC) in Uzwil, a trailblazing facility. The new application center marks a significant milestone in the field of grain processing innovation, combining high-tech solutions with the...
FoodYoung opens groundbreaking innovation facility in Balerna, Switzerland
Valley partner, FoodYoung, a full-stack innovation lab and venture studio dedicated to transforming the food industry has officially opened its new state-of-the-art facility in Balerna, Switzerland. Combining cutting-edge food science, advanced food technology, and...
Concern about Ultra Processed Foods (UPFs) is growing — but is processing really the problem?
Concern about Ultra Processed Foods (UPFs) is growing — but is processing really the problem? By Christina Senn-Jakobsen, CEO, Swiss Food & Nutrition ValleyImage: freepix.comIn recent months, the conversation around ultra-processed foods (UPFs) has intensified...
SFNV’s new Steering Committee Chair Marie-France Tschudin on encouraging collaboration for a better food system
Collaboration is crucial to allow food system innovation to flourish in Switzerland and beyond, according to Marie-France Tschudin, who was elected as Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley’s new Steering Committee Chair in May this year. Marie-France, former President of...
Planted builds additional production facility for Europe in southern Germany
Valley Partner Planted, the Swiss FoodTech pioneer for plant-based meat made exclusively from clean ingredients, is further investing in capacity expansion with the addition of a new production facility in southern Germany. Based on fermentation technology, the site...
Esau & Hueber joins Bühler: complementing forces for innovation excellence
Swiss technology group Bühler is pleased to announce the acquisition of Esau & Hueber, a German company specializing in individual solutions in hygienic process and fermentation technology in the beverage, food, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology sectors. The...
FAO and Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley strengthen partnership to foster innovation in agrifood systems
A Letter of Intent between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley (SFNV) will lay strong foundations for an impactful partnership to scale innovative solutions and drive agrifood systems...
Haelixa joins forces with regenagri to use DNA marking technology to enhance trust in sustainable farming practices
Valley partner Haelixa and regenagri have joined forces to spearhead the advancement of regenerative agriculture. Their innovative approach to monitoring and improving regenerative farming systems and ensuring the integrity of the supply chain using forensic science....
Impact Digests | Can we scale up regenerative farming for a sustainable future?
We recently held our third Impact Forum event, featuring four distinguished speakers who shared their insights on accelerating regenerative farming practices to restore harmony with nature. The event highlighted the urgent need to adopt regenerative agriculture as a...
Bühler hosts 80 innovative start-ups as part of the Masschallenge programme
Despite a reduction in start-up funding in recent years due to challenging economic markets, accelerators continue to provide access to vital networks and resources. The MassChallenge Switzerland 2024 accelerator program connects new companies with industry experts,...
The role of Innovation, Impact and Frontline Agricultural Nations in driving global food system transformation
The role of Innovation, Impact and Frontline Agricultural Nations in driving global food system transformationBy Christina Senn-Jakobsen, CEO, Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley “I believe it’s time for us to shift our mindset and recognise how each nation can play to...
Vege’tables teams up with Planted and New Roots to drive healthier and more sustainable diets.
Smart Food consultants, Vege’tables have teamed up with leading Swiss plant-based pioneers Planted and New Roots to drive the adoption of more sustainable diets. We sat down with Vege’tables Co-Founder and CEO, Sophie Hanessian to find out more. Tell us about the key...
SFNV welcomes 23 international startups at its annual Walking the Valley event
Every year before the Hack Summit, the Valley team invites global startups to meet Swiss food ecosystem actors at our annual Walking the Valley event. This year we were thrilled to introduce 23 startups to 11 Valley partners. Watch the event recap video to find out...
Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley teams up with Nestlé and Tetra Pak to inspire collaborative innovation in sustainable packaging
On 11th June 2024, Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley, together with Valley partners Nestlé and Tetra Pak, brought together 60 Swiss and European at a nationwide event in Bern. The joint project was designed to shine a light on some of the most promising approaches in...
Teaming up for impact: ZFV Group on their partnerships with Yumame, Steasy and Food2050
Powering 200+ meeting places across Switzerland, Valley partner ZFV Group (ZFV) has more than 125 years of expertise in the fields of hospitality and catering. Fortunately for our ecosystem, they don't keep this knowledge under lock and key. They're eager to partner...
SFNV welcomes a new Steering Committee President at its 4th General Assembly
On 17th May, Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley held its 4th General Assembly in Bern. The team were thrilled to welcome Marie-France Tschudin as the new president of the SFNV Steering Committee. Watch the recap video below to get a sense of the day. Find out more...
Impact Digests | How can AI ensure food security for 10 billion people?
Last month, we held our second Impact Forum event, bringing together 5 experts to explore how we can use AI to ensure food security for 10 billion people - in just 60 minutes. Topics spanned from leveraging satellite imagery to cellular analysis to data-driven...
Christina Senn-Jakobsen: 3 key food system challenges and how we can tackle them
3 key food system challenges and how we can tackle themBy Christina Senn-Jakobsen, SFNV Managing Director “We have an urgent need for speed, scale, and collaboration if we’re to secure a resilient and livable future on this planet.” Our food systems are responsible...
Givaudan teams up with 5 global startups to transform actionable insights into efficient and delicious alt-protein choices.
Valley partner, Givaudan has launched a Plant Attitude Challenge, inviting start-ups to show how to decrease costs of one of their alt-protein recipes, while ensuring a delicious consumer experience. The contest brings to life 10 pathways to more affordable,...
Swiss innovators Givaudan and Bühler join forces with MISTA to open a new extrusion hub
Valley partners Givaudan and Bühler have teamed up with MISTA to open a state-of-the-art extrusion hub at the MISTA Innovation Center in San Francisco. The opening of this new facility advances MISTA’s capabilities in driving food innovation and highlights Givaudan's...
Agilery and Helbling to drive sustainable innovation for food and beverage brands
The food and technology industries are increasingly converging. Valley partner Agilery and Helbling saw this as an opportunity to join forces to provide strategic partnership for food brands looking to integrate innovative food and technology solutions. We spoke to...
Food Brewer and Fruitful AI join forces to drive efficiency in cellular agriculture
Switzerland-based food and food ingredients company Food Brewer teams up with Fruitful AI to use their advanced computer vision tools to create an automated media screening and cell selection platform. Food Brewer is developing a platform technology to produce food...
Impact Digests | Sustainable Protein: driving impact at scale
On 4 March, we held our first Impact Forum event, bringing together 4 experts to explore how we drive impact at scale in sustainable proteins in just 60 minutes. Topics spanned from technical innovations to the critical role of adapting interventions to diverse...
Planted launches first-of-its-kind fermented steak and expands production
Valley partner Planted, the Swiss FoodTech trailblazer for clean label plant-based meats, has launched its latest culinary innovation: the planted.steak, a game-changing fermented steak from plants that is already available across numerous foodservice outlets in...
The Valley joins forces with SGE to showcase Switzerland as a global hub for food and nutrition innovation
Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley (SFNV), a network of 140+ Swiss food innovators, has signed a strategic partnership with Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE), the official Swiss organisation for export and investment promotion, with offices in more than 30...
IWD 2024: Investing in women, inspiring inclusion
Just as in other countries around the world, female founders in Switzerland continue to be underrepresented and typically receive less funding than their male counterparts - even when research suggests that companies founded or co-founded by women tend to outperform...
Cultivated Biosciences secures $5 million in seed funding to bring alternative dairy products closer to dairy
Valley partner Cultivated Biosciences, a pioneering Swiss biotech food startup, has announce the successful closing of its seed funding round, securing $5 million to fuel its ambitious growth plans. This significant financial injection will accelerate both the...
OPINION: Christina Senn-Jakobsen: “We can only transform global food systems in collaboration with the global players”
At COP 28, Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, UAE’s minister of Climate Change and Environment said that our climate goals simply can’t be achieved without urgently creating more sustainable and resilient food systems. On the same day, 134 countries including Switzerland...
Planetary partners with Konica Minolta to optimise microbial fermentation through advanced sensors and artificial intelligence
Planetary SA, the Geneva-based biotechnology company, announced today a strategic partnership (MOU) with global leader in imaging technology, Konica Minolta, Inc. (”Konica Minolta”), to develop and implement advanced sensing, artificial intelligence (A.I.), and...
ZFV Group: The Valley’s first food service partner on innovation through collaboration
In summer 2023 the ZFV Group joined Valley as its first food service partner. In more than 200 meeting places across Switzerland, it is committed to integrated sustainability in the fields of catering, bakery, hotels, and children's catering and care. The ZFV team...
Beyond one-size-fits-all: can precision nutrition democratise health?
In the first of our Impact Platform Digests, we sat down with 3 experts from the Swiss food innovation ecosystem to explore the potential of precision nutrition. Typically seen as a tool to tackle the west’s comorbidity crisis, could it also be used to allow...
Cultivated Biosciences introduces its innovative yeast-based cream in a coffee creamer prototype
Swiss Biotech Startup and Valley partner Cultivated Biosciences has presented its first proof-of-concept (POC) using its creamy fat ingredient created with yeast fermentation. The POC, a coffee creamer, is white and clean-label, with a rich, creamy taste and...
Bühler teams up with Agroloop to provide proven insect rearing technology
Hungarian insect producer Agroloop teamed up with Bühler to use their sophisticated insect growth system for its industrial black soldier fly plant. The facility will produce up to 4,000 tonnes of animal feed ingredients per year and will be built in Üllő, Hungary....
Givaudan & Berkeley unveil new research redefining efficiency in alternative protein
In their fifth annual collaboration, Givaudan and the University of California Berkeley have released transformative research paving the way for enhanced efficiency in alternative protein. The latest white paper entitled ‘10 Alternative Protein Pathways: Opportunities...
Bühler boosts food innovation with new Application & Training Centers in Uzwil
Bühler, the Swiss technology group has this month, opened its new center for food innovations in Uzwil, Switzerland. It combines diverse competencies at a single location and sets new standards for product and process development. Four application and training centers...
Hidden costs of global agrifood systems worth at least $10 trillion
Our current agrifood systems impose huge hidden costs on our health, the environment and society, equivalent to at least $10 trillion a year, according to a ground-breaking analysis by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), covering 154...
Pymwymic and Horticoop buy in to Vivent, global leader in digital crop diagnostics
Vivent, the Swiss-based developer of “wearables for plants”, has announced that Pymwymic, a leading impact investor, and Horticoop, a cooperative of about 400 members active in Horticulture globally have acquired a significant new stake in the company to help...
Switzerland: small country, big food nation
What does it mean to be a food nation? We caught up with experts from Switzerland Global Enterprise, PeakBridge VC and the Food and Agriculture Organization and to explore what Switzerland has to offer on the global stage. The phrase “food nation” has made a number of...
HES-SO’s Sergio Schmid on projects, partnerships and pilot plants
We recently welcomed HES-SO - the largest specialized university in Switzerland - into the Valley community. So we thought it was time to sit down with Sergio Schmid, Head of the Institute of Life Technologies at HES-SO Valais, to chat about their contribution to the...
AgriFood innovation in Fribourg: an ecosystem approach
In 2022, Valley partner Canton of Fribourg launched a new agri-food strategy. Just months later, their team, supported by fellow Valley partner Cluster Food & Nutrition, has worked alongside countless local partners to transform the words on the page into a series...
YASAI AG achieves coveted B Corp Certification and is ready for expansion
Zurich-based startup YASAI is delighted to announce a significant milestone with its B Corp certification. This accolade showcases YASAI's commitment to social and environmental responsibility and the promotion of a sustainable business culture. The B Corp...