Nestlé co-founds Future Food Initiative

Nestlé, Bühler and Givaudan have launched the Future Food Initiative, a joint research program which encourages food and nutrition research in areas relevant to consumer trends and sustainability.

The initiative, which also includes Swiss universities ETH Zurich (Federal Institute of Technology) and the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), is funded by a donation from the industrial partners with a total amount of 4.1 million Swiss francs (about AU$5.75 million).

It provides opportunities to educate young scientists through a postdoctoral fellowship program, which is offered to those who propose projects that target issues such as affordable nutrition, production, sustainable packaging and digital health. The first research projects will focus on plant-based nutrition and ancient plant varieties.

“To address open scientific questions and strengthen the unique Swiss research ecosystem for food challenges related to food trends and sustainable nutrition is key for us as we create tasty and nutritious food for all age groups,” said Stefan Palzer, CTO of Nestlé S.A. “As one of the initiators of this important Swiss research initiative, we reaffirm our commitment to further nutrition research.”

The initiative also aligns with Givaudan’s 2020 strategy of ‘Partnering for shared success’, according to Fabio Campanile, Head of Flavours Science and Technology.

Givaudan CEO Gilles Andrier said: “As the leader in our industry, we have a responsibility to contribute to improving the sustainability of the food value chain. It is only through collaborations such as this, bringing together industry, academia and the brightest and best young scientists, that we will be able to address the future challenges of our food systems.”

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