We can and must redesign the way we produce our food to allow nature to
replenish itself — which it must be allowed to do in order to help sustain human
life on earth. To help accelerate this change, the Ellen MacArthur
Foundation, in partnership with the
Sustainable Food Trust, is launching a
challenge that will bring together producers, retailers,
startups
and suppliers to embrace circular food design.
A heavy industrial reliance on monocultural
approaches
to growing our food around the world has critically depleted the nutrients in
our soil; between the way food is produced and the egregious amount that is
wasted along the
way,
industrial agriculture has not only become one of the world’s biggest emitters
of climate-changing greenhouse
gases —
more and more studies project that current models of food production will not
be able to feed the world
sustainably
in the not-too-distant future.
“We know the problems,” says Dame Ellen
MacArthur, founder
and Chair of Trustees of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. “The current food
system is a key driver of biodiversity loss and accounts for a third of global
greenhouse gases. By applying the principles of circular design to our food
system, we can create food that regenerates
nature
and tackles some of our most pressing global issues.”
The past few years have seen an explosion in innovations aimed at [redesigning
our food system for long-term
resilience
— with startups
upcycling,
3D-printing,
fermenting
and
cultivating
a host of planet-friendlier alternatives to some of our most popular (and
environmentally harmful) foods. The Big Food Redesign
Challenge will build
on this, tasking participants with designing new food products (and/or
redesigning existing ones) using circular design principles — meaning they are
produced in a way that eliminates waste and regenerates nature. By applying
principles of circular design, participants will explore the potential for food
to tackle biodiversity
loss
and address climate change.
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Participants will be supported throughout the Challenge, with the first designs
expected towards the end of this year. Successful food product ideas will then
be invited to go into production and made available in 2024. The Challenge was
launched this evening (24 May) in London at the Barbican’s Conservatory,
with guests from across the food industry.
The Big Food Redesign Challenge is generously supported with funds raised by
players of People’s Postcode Lottery and awarded through the Dream Fund,
with additional support provided by the Schmidt Family Foundation.
“We’re delighted to be involved with the global Big Food Redesign Challenge and
look forward to stocking our shelves with some of the innovative products that
are being created with nature in mind,” says Ben
Thomas, Senior
Environment Manager at the John Lewis Partnership. “Our customers are
thoughtful shoppers who trust us to offer responsibly sourced produce; and we
can't wait to hear their thoughts on the new products developed for the
Challenge.”
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Sustainable Brands Staff
Published May 24, 2023 1pm EDT / 10am PDT / 6pm BST / 7pm CEST