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BASF Convenes Scientists, Leaders at Symposium to Discuss Sustainable Food Solutions

On Tuesday and Wednesday in Chicago, BASF is hosting a Science Symposium, gathering academics and thought leaders from a variety of disciplines to discuss the challenge of sustaining global food production.The event, “Sustainable Food Chain – From Field to Table,” is part of BASF’s yearlong program to celebrate its 150th anniversary, during which it will collaborate with multiple stakeholders to “co-create” solutions to global issues including smart energy, food and urban living.

By Brynn McNally | Published 9 years ago | About a 2 minute read

On Tuesday and Wednesday in Chicago, BASF is hosting a Science Symposium, gathering academics and thought leaders from a variety of disciplines to discuss the challenge of sustaining global food production.

The event, “Sustainable Food Chain – From Field to Table,” is part of BASF’s yearlong program to celebrate its 150th anniversary, during which it will collaborate with multiple stakeholders to “co-create” solutions to global issues including smart energy, food and urban living.

Attendees will discuss topical focus areas including organic synthesis, metabolic engineering & plant science, agriculture, and food & nutritional science. They will also discuss how to enhance crop yields, how to advance plant science at the molecular and physiological level to impact crop productivity, and how to improve the delivery of quality food to consumers.

“With a projected 9 billion people to feed by mid-century, the need for building greater efficiency, flexibility, and resiliency into the food supply chain cannot be overstated,” said Dr. Martin Brudermüller, Vice Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of BASF SE. “Addressing these challenges will require innovation along the whole food chain. This is why we are bringing experts from various disciplines together in Chicago.”

In addition to the Science Symposium in Chicago, BASF plans to host experts from the food industry in an event entitled, “Creator Space-The Future of Food.” Launched in Washington D.C. earlier this year, the initiative brings together over 40 food industry professionals, scientists and opinion leaders to ideate around water and nutrient management in agriculture, nutrient-rich food and personalized nutrition, and also to develop tangible proposals for the future. The aim of the event is make a tangible difference to the future of food by establishing collaborative partnerships to drive forward projects that result from the workshop. BASF hosted its first Creator Space event, focused on smart energy, in March.

BASF has played the role of convener in several corporate efforts to advance sustainability. In March, the company led a consortium of European companies to form a project to decrease production costs for renewable-based products by increasing the efficiency of raw material use and production processes. Earlier this month, BASF announced a partnership with thinkstep to market the Sustainable Solution Steering method developed by BASF for sustainable portfolio management.