EIT Food VI Innovation Forum

Since its first edition in 2018, the EIT Food Innovation Forum has evolved and this year, the sixth edition positions itself as a key event for professionals around achieving healthier lives through food.

The traditional approach of the agrifood industry is going through a fundamental transformation. Therefore, the VI EIT Food Innovation Forum, hosted in collaboration with the Food4Future event, gathers professionals from the entire value chain at the BEC in Bilbao to show how targeted nutrition will revolutionise the food industry. Registration to the Innovation Forum grants access to the Food4Future fair.

Experts from the agrifood industry, researchers and agents of innovation will join to find the right solutions to the challenges that threaten the agrifood system. Do you dare to share your views?

More information about Food4Future

AGENDA (Download it here)

• 10.00 - 10.15 | Welcome

• Host: Elvira Domingo, RIS Programme Manager

• 10.15 - 10.35 | Institutional Opening

  • Begoña Pérez Villareal, Director EIT Food South

• 10.35 - 11.00 | Keynote | Fueling Health: Healthier Lives Through Food: The Power of Food in Preventing Non-Communicable Diseases

Addressing systemic challenges is crucial in reducing the barriers to healthier food choices. To create healthier food environment, it is important to promote healthy eating, improve food labelling and provide consumers with better access to healthier products and actionable information. While individual behavior change is important, it can be challenging to achieve without systemic changes. Join us in our efforts to create a more sustainable and health-conscious food system by addressing the root causes of poor dietary habits.

Abbie Roberts, Strategic Programmes Executive at EIT Food

Lorena Savani, Innovation Programme Manager at EIT Food

• 11.00 - 11.30 | Keynote | Sweets for a Better Future: Spanish Confectionery Industry's Nutritional Commitment and National Plan to Tackle Childhood Obesity?
  
  Spanish confectionary industry has pledged to improve nutrition and reduce childhood obesity by reducing portion sizes, increasing fiber, and reducing saturated fat and sugar in their products. A strategic plan has been put in place for this commitment in Spain. Don't miss this talk where various challenges and opportunities pertaining to the improvement of the health and well-being of our society will be highlighted!
  
  Ruben Moreno Pardo - Secretary General PRODULCE. (Asociación Española del Dulce)
   
• 11.30 - 12.15 | Round Table | The Power of Balance: When Healthy People need to live in a Healthy Planet
  Moderator: Lorena Savani, EIT Food Innovation Programme Manager
  
  Sustainable diets are key to promote health, protect the environment, and support local communities by using resources efficiently and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These diets are essential for achieving sustainable development and addressing global challenges, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and food insecurity. Find out more about how to meet the nutritional needs of individuals by minimizing the impact on the environment.
  
  Petra Wagner, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology 

Begüm Mutus, Sabri Ulker Foundation 

Antonio Torres, Nutrition & Sustainability Manager, General Secretary DANONE

• 12.15 - 13.00 | Open Innovation | One Size Doesn't Fit All: Unlocking the Best Nutrition with Personalisation

  
  Moderator: Juan I. Zaffora, Regional Startup Manager
  By harnessing the power of data, personalized nutrition has the potential to optimize our health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. During this event, Ektah and L3M Technologies will showcase their innovative solutions for effective weight loss and improved overall health. Additionally, Nutrinomics will present a cutting-edge tool that combines science, data, and precision nutrition to combat chronic diseases.
   

Jose Rámon Cid Constela, CTO Nutrinomics 

Rodrigo Jesús, CEO Salus Optima

Xavier Boidevezi, Ektah

Michael Collier, L3M Technologies  Mclaren
 

• 13:00 - 13.30 | Protein Adventure: The Joy of Diversified Proteins on Your Plate

  Moderator Juan I. Zaffora, Regional Startup Manager
  
  Proteins of animal origin are of higher quality thanks to their ammino acid content and good digestibility. However, high consumption of protein rich animal food is associated with adverse health effects and higher risk of NCDs. There is an urgent need to increase the diversification of proteins in the diets, of plant origin and recent introduction, for both human and planet health.

Mario M. Martinez, Associate Professor at Aarhus University

David Lacasa, Partner at Lantern

Deniz Koca, Coordinator / Director of Studies - BIOECONOMY Graduate Reseach School at Lund University

Guilherme Ferreira, Director Protein Manufacturing at Protera

• 13.30 - 14.00 | Expert 2 Expert Talk | "Nutrition & Innovation: how the EU changing regulatory landscape can shape the future of our food system"

   

The COVID pandemic dramatically accelerated certain changes in our food system. From digitalization to increased attention to nutrition by consumers, from the development of more sustainable frameworks to the research of new sources of proteins, innovation is running faster than regulation. The EU, with its Farm To Fork Strategy (F2F), is trying to catch up with such changes while keep granting the smooth functioning of the Single Market.In this context, tools like the Novel Food Regulation (NFR, Reg. EU 2015/2283) and the Nutrition Health Claims Regulation (NHCR, Reg. EC 1924/2006) are often perceived as an obstacle to innovation, due to high level of protection of consumers granted by the EU procedures. On top of that, some Member States are questioning the safety of certain novel foods or trying to restrict their marketing on a questionable scientific and legal basis.

Cesare Varallo, Food Lawer and Partner at LegisLAB