Covid-induced food insecurity has exposed under-investment in food tech, says sustainability entrepreneur

Past winner of sustainability innovation competition The Liveability Challenge says the pandemic has shown that too much money and brainpower has been invested in traditional technologies, and not enough in tech to safeguard food security.

Global supply chain disruptions brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic have exposed a lack of investment in food technology that could have eased the food security issues that have affected many parts of the world this year, a sustainability entrepreneur said on Wednesday (8 June).

Speaking at the grand finale of sustainability solution competition The Liveability Challenge, former winner Eugene Wang, the founder of a firm that makes meat substitutes from microalgae, said that the investment community has been too preoccupied with communications and internet technology, and insufficiently focussed on tech that can improve agriculture and food production, supply and distribution.

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https://www.eco-business.com/news/covid-induced-food-insecurity-has-exposed-under-investment-in-foodtech-says-sustainability-entrepreneur/

The Liveability Challenge 2020 Grand Finale

If you had S$1 million to invest in a sustainable solution, would you choose to produce alternative protein from cell or plant-based sources? Invest in biodegradable packaging film from food waste or sidestreams? Or back greener technologies that drastically reduce greenhouse gas in our atmosphere?

This 8 July, we bring you the highly anticipated The Liveability Challenge 2020 Grand Finale, where seven teams will pitch their food production, circular packaging and decarbonisation solutions for cities in the tropics.

Following a 6-month journey, seven finalists have beaten more than 400 other applicants from over 60 countries to earn a place at the grand finale. They must convince a panel of Asia’s most renowned investors that they deserve the ultimate prize of up to S$1 million in project funding and other exclusive opportunities.

Who will walk away as the Grand Winner of The Liveability Challenge 2020?

You’re invited to witness history in the making on Wednesday, 8 July at 2.30 pm. Watch the pitches, hear from the Grand Winner of the 2019 edition, and gain insights at our plenary discussion on future-fit business models with the region’s leading opinion leaders.

full event information, please visit
https://events.eco-business.com/events/the-liveability-challenge-2020-grand-finale

Not your average pond scum: Could algae win the alternative protein race?

These tiny organisms at the base of the food chain pack a nutritional punch and require a fraction of the land and water needed to produce the same amount of beef. But can foodtech firms convince meat lovers to make the switch?

Algae—tiny organisms at the base of the food chain that pack a nutritional punch—could be the next big thing in plant-based protein, if recent developments in Singapore are any indicator.

Last month, Californian plant-based seafood company Sophie’s Kitchen won S$1 million from Temasek Foundation, a philanthropic organisation, for its plan to produce microalgae from food waste and “transform Singapore into a protein export powerhouse”.

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https://www.eco-business.com/news/not-your-average-pond-scum-could-algae-win-the-alternative-protein-race/

Beyond burgers: Asia puts twist on alternative meats

FROM lab-grown “seafood” to dumplings made with tropical fruit instead of pork, rising demand for sustainable meat alternatives in Asia is spawning creative products to appeal to local palates.

Meat and seafood consumption in Asia is projected to soar, fuelled by growing middle classes in booming economies, but green groups warn of the environmental damage such a trend could bring.

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https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/consumer/beyond-burgers-asia-puts-twist-on-alternative-meats-0

以较低能源生产分离蛋白粉 苏菲厨房赢宜居挑战百万元

以较低能源和资源的生产方式用微藻制造出可媲美海鲜类的分离蛋白粉,可用来制造素肉与人造奶等产品,这项研究为食品公司苏菲厨房(Sophie’s Kitchen)赢得宜居挑战的百万元奖金。

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https://www.zaobao.com.sg/news/singapore/story20200115-1021188

Microalgae’s major opportunity for alternative protein product development – Sophie’s Kitchen

Plant-based seafood firm Sophie’s Kitchen is now producing food-grade protein from microalgae, with firm confident it can become a long-term and more sustainable solution to animal and traditional plant-based proteins.

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https://www.foodnavigator-asia.com/Article/2019/08/21/Microalgae-s-major-opportunity-for-alternative-protein-product-development-Sophie-s-Kitchen

Sustainable plant protein wins The Liveability Challenge 2019

Sophie’s Kitchen, a firm that makes a sustainable plant protein, is the winner of The Liveability Challenge 2019, a global search for ideas to make Southeast Asia’s cities more liveable and resilient.

Its idea emerged on top of a shortlist that included a 3D printer that uses organic materials, a low-energy airconditioning unit, a drink cup rental service, an energy-efficient data centre, and a system that converts diesel engines to hydrogen.

The protein, made with microalgae, can be used in anything from dietary supplements and cooking oil to biofuel, and will become part of a global market for alternative protein set to be worth US$16 billion by 2025, according to Eugene Wang, Sophie’s Kitchen’s co-founder and chief executive.

In pitching his company’s sustainable protein, which will be available for US$2 a kilogram, Wang explained that while growing a tonne of protein from beef uses 141 hectares of land, to grow his protein requires just 0.02 hectares of land.

We want to turn Singapore into a protein powerhouse.

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Sophie’s Kitchen wins $1m green challenge with food-grade protein using microalgae

SINGAPORE – A Singapore-registered company has won the annual Liveability Challenge, a global call for companies to come up with innovative solutions for clean energy and sustainability in tropical cities.

The competition saw an intense battle with over 300 entries from 51 countries fighting for the award sponsored by local non-profit organisation Temasek Foundation.

From hydrogen-powered engines to edible protein made from food waste, the contest pitted solutions to make cities in the tropics greener.

Sophie’s Kitchen was named the winner on Friday (June 7) at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre at Marina Bay Sands.

The team beat five other finalists to walk away with $1 million in funding for their technology to produce food-grade protein using microalgae as an alternative to animal- and plant-based protein.

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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/sophies-kitchen-wins-1-million-liveability-challenge-with-food-grade-protein-using