Last Thursday, the 14th of April, IFFI organized three lectures at the Food Technology event in the Brabanthallen, Den Bosch. 

We started off with a lecture by Maiko van der Meer, co-founder of NOVISH, a plant-based fish company. NOVISH is a start-up. Nevertheless, Maiko believes start-ups cannot lead the way towards sustainability: it is the entire industry that needs to change in that direction.

The plant-based fish NOVISH develops are a direct result of the technological advances. 

Boot, consultant in food, explained how “technology affects all elements of the food chain”. 

At the level of the consumer, for instance, nutrition becomes more personal – it is possible with DNA profiling to find the missing nutrients in a consumer diet that keep him from achieving optimal health. At an agricultural level, technology makes possible certain farming methods like precision farming, hydroponics and vertical farming. Technology further affects logistics, facilitates waste reduction, menu management and all in sales planning.
Boot brought to us the advantages technology brings to the table, the opportunities that are at hand.  

Huib Vermuilen, director New Business Development at Codrico, continued in Boot’s direction by explaining how Codrico uses their technology of extrusion to create proteins using flour and legumes. Codrico is specialized in extrusion and traditionally uses masa and makes it applicable as a base for tortilla products. In response to the protein transition, however, Codrico resorted to producing plant-based proteins using legumes such as beans, fava beans, peas, soybeans, lupins and quinoa. The end result is an edible paste high in (plant-based) protein that can be used for instance for application in vegan and vegetarian products. Furthermore, Codrico is equipped to transport large quantities as they are located by the water.

The presentations allowed room for questions and we were glad to have such an interactive audience. The message of the day was clear: the future is plant-based and sustainable. The challenge lies in finding ways to fulfill these two demands while at the same time making profit.