CLIB co-organised Food & Bio Global Summit launched Global Foodture Initiative

CLIB was invited by Food & Bio Cluster Denmark to co-organise the first Food & Bio Global Summit on 26-27 September 2023 in Aarhus Denmark.

The modern Scandinavian look of the Aarhus City Hall, inaugurated in 1941, was the perfect setting to discuss the transformation of the current food systems to create sustainable ecosystems. Attendees listened to keynote speakers and brief discussion panels, and provided their own input in summit labs.

CLIB had co-organised the Summit Lab on Circular Green Transition and wanted to focus on how existing and new food value systems could become (more) circular. Erik Møller Madsen of AAK stressed how this required a mindset change, where we need to reconsider side streams as valuable resources – which can at times be more profitable than the main product. As Per Henrik Larsen (Lallemand Bio-Ingredients and CLIB Advisory Board member) reminded the participants, many food systems have been circular for decades. He emphasized that yeast production has been using side streams of the sugar industry as feedstock and finding ways to valorise its own side streams in a range of applications. CLIB had also invited Timo Johannes Koch from Pfeifer & Langen present the different areas where this German sugar producer is moving towards sustainability. The approach taken the Waseabi project presented by Charlotte Jacobsen from DTU resonated with the participants: mapping the different side-streams of the fisheries industry and evaluating their potential valorisation. Tatjana Schwabe-Marković of CLIB pointed out how in the FARMŸNG project, an entirely new value chain based on large-scale insect farming was designed to be circular from its inception.

Using side streams as feedstock is not entirely straightforward, as it requires more collaboration between different actors, ensuring a steady supply the monitoring of its quality, and potentially new technologies to cope with these feedstocks. The rewards are however steady and sustainable business models.

This first edition of the Food & Bio Global Summit was a nice succes and we want to congratulate FBCD, their CEO Lars Visbech Sørensen and especially our direct contacts there (Susanne, Britt, and Heidi) for their excellent work. We are looking forward to a continued collaboration and activities of the Global Foodture Alliance.