04.02.2019

Bühler facilitates the development of healthy food products

Uzwil SG - The Future Food Initiative aims to develop healthy food products and sustainable packaging. The Swiss federal institutes of technology ETH Zürich and EPFL (Ecole polytechnique féderale de Lausanne) have launched the initiative together with industry partners Givaudan, Nestlé and Bühler.

According to a press release by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), the Future Food Initiative provides an opportunity for “young researchers who are aiming to become highly qualified experts in basic research or industry, or who want to start companies”. It has launched the initiative in cooperation with the EPFL (Ecole polytechnique féderale de Lausanne) and industry partners. In the next five years up to 50 international talented individuals are to receive financial support. The first call for fellowship applications will focus on the potential of ancient plant varieties for food production and alternatives to animal proteins in milk.

The Future Food Initiative is funded by industry partners Bühler, Givaudan and Nestlé. They will be providing 4.1 million Swiss francs in donations. “We are stepping up as an industry to address challenges in the food value chain,” says Stefan Scheiber, CEO of the Bühler Group, in a press release by the technology group from the St.GallenBodenseeArea. “Bühler’s ambition is to create innovative and sustainable solutions, partnering with leading research institutes, industrial partners, and promising start-ups in the world of food”. According to the press release, the Future Food Initiative will "lay the foundations for safe access to affordable food” and therefore “make an important contribution to addressing the global challenges of hunger and malnutrition”.