Food 2.0’s first co-innovation project FoodID receives positive funding decision from Business Finland

Business Finland has awarded funding to FoodID, the first co-innovation project under the Food 2.0 programme. The project has also been accepted into the Global Centers research programme, led by the US National Science Foundation (NSF) and jointly operated by six countries, which aims to find breakthrough solutions to global challenges.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) organises thematic international Global Center programmes each year. This year, the programme’s call for funding focused on the bioeconomy, with bioforests and biodiversity as the main themes. Three consortia from Finland were selected for the Global Centers programme, of which FoodID is one.

– The success of Finnish project proposals in the tough international competition and in gaining access to the US Science Foundation’s research programmes shows that we are a sought-after R&D partner to tackle global challenges. In this context, long-term national funding also plays an important role, as these projects are expected to produce breakthrough solutions for international markets only years from now,” says Timo Metsä-Tokila, Director of Business Finland.

 FoodID project diversifies the global food system

The FoodID project will develop new sustainable processes based on the production of alternative proteins and lipids from plants through fermentation. Digital tools will play a key role and the project will leverage global networks of academic and industrial partners, maximising the impact of the results. The development of digital tools for the project is funded by the Academy of Finland. The three-year international project is coordinated by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

In Finland, industry and research partners are working together to achieve jointly set goals. The Finnish coordinator is VTT and the total budget is around €10 million. The project partners are VTT, University of Helsinki, Fazer, Valio, MeEat, Enifer Onego Bio, Solar Foods and Bionto. Five of the industrial partners have their own research projects linked to public research. Below are descriptions of the companies’ objectives in the project.

In the Food 2.0 programme, the project is linked to two sub-themes: Future Products and Technology Breakthrough. The project manager of Valio’s own project is Dilek Ercili-Cura.

“We are delighted with the positive funding decision of FoodID. With that, we are able to continue our efforts in designing and building a more resilient food chain, prioritizing sustainability and nutritional quality, both at company and national levels and through valuable international collaboration”, says Dilek Ercili-Cura.

Objectives of business projects:

– Fazer Confectionery’s project aims to explore alternatives for future sustainably produced raw materials. One of the key ingredients in Fazer’s confectionery production is cocoa. With climate change threatening traditional cocoa growing areas on the equator, there is a need to explore alternative ways of producing cocoa. Research will focus on advanced ingredients and products: alternatives to cocoa, healthier and more sustainable solutions (sugar substitution) and the potential of fermentation-based technologies. This project will look at established processing methods that produce tasty, healthy and sustainable raw materials for confectionery production. Efficient use of materials and circular economy concepts are also essential for future food systems. The project also includes a work package focusing on identifying ways to better understand future consumer behaviour and regulatory developments in different markets.

– In its project, Valio is developing food solutions that combine microbial food components with traditional ingredients and circular economy solutions through the use of side streams. Research will focus on how to improve sensory and nutritional quality through hybrid solutions. The project will seek to better understand what consumers think about novel foods and explore the feasibility of novel foods, for example from a technical and economic point of view. Valio will continue to work with Enifer on the use of mycoprotein as a protein and fibre-rich food raw material. In the field of cellular agriculture, Valio is working with a variety of partners.

– The MeEat research project is developing new technologies for the utilisation of Finnish fermented broad beans. The aim of the project is to meet the growing consumer demand for new plant proteins and to provide the industry with innovative raw material alternatives. The project draws on the extensive expertise of Finnish research institutes and the global academic and industrial networks established through the FoodID project.

– Enifer’s aim is to further investigate the nutritional and functional properties of its PEKILO mycoprotein ingredient in food and to develop technologies to modify them.

– Onego Bio produces egg white protein (bio-protein) without chickens by means of a precision fermentation process. Onego’s highly scalable technology meets the growing needs of the food industry and has a 90% smaller environmental footprint compared to conventional egg production. In this project, Onego Bio, in collaboration with VTT, is investigating the processing and utilisation of side streams as raw material in its fermentation process. The use of side streams from the food industry has the potential to further improve the sustainability of alternative protein production and increase the circular economy and efficiency of the food system.