innovation for food waste - conference keynote 5th march 2014

Food Waste: Setting the SceneTony Cooke, Co-Founder, VEX !!!!Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester Wednesday, 5th March 2014

© 2014 VEX Ventures Limited

@AntonyJCooke #foodwaste

Some scene setting questions…1. How is food security perceived as a global risk? 2. Why is food waste such an issue globally? 3. What are the UK’s priorities on food waste? 4. Who is responsible for doing something? 5. Where can we look for solutions?



About me• Academic background in sustainability, business & innovation

• BSc(Hons) Rural Resource Management (Reading Univ) • MBA (Exeter Business School) • PhD Innovation & Entrepreneurship (Exeter Business School)

!• 20 years ‘spanning boundaries’ across food, health & society

• SMEs - agriculture, wholesale/distribution • Multinationals - foodservice, manufacturing, financial services • Government - Defra, DH, DfE • NGOs - FareShare, SRA, LEAF

!• Change agent & honest broker !• Strong belief that answers can be found together !• Founded VEX as a catalyst for collaborative innovation



How is food security perceived as a global risk?

1.@AntonyJCooke #foodwaste

1. How is food security perceived as a global risk?

© 2014 VEX Ventures Limited Source: Global Risks Report 2014, World Economic Forum


1. How is food security perceived as a global risk? Spatial Variability

© 2014 VEX Ventures Limited Source: Food Security Risk 2012, Maplecroft


1. How is food security perceived as a global risk? Link to Social Unrest

© 2014 VEX Ventures Limited Source: Food Price & Social Unrest, FAO


1. How is food security perceived as a global risk? Link to Water Security

© 2014 VEX Ventures Limited Source: Water Insecurity Projected onto Gridded Cartogram of Global Croplands, Hennig (2008)


1. How is food security perceived as a global risk? Link to Population Growth

© 2014 VEX Ventures Limited Source: worldmapper.org


http://worldmapper.org

1. How is food security perceived as a global risk? Link to Population Growth• By 2050, the world will need 60% more calories to feed

9 billion people • Cutting food loss & waste levels in half will reduce that

gap by 22% (Lipinski (WRI), 2013)




YES NOQ: Do you believe we can deliver food security in 2050 through production advances alone?


Why is food waste such an issue globally?


2. Why is food waste such an issue globally? It’s not a new story…

© 2014 VEX Ventures Limited Source: New York Times


2. Why is food waste such an issue globally? Developed vs Developing

© 2014 VEX Ventures Limited Source: World Resources Institute (2013)

kcal/capita/day of food loss/waste


2. Why is food waste such an issue globally? >50% losses occur in Asia



2. Why is food waste such an issue globally?


% of kcal lost/wasted


2. Why is food waste such an issue globally? Heavy importing by some…




2. Why is food waste such an issue globally? Heavy exporting by others…




2. Why is food waste such an issue globally? Embedded food waste?Largest net exporters (i.e. Asia Pacific & Africa) are regions with:

• fastest population growth • highest levels of pre-consumer food waste %

!Largest net importers (i.e. Europe, China & Japan) are regions with:

• slowest population growth • highest per capita consumer waste • lowest levels of pre-consumer food waste %




YES NOQ: Do we need to know more about ‘embedded food waste’ in international trade?


What are the UK’s priorities on food waste?


3. What are the UK’s priorities on food waste?

© 2014 VEX Ventures Limited Source: Wikipedia (2014)

Potted History!• 1915 - Initial goal of WI • 1940 - ‘wasting of food’ illegal • 2000 - WRAP created • 2007 - ‘Love Food Hate Waste’

campaign launched • 2009 - ‘LFHW’ claimed

reduction of 137,000t/£300m • 2009 - SoS Defra ‘War on

Waste’ • 2011 - 5 flagship AD plants • 2012 - ‘LFHW’ claimed 21%

reduction of household waste


3. What are the UK’s priorities on food waste? c.50% in the household

© 2014 VEX Ventures Limited Source: WRAP (2012)


3. What are the UK’s priorities on food waste? Household food waste


Source: The Guardian (2012)


3. What are the UK’s priorities on food waste? The ‘LEAN Food Chain’


Production Storage/Transport Processing Packaging Distribution Retail

‘MUDA’ - 7 Wastes of LEAN (Taichi Ohno, Toyota Production System)!• Over-production • Defects • Over-processing • Inventory • Motion • Waiting • Transportation



YES NOQ: Do you believe the food chain could do more to reduce waste pre-consumer?


Who is responsible for doing something?


4. Who is responsible for doing something? The ‘LEAN Food Chain’


Stage Current Challenges Future PrioritiesProduction standards, uniformity, food safety Sustainable agricultural systems Demand forecasting

Seasonal weather prediction - ‘adaptive’ planning Pest, disease, weed control Precision farming techniques

Pre/post farm gate spoilage Faster/shorter cold chain Monitoring esp microbial activity

Plant research into maturation/ripening Microbial research Engineering an advanced cold chain

Technology adoption & transfer Production efficiency New customer-centric supply chain models

Process innovation - technology & engineering Demand management

Shelf life extension Information & tracking systems Consumer acceptance

Active and/or intelligent packaging technology Consumer awareness of packaging benefits

Faster/shorter cold chain Advanced supply chain tracking systems Flexible warehousing process

Consumer choice Date labelling Forecasting & inventory management

Consumer engagement in food skills CSR - retailer/consumer relationship Optimising resource efficiency


4. Who is responsible for doing something? Systemic Challenge



4. Who is responsible for doing something? Systemic Challenge


Central & local government

NGOs

Consumers

Scientists & Technologists

EducatorsEntrepreneurs

Intrapreneurs

Design Thinkers



YES NOQ: Do you believe the ‘food system’ has an appetite for finding disruptive innovations?


Where can we look for solutions?5.


5. Where can we look for solutions?


• Consumer behaviour is clearly of paramount importance • Pre-farm gate losses, handling & storage also key • But don’t forget the main reasons for these:

• Off-spec product • Demand forecasting • Contractual risk transfer to producers • Monopsony power of major retailers/manufacturers


5. Where can we look for solutions? Influencing consumer behaviour?



5. Where can we look for solutions? The 3 ‘Hypers’ - #1 Hyper-local





• Most global population growth up to 2050 will be in >1,000 new cities of <1 million people across Asia and Africa

!• These regions have worst challenges with post-harvest

losses, transportation and cold chain (c. 76%) !• Hyperlocal food production - urban/peri-urban farming

will be integral to future city design




Tainjin EcoCity, China




Aeroponics system - courtesy of Aero Farms Systems LLC




Building Integrated Agriculture (BIA) - renders supplied by A&F


5. Where can we look for solutions? The 3 ‘Hypers’ - #2 Hyper-connected


Swarm Intelligence - Technology now exists to enable millions of individuals to behave intelligently together




Frugal Innovation - Simple systems can also enable many people to behave intelligently together

Dabawallahs of Mumbai!Started in 1890 !5,000 Dabawallahs - all equal shareholders, all equal earnings !3 tiers of organisation - Council, Supervisors and Dabawallahs !Deliver 400,000 meals every day from homes to workers in city !1 error in 1 million meals !Awarded Six Sigma & ISO9001




Disruptive Distribution & Retail Models - online marketplaces connecting producers & food SMEs with consumers




From this… …to this?


5. Where can we look for solutions? The 3 ‘Hypers’ - #3 Hyper-targeted


The Internet of Everything - micro sensors everywhere enabling swift, targeted, personalised intelligence - aggregated & open




The Internet of Everything - more efficient production & logistics, improved demand forecasting, improved inventory management




The Hub of All Things!Takes the Internet of Everything… …and puts it into a marketplace. !Will deliver personalised digital data, consumer archetyping, multi-sided market platform & trust broker !‘Dis-intermediator’ - e.g. enables transfer of data directly between a product & the producer to prompt (or even automate) re-sale !RCUK research project between Universities of Cambridge, Exeter, Warwick, Nottingham, Edinburgh & UWE


www.hubofallthings.wordpress.com

http://www.hubofallthings.wordpress.com

A final thought…


A final thought… Beyond an ‘industrial paradigm’ for food?

© 2014 VEX Ventures Limited Source: Brand & Rocchi (2011), Philips Design Paper


A final thought… …or an ‘experience paradigm’ for food?



A final thought… A ‘transformation paradigm’ for food?




YES NOQ: Are you feeling optimistic that solutions can be found to tackle food waste?


Thank you !!!!Please contact me [email protected] !!!+44(0)845 527 7220 www.vexventures.com !VEX Ventures Limited | Innovation Centre | University of Exeter | Rennes Drive | EXETER EX4 4RN


mailto:[email protected]

innovation for food waste - conference keynote 5th march 2014

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