3 Megatrends to Drive Innovation Post COVID-19 in the Food & Nutrition Sector

The COVID-19 pandemic is driving transformation in the food and nutrition industry at a pace never witnessed before. Businesses are rushing to take steps to adapt their offerings in the face of this new landscape, one that could be altered permanently even after we make it out the other side.

The closing of borders, shortage of workers, and lockdown of out-of-home channel are posing immediate challenges to the highly globalized food sector and thus to our food supply itself.

These new ways of producing, sourcing, processing, distributing and consuming healthier foods could become the “new normal” post-pandemic.

In this webinar we will spotlight 3 megatrends that will impact the industry post-COVID-19:

1.       Reimagining and restructuring the supply chain

The current crisis has shown that the world's dependence on global supply chains is a weak link. One major take away for the food & beverage industry post-pandemic will be how to build more resilient supply chain systems. We will spotlight some of the up-and-coming technology solutions that can help the industry to build a more distributed, resilient, smaller scale and locally powered supply-chain while looking to the global reach when needed.

2.       Digitalization to take center stage

Disruptive technologies that in the past were considered novel may now be an imperative if a business is to succeed in the “next normal”. New digital technologies - artificial intelligence, smart data, blockchain, robotisation and precision farming to name a few -  present companies with exciting opportunities to boost their productivity and reduce their costs.

3.       Functional ingredients to boost immunity

We will see consumers take even greater interest in leading a healthy lifestyle and improving their diets to strengthen their immune system. Growing awareness of and interest in ingredients like prebiotics and vitamin C that boost immune health is propelling innovation in the space.

This session will give insight into some of the industry’s most pressing questions in this space:

• What are the opportunities and challenges of post-COVID?
• Which digital technologies should be considered to bring more transparency to the supply chain?
• Which functional ingredients should be considered to boost immune health?
• Where to look for the leading technologies and disruptive innovations in this space?
• Who are the players embracing this movement and incorporating these innovations into their innovation pipeline?