SUSTAINABILITY AND GLOBAL WARMING

There’s clearly no better time to make a difference. “There is absolutely no doubt that humanity needs to find a solution to address one of the biggest challenges of the century: How do we feed 10 billion people properly using the only planet that we have access to? Many environmental issues – including deforestation, water and land consumption – are by-products of traditional farming methods. These inefficiencies contribute to 26% of human-produced greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. We believe that the answer to this question invariably involves developing technologies that are more sustainable than animal farming to produce tasty, delicious and nutritious food,” Andre Menezes, Co-founder & COO, Next Gen Foods. “Sustainability has never been more important, from reducing climate change to promoting biodiversity, especially when it comes to food, and our first base ingredient was carefully chosen with this in mind. Jackfruit is an extremely efficient crop with high yields and low water usage making it friendly to smallholder farmers. It is also typically grown intercropped, promoting biodiversity. 60% of jackfruit is currently being wasted, a contributor to global warming, so at Karana we’ll be reducing that wastage, while working with farmers to support the local economy,” Daniel Riegler, CO-CEO Karana. “People are beginning to realise that we can do so much for the environment and for our health by incorporating plant-based foods into diets. The fact that plant-based food start-ups have managed to successfully replicate the taste profiles and textures of animal-based products, creates an added impetus for consumers to substitute animal products and encourage adoption in their lifestyle and eating habits.” Keshav Raj, Product & Business Development Manager, Float Foods. “JUST Egg is better for planetary health too, as it requires less land, water and carbon emissions to make, and is one of the most sustainable protein sources on the planet,” Josh Tetric, CEO, Eat Just Inc.