Today, at Fiere di Parma, begins the third edition of Cibus Connect. Since 2017, this B2B event has presented the Italian food world in a special roadshow made up of talks and thematic corners that illustrate new market trends and new businesses and investment opportunities for both Italian food companies and top international buyers.
This year the Future Food ecosystem lands at Cibus Connect, supported by MiPAAFT and Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico, with a new aim: let Italian buyers discover future opportunities in the agrifood sector, among innovation, tech and care for the environment. The Bologna network will be the main curator of the Future Food Zone. This will be an area created by ITA Agency and curated by the Future Food Institute, Federalimentare and Crédit Agricole, which represents the “food revolution” and which sees the relationship between man, technology and food as an engine of change and a key tool to create a healthier world and sustainable. It will be a roadshow energised by innovative start-ups and moments of dialogue on topics such as the future of the agro-food sector, the new professions linked to food, and the relationship between food and sustainable business models.
The companies showcased in the Future Food Zone are based on a variety of themes. These include blockchain applications that guarantee Made in Italy quality and prevent supply chain related food losses (such as Authentico, the app that allows to report fake Italian food through barcode scanning, and Wenda, that tracks the integrity of food along the distribution) to management platforms for food suppliers (such as Cooki, the allergen-detector software or Agri Networking Tools and Emerge, sharing platforms for buyers and consumers).
The innovative products making up the Future Food Zone will be the protagonists of the event. These will include Reolì olive cream (cholesterol-free and as nutritious as extra-virgin oil), Beyond Meat plant-based burger (that’s distributed in Italy only by the WellDone gourmet restaurant chain), and the innovative Mashcream ice cream roll. Last but not least, Packtin will showcase their range of sustainable products produced from waste obtained from the agri-food supply chain.
In the Future Food Zone, there will be a special presentation given to Food Shapers, the book collection arising from the Food Innovation Global Mission. These four books present food hero interviews, uncovered insights and explored ideas that aim to induce positive change in the food system. The readers of Food Shapers will learn alongside the research teams, with lessons that move beyond the surface to become a deeper investigation of how food involves us in a system of social and environmental relationships.
Tomorrow in the Future Food Zone, a panel will take place in collaboration with Federalimentare and ICE Agenzia. “Italian Food Startups, The Power of Innovation” will be the moment in which the 9 companies of the Zone will describe their own experiences around traceability, sustainability and sharing and will exchange their views during a special event based on new food entrepreneurship challenges.
