Michal Neeman, business development and innovation expert in Israel’s food and beverage and food-tech industries, provided some thought-provoking insight during a panel discussion at the event in London, saying the most disruptive types of brands at the moment are those that are health-driven, in terms of both human and environmental health.
She said, ironically, that many successful innovations in the food and drink market are those that are looking to fix the problems caused by the food and drink market.
“After 100 years of mass production we have worked out how to feed everyone, now we are looking to fix some of the problems that have arisen.
“Successful innovations are all about saving the world and saving our health. Create products that follow those sorts of trends that are going to make a difference to the world.”
She added that one key way for large firms to be successful in the world of health, for people and the planet, is to partner up with a startups already working to provide those health benefits.
“We’ve got a lot of startups all around the world looking to solve problems in the food cycle, such as food waste, growing meat without killing animals, vertical farming and finding other sources of proteins.
“The big companies understand that they need to address these issues because they are losing customers to small brands – another big trend at the moment is ‘small is beautiful’ as customers like the ethics of small brands.
“To be successful with your innovation you have to understand the problems you are creating in your production. Somewhere around the world there’s a startup fixing that problem. Working with small companies brings results, and quick results.”