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Fasten your seatbelts: The Presentation of #FIGM18 and #FF4CC in Rome

Over two months, 16 student-researchers of 10 nationalities will travel to 12 cities and 10 countries around the world, starting from Italy!  We have presented in Rome,  in collaboration with Maker Faire Rome, at the Council Chamber of the Chamber of Commerce of Rome the second edition of the “Food innovation Global Mission”. The initiative, sponsored by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, will start from Bologna (Italy) on May 12th and the delegation of 16 is part of our “Food Innovation Program“, a second level international Master’s Program on Food Innovation accredited in collaboration with the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, and the Institute For the Future of Palo Alto (California). This is a two-month mission to the main food tech hubs of the world in Amsterdam, Madrid, Valencia, Berlin, Toronto, New York, San Francisco, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Mumbai and Bangkok. The delegation will meet companies, startups, universities, research centers, scientific and technological clusters and institutional institutions. The Mission’s goal is to promote a more sustainable and conscious approach to nutrition, develop new technologies and innovations in the food sector and strengthen the link between education and world changemakers. The Mission is a deep dive into research, innovation and the business world, training young talented researches to become the “future food leaders”. The delegation’s research will focus on four major issues: sustainability and circular economy, the future of proteins, agricultural innovation in increasingly “smart” rural and urban contexts and the future of food service. Each research team will give life to an in-depth publication on the subject and document their experiences. The tour will also be an opportunity to raise awareness of the excellence of Italian food culture at a global level and support Italian food companies that are successfully establishing themselves abroad. At each stage the delegation will have the opportunity to meet the research world through partnerships with prestigious international universities, but also with the community of companies and foodies representative of Made in Italy in the world thanks to the collaboration with “I Love Italian Food”, the largest international community dedicated to 100% Italian food. The entire mission will be animated by the “Future Food 4 Climate Change” campaign, which will feature hundreds of advocates and influencers all over the world, with the support of the Youth Climate Leaders Network, the most important “Climate Co-Lab “of young people of the world. Testimonials of the #FF4CC campaign with be shared by the activist and well-known American entrepreneur Marc Buckley, founder of one of the most well-known healthy sustainable beverage operations in Germany, and coordinator of Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project for Austria and Germany. The tour will touch some of the most important cities in the world, connecting global excellence of innovation linked to the agri-food chain. A mission exploring Fab Lab accelerators and business incubators, research centers and markets, to discover “local food heroes”, experimenting with “food rituals” and studying the great “icons” of the world of food that characterize the different cultures.   Calendar
  • 12/05 – 18/05 Wageningen, Maastricht and Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
  • 19/05 – 24/05 Valencia, Madrid (Spain)
  • 19/05 – 24/05 Berlin (Germany)
  • 26/05 – 31/05 New York (USA)
  • 26/05 – 31/05 Toronto (Canada)
  • 31/05 – 12/06 San Francisco (USA)
  • 13/06 – 21/06 Hong Kong (Hong Kong)
  • 13/06 – 21/06 Tokyo (Japan)
  • 22/06 – 01/07 Shanghai (China)
  • 02/07 – 09/07 Mumbai (India)
  • 02/07 – 09/07 Bangkok (Thailand)
  Delegation:
  • Alejandra Ramirez Troncoso (Colombia): Designer,
  • Amr Ahmed Ahmed Elshahawey (Egypt): Social media influencer, celebrity chef
  • Ashleigh Jade Forster (South Africa): Food Scientist
  • Auriane Borremans (Belgium) Hotel and Tourism management and Culinary Leadership Innovation expert
  • Anusha Murthy (India): Engineer food expert
  • Bernadette Nikole Maligalig (Philippines): Food Scientist
  • Diana Moreno (Colombia): Designer
  • Christopher Howard Paige (USA): Food Lawyer
  • Elizabeth Yorke (India): Culinary Artist
  • Farah Al-nahhas (Jordan): Culinary Artist
  • Julia Dalmadi (Hungary): Food Entrepreneur
  • Kerong Wang (China): Biotechnologist with specialization in Toxicology
  • Ladeji Abimbola (Nigeria): Psychologist and Entrepreneur
  • Lise Van Wijk (South Africa): Food Scientist
  • Murray Elphick (South Africa): Food Scientist
  • Zachary Porges (USA): Food International Entrepreneur
    Team Leaders:
  • Sara Roversi (Italy): Founder of Future Food Institute – Head of the Food Innovation Global Mission
  • Matteo Vignoli (Italy): Food Innovation Program Director – Trustee of the Food Innovation Program
  • Claudia Laricchia (Italy):Future Food Institute – Head of Institutional Relations & Global Strategic Partnerships
  • Beatriz Jacoste Lozano (Spain): gastro diplomat – FIGM team leader
  • Simona Grande (Italy): Food Makers Expert – Social Innovator – FIGM team leader e media coordinator
  • Chiara Cecchini  (Italy-USA): co-founder Future Food US – program manager
In support of the Program and the Food Innovation Global Mission, partnerships with large companies in the agri-food sector including production, packaging, food safety and catering, including Barilla s.p.a., Tetra Pak and CAMST – La Ristorazione Italiana Soc. Coop. at r.l. Technical partners: Arte Facta, 24 bottles, Ecoalf. Corporate partners of the Food Innovation Program also include CIR, Martinez Group, Amadori, You Can Group and Cantine Riunite. Institutional and Knowledge partners of the Food Innovation Global Mission are: The Climate Reality Project Europe; GFAR (Global Forum on Agricultural Research and Innovation fondato da FAO e Unione Europea); UNIDO ITPO Italy (Agenzia delle Nazioni Unite per lo Sviluppo Industriale dei Paesi in Via di Sviluppo); Ministero degli Affari Esteri del Governo Italiano; DISBA CNR, Dipartimento di Scienze Bio-agroalimentari del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche; Federalimentare; Google Food, Philip Kotler Marketing Forum; Youth Climate Leaders Network; FoodInnopolis and Thailand Management Association (Bangkok, Thailand); Walk for Water, Organizzazione non governativa con sede in India; Camera di Commercio Italiana ad Hong Kong; Intesa San Paolo; Camera di Commercio Italo-Germanica (AHK Italien); We don’t have time; Food Inspiration Magazine (Netherland); I Love Italian Food; Comune di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia Innovazione, Fondazione Manodori; PAUSE – Reggio Children; IDEO;  Maker Faire Rome e Make Foundation, VRD, Epoca, Regione Emilia-Romagna, Legacoop Emilia Ovest, Confindustria Emilia Romagna, Fondazione E35, Food Tank, Food Tech Connect, Vazapp, Rural Hub, AGI (Official Media Partner). WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT #FIGM18 “Our mission is to inspire and value talented people, companies and communities, to improve economic prosperity, sustainability, climatic conditions and people’s health by rethinking how food is produced, distributed, consumed: the Food Innovation Global Mission is one of the most unique projects in the world that since the last edition, has allowed us to create bridges between the excellence of Made in Italy and the great pillars of innovation worldwide, generating opportunities for development for the entire ecosystem “, commented Sara Roversi, Founder of Future Food Institute. The Director of UNIDO ITPO Italy, the United Nations Agency for the Industrial Development of Developing Countries, Diana Battaggia, declares: “For a real inclusive and sustainable agri-food revolution for the benefit of developing countries, we need the the courage of young innovators and the quality of ideas to bring lasting changes to developing countries, freeing the true potential of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development goals. Participation in the Global Mission will be the first step in a strategic collaboration that will take us to the 3rd edition of our “International Award for Innovative Ideas and Technologies on Agribusiness”, a powerful tool to identify the best global solutions with high potential to improve the socio-economic conditions of developing countries.” “The combination of innovation and tradition is fundamental,” said the Honorable Paolo De Castro, Vice President of the Agriculture Commission of the European Parliament, “innovation creates new food products that, successfully, will become tradition; thus giving life to a real synergy and continuity between past and future.” On the Food Innovation Global Mission, Minister Giovanni Umberto De Vito, of the General Direction Promotion of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, declared: “Italy has an extraordinary agricultural and food heritage that – for the respect of traditions and territorial peculiarities, for the attention paid to the quality and sustainability of productions – is appreciated all over the world. The innovation applied to the agri-food sector, upstream and downstream of production processes, constitutes in this context an important lever to establish itself in foreign markets and to grow Italian companies internationally. Once again this year the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has given its patronage to the initiative called the Food Innovation Global Mission for the meritorious effort of the organizers to bring together the knowledge of the business world, research and training institutes in order to intercept new trends related to to the world of food and nutrition. Therefore, I wish to congratulate you on this initiative of the Food Innovation Program of Reggio Emilia.” German-based American entrepreneur Marc Buckley, coordinator of Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project for Austria and Germany and representative of the World Economic Forum said: “Food Innovation Global Mission from the Future Food Institute is addressing the top 3 ways to stop and reverse Global warming and the effects of climate change. Global Food Reform through Food Innovations for the future, Empowerment, and Systemic approach Research and Education. I am excited to be part of this movement in the right direction. Agriculture, Food and Beverage production with all its complex facets is the key to solving the worst problem Humanity has ever faced.“ The Director of the DISBA CNR, Department of Bio-agro-food Sciences of the National Research Council, Prof. Francesco Loreto, said: “The new challenges for research in the agri-food sector are linked to the relationship between tradition and innovation. On the one hand, defending and enhancing traditional products means providing scientific content to the well-known quality of the food sector in Italy and to the Mediterranean diet. On the other hand, innovating in the food sector also means responding to global challenges, from climate change, to the sustainability of the planet, to changing styles and life expectancy. Valuing traditions and producing innovation in the food sector are two complementary objectives that research must pursue with conviction and without conditioning to respond to needs and produce well-being for the whole of humanity. The Future Food Institute’s Food Innovation Global Mission is made up of people and institutions that are authoritative in the sector, to improve the agri-food and nutritional production models, and we are happy to have signed a three-year agreement with the FFI that marks a common path to teaches the enhancement of research in the agri-food sector .” Alessandro Squeri, President of the Youth of Federalimentare declared “Future Food, with its Master Food Innovation Program represents the most advanced training and research project on Food Innovation present in Italy. It is not just a national know-how collector, but, through the Global Mission, it acts as a bridge to the most important innovation centers in the world.” “As young agricultural entrepreneurs, we applaud initiatives like yours that focus on young people and innovation in agri-food,” Raffaele Maiorano, president of the Youth of Confagricoltura and Vice President of GFAR said. “An attention on innovation and research is fundamental for agriculture, because they will allow us to overcome the different challenges that our industry faces and that we continue to look at globally. Looking to the future, therefore has become a necessity for those involved in agri-food. Product innovation, although important, however, is not sufficient, if it is not accompanied by that of thought. Our partnership with FFI, which was successfully tested during our Intelligent Wayfinders path, has not stopped .”