“The Indian economy is booming, and people are turning to food not just as a physiological need but also moving up the ladder to look at food as a form of social interaction and reconnecting with nature and each other.” -Elizabeth Yorke
In our visit to Mumbai, the Global Mission visited The Bombay Canteen, a Restaurant in the heart of the city that it prides itself in on recreating local dishes and reinterpreting age-old Indian traditions, to create an experience that toasts the old times and celebrates the new.
We couldn’t find a better place for our event “Food is a conversation: Edible Issues” hosted by two of our researchers Anusha Murthy e Elizabeth Yorke, who manage a webzine ( digital magazine) that deals with the food problems of the subcontinent Indian called Edible Issues. This event was part of a series of public discussions about innovation in the food system featuring entrepreneurs, industry experts, and policy advocates, To make us more conscientious about the future of food and learn something new.
Everything tied up with an illustrious panel composed by:
*Thomas Zacharias: Chef, The Bombay Canteen,
*Varun Deshpande: Managing Director, Good Food Institute, India,
*Dr. Kurush Dalal: Professor, Archeology, University of Mumbai
*Sara Roversi: founder of Future Food Institute.
So what would the future of Indian food look like?
At the canteen, the panel shared insights on current best practices in the system and current developments from farmer welfare to lab-grown meat.
A common theme was collaboration, awareness, e education in creating a sustainable food future.
Chef Thomas brought up the need for re-connection between how food is produced and how we perceive and consume it.
Dr. Dalal discussed in depth about the need for farming, cutting down reduction in waste of food.
Varun Deshpande, spoke about the innovations in ethical and environmentally friendly protein sources in the future, not just being lab-grown meat, but also innovating on millet and current protein rich native Indian crops.
Sara Roversi shared about how she started the Future Food Institute, and how during the Food Innovation Global Mission there are a lot of food héroes that they have discovered that are making a difference in their own communities, like for example a five star hotel in India thas is working towards creating a sustainable environment, by treating food wastes, using hydroponics to grow lettuce.
This event gave all the participants a wide view on the current situation of food distribution, sustainability, and the importance of considering alternative sources to grow food.