Biotech Heights will establish an open innovation environment, in which all participating organisations will have access to world leading laboratories and equipment for both commercial and academic purposes. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to work alongside several faculties at the University to address both the technical and non-technical challenges facing producers, brands, and manufacturers operating in this space. This, combined with Tetra Pak’s experience supporting food and beverage brands with product development, will make Biotech Heights a space to nurture and test ideas, and collaborate to share knowledge on best practices and consumer trends.
Currently, more than one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to the way we produce, process and package food. With a rapidly growing global population relying on finite arable farmland, innovation in new food sources offers one route to feeding the planet without increasing the pressure on agriculture. Scaling these new food solutions to meet the needs of future generations is far from simple, with many technological hurdles to overcome. The hub is a collaborative space, aiming to bring together unconventional players to build new knowledge and generate scalable solutions.
The hub will deepen the longstanding partnership between Tetra Pak and Lund University, combining Tetra Pak’s global food processing and packaging expertise with the research capabilities of Lund University, one of the world’s top 100 universities, enriching the region’s existing reputation as a centre for groundbreaking food innovations.
The latest insights from Tetra Pak Index 2023 show that 48% of global consumers believe that technological innovation is crucial to providing healthy food and drink in the future. However, 46% view food innovation as ‘risky’ and fear for the health implications of the same innovations. This dichotomy highlights that the challenge of scaling new food innovations extends beyond technology into consumer acceptance and education. With this in mind, the hub will include cross-disciplinary research within marketing strategies, consumer behaviour, and emerging trends. The work in this field aims to provide market leading understanding of consumer perception and branding, alongside addressing the technical obstacles facing alternative protein producers.