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Promotion of alternative proteins

Challenge: How can we encourage the public to consume more plant or alternative protein products?

This challenge is particularly complex and has different possible solutions. Participants who choose this challenge should decide which part of the solution to the challenge they will focus on and why this angle of solution to the problem is the most relevant to them.

Context of the challenge problem:

Cultural aspect:

Insects as food for humans have received a lot of attention in the last few years. They are now seen as a great alternative that can provide the world’s population with the protein they need in a cheaper and more environmentally friendly way. 

Insects as alternative proteins could become a very important part of a sustainable global food system. However, this new source of proteins is challenged by cultural constraints and resistance in the Western world as many Europeans reject insets as a protein altenative. 

How, in your opinion, this cultural prejudice - both in Europe and in Lithuania - against alternative insect-derived proteins could be changed?

A large part of vegetable protein production is imported:

Although plant-based proteins have become one of the most dynamically developing segments of the food production, many of such products are made from soybeans. Unfortunately, most of soybeans are imported from outside the EU. This is unsustainable due to logistical costs and the risk of disrupting the food supply chain, so digital or other innovative solutions are needed to encourage farmers to grow plant protein sources (peas, beans etc.) that could be used for local food production. The sector is facing the problem of how to cost-effectively increase the amount of crops that could be the source of plant-based proteins grown in the country?

(Un)necessity to make plant-based proteins similar to meat:

Much of the plant-based proteins production is focused on meat lovers; the aim is often to produce foods that are ‘instead of meat’ or ‘equal to meat’. From the first glance such goal seems simple and innocent. However, there is a quite big problem behind it. 

Although plant-based foods are usually a more environmentally friendly option than foods containing meat, such products need to be heavily processed and contain many additives to make them more familiar or meat-like to consumers. It is in the interest of food producers to develop less processed foods. Most importantly, it would benefit both nature and business. Therefore, it is necessary to stop processing plant-based foods and to introduce a new strategy (production, marketing, etc.) in order for plant-based and alternative protein products to be accepted by consumers. How should tis srategy look like?

New sources of alternative / plant-based proteins:

Although a number of plant-based and alternative protein sources have already been discovered, there is certainly some more untapped potential in this area. What could be new sources for protein? Why, in your opinion, they could succeed in the market?

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Sustainable aquaculture

Challenges: What solutions would reduce the number of animals dying in fishing nets? How can we monitor fish migration?

Fishing not only provides food but also poses many challenges to biodiversity. The extent of by-catches of seabirds and mammals in fishing gear is still not entirely clear. Nevertheless, one thing is clear: both, birds and seals, are killed in fishing gear. If there is no clear, scientifically-based information, Ministry of Environment cannot assess the status of the populations, and without an assessment, we do not know whether measures to achieve good status are needed. In addition, Klaipeda port is facing the problem of reducing the impact of its activities on fish welfare (especially during their spawning season). All in all, today, the following problems in Lithuania's aquaculture exists:

• no mechanism has been established for the removing fallen seabirds and seals (in particular seals due to their weight and size) from the sea and handing them over to scientists;
• there is no seal accounting system (the same individual may be counted more than once);
• there is no effective educational program for the fishing community and no attractive mechanism to encourage fishermen to use gear and tools to reduce by-catches of birds and seals and cameras on board in their activities to monitor and better know what has been caught in the gear;
• a solution that would create a system for monitoring the spawning migration of fish is needed (this system should provide information on how and when fish migrate and what their quantitative distribution over time is).

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Short food supply chain

Challenge: What solutions could allow short food supply chains to flourish?

The benefits of short food supply chains are undeniable. First of all, they allow end users to get higher product quality. From the environmental point of view, they enable more sustainable production and commercial practices. What is more, they create the conditions to reduce food losses and offer more sustainable packaging. Finally, short food supply chains allow farmers to obtain higher financial returns. By supplying products directly to consumers, food producers can reduce their dependence on intermediaries and develop independent marketing strategies. Also, they provide an opportunity to preserve the value created in such chains in local communities and to contribute to local economic and social development.

However, such practices are rare in reality due to the lack of knowledge, confidence and expertise and the often higher final prices offered for a product. 

During this challenge, you are expected to find solutions that will enable farmers - primary food producers - to implement commercially viable short food supply chains in practice. This can be a proposed business model, a marketing strategy, a mobile app or a platform for farmers' competence development. The choice is yours! The most important thing is to encourage the development of short food supply chains!

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Sustainable food packaging

Challenge: What solutions would promote more sustainable (even though more expensive) packaging?

Although the focus on environmentally friendly packaging in Europe is increasing, manufacturers are facing significant challenges in bringing such packaging to the market and finding a balance between environmental and economic sustainability. For many customers the final price has a decisive impact on the choice of the product. Large supermarkets respond to this by choosing products that can offer a better shelf price. As the price of packaging is becoming more and more important component of the final price, producers offering less sustainable packaging gain a competitive advantage.

During this challenge, you are expected to find solutions that could change the current situation. What solution could this be? Could it be a marketing strategy encouraging consumers to choose more sustainable (even though more expensive) packaging? Could it be a new packaging model that would allow packaging to be successfully "resurrected for a second life" and adapted for further use? Or maybe you can offer a solution that would reduce the cost of producing sustainable packaging while preserving the quality? You have the freedom to choose the most appropriate way to solve this challenge.

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Re-using food production by-products

Challenge: What solutions would allow companies to use food production by-products more efficiently and sustainably?

Food processing plants still leave a significant amount of by-products, which are discarded as waste or used very inefficiently. For companies this means additional costs for waste disposal. However, most of by-products can be reused and returned to the value chain. This would allow companies to implement the full circle of the circular economy and to re-use as many by-products of their activities as possible.

For example, companies are currently facing the problem that oil and juice pulp, as well as various by-products of dairy production, are re-used only as animal feed (in the best scenario). This way of re-using these by-products is both environmentally and economically unsustainable. The goal of this challenge is to discover a food by-product (not necessarily mentioned above) that is currently not being re-used or is re-used inefficiently and to suggest an efficient way to re-use it.

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Agriculture - an attractive sector for society

Challenge: What should we do if we want to change public attitudes towards the agricultural sector and present it as smart, sustainable and capable of generating high economic returns?

The agricultural sector is moving forward rapidly. Today, many advanced technologies and robotic systems are used here. What is more, saying that these days combine drivers are more often programmers than drivers would not be a lie. In addition, numerous studies show that the agricultural sector is one of the most technology-intensive sectors, which will play a more and more important role in the global economy due to the growing world population. Finally, the agrifood sector has received a record amount of private investment in recent years and this trend does not seem to be changing.

However, the majority of the public sees the agricultural sector as an unattractive and dirty sector dominated by men working hard in the fields, which does not generate any economic returns. How can we change this public attitude and present agriculture as a sector that is attractive to young people and is a source of pride for both country’s leaders and society?

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