From packaging solutions that decrease food waste to advanced technologies that extract and add nutrients; Foodtech is an industry in rapid development. Want to keep your finger on the pulse? We’ve listed five Foodtech startups from Southern Sweden that you need to focus your business-radar on.
Foodtech: A Conscious Industry On the Rise
Foodtech is a blanket term of food sciences that aim to effectivize and develop innovative solutions for food growth, cultivation, production, distribution, and processing. Since the industry’s infancy from Nicolas Appert’s food preservation process, Foodtech has grown with sustainability in mind and investments on the rise.
“We need to feed billions of people and the population is growing. So it’s important to invest in various aspects of Food Technology such as nutrition and food processing in order to create a sustainable future.” says Federico Gomez, Programme Director of the MSc in Food Technology and Nutrition at Lund University.
A Region of Innovation
With strong ties between academia, research and business: innovation runs through the veins of Southern Sweden. For the eighth year in a row, Sweden ranks as the number one innovation leader by the European Innovation Scoreboard, and Southern Sweden is highlighted as one of the most innovative regions in Europe.
“The Öresund region is a region of innovation with a high degree of industrialization and support from the State. Innovative ideas and new things are constantly coming out.” says Federico Gomez, Programme Director of the MSc in Food Technology and Nutrition at Lund University.
Considering that 26% of the country’s national agricultural revenues originates in Skåne, perhaps it doesn’t come as a surprise that Southern Sweden and the Öresund region are becoming a hub for Foodtech innovation. So, let’s convert regional innovation into five quantifiable examples of Foodtech startups based in Southern Sweden:
With their mission to improve the wellbeing of individuals and the planet alike, Oatly AB produces oat-based products enriched with enzymes that turn Swedish oats into nutritious food. Sprung out of research conducted at Lund University by Professor Rickard Öste, Oatly production and development center in Landskrona and has expanded their products to over 20 countries around the world.
Innoscentia AB reduces food waste through the production of a cheap bacteria sensor that analyzes a product’s shelf life. The accuracy is due to the sensor’s ability to detect the presence of volatile food components that indicate food degradation. Innoscentia was founded by Erik Lindberg and Robin Thiberg in 2015, and has since received funding from Vinnova and LU Innovation as well as won numerous awards such as the EAT-Forum Global Innovation Award in 2016.
At the crossroads between Foodtech and Biotech, you’ll find the producer of Swedish super honey: Doktorhonung. As the direct result of research carried out at Lund University by Tobias Olofsson and Alexandra Vásquez, Doktorhunung has unlocked the secret to keep 13 lactic acids bacteria, which previously couldn’t survive outside of the beehive, active in their Swedish raw honey. Their products, H13, has a plethora of health benefits that helps with digestion and to fight harmful bacteria. Doktorhonung is owned by the Swedish biotech company ConCellae AB.
Local Food Nodes has a mission: to make food local again. As an extension of an experiment carried out by Bygdens Saluhall and a Vinnova-financed pre-study, Local Food Nodes promotes local agricultural and economic development by directly linking produce between customers and local food producers through a digital tool. With the help if the platform, customers are presented with an array of local food that they can book and later pick up at designated sites.
The Lund-based company Sensefarm AB develops tech products which allows precision farming by measuring soil moisture, precipitation and temperature of produce and plants. It all started with the development of sensors to prevent sugar beets from freezing damage, and has since grown to encompass a plethora of crucial factors for the wellbeing of produce.
Honorable mentions:
Simris Alg: The company produces algae-based food supplements and is located in Southern Sweden, but didn’t make the list due to its status as a publicly listed company.
Näraffär / Wheelys: Originating from Höganäs, the Swedish digital self-service store Näraffär has recently been purchased by Lund founded Wheelys.
