The Environmental Effects of Food Startups – A Scoping Study of Sustainability Methods
Food tech developers are satisfying consumers’ appetites for environmentally friendly, biodiverse foods with insect-based proteins or self-fertilising salads. Their founders are helping big food giants adapt their business models for sustainability in our food system and move us towards a more sustainable future for it.
Food Waste Reduction and Upcycling
Food startups were founded to develop ways to reduce the environmental impact of food production as climate change and sustainability has been made mainstream. With their new technologies and new insights, these companies are offering new solutions to problems such as food waste, soil degradation, greenhouse gas emissions, etc.
And some startups are even trying to minimise their environmental impact by producing their products from upcycled ingredients. One such is Goodr, which connects leftovers from companies to local non-profits via AI to reduce food waste and thereby reduce food insecurity at the same time.
Other companies are using vertical and indoor agriculture as an alternative to reduce their footprint. Startups could reduce water and energy use – and therefore emissions – by growing plants in controlled environments. They can show that they care about sustainability by embedding sustainable practices into their business model and promoting them to the public – this will create brand affinity and consumer confidence. What’s more, when collaborating with large corporations, their sustainable food innovations will be easier to bring to market.
Collaborating with Established Corporations
Food startups trying to make their products less environmental, by finding inventive ways to partner with larger brands, in order to rapidly commercialise environmentally sound products, while also limiting financial exposure and reaching a wider audience.
ReGrained takes the breweries’ wasted grain back and Imperfect Foods purchases and ships unwanted food that otherwise would have gone to waste. Other startups are scaling fresh food shelf-life extension (Misfits Market, Goodr), or tracking supply chain logistics with data systems.
Other companies are likewise attempting to overcome the moral and environmental problems associated with animal agriculture through the production of plant-based alternatives, such as cell-based meat by companies such as Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods. This trend has attracted the attention of major food brands and led to joint ventures and investment between startups and major food brands – and gives us hope for how food will be produced in the future.
Market Validation and Credibility
The very essence of it all is food startup sustainability: attracting and retaining their target audience, becoming trusted among customers and clients. This can be done by building a strong brand with research and development support; food startups could add value by providing multiple products that set them apart from the pack.
Food startups can use big companies to establish legitimacy and validate the business model by offering access to their technology or product in exchange for funding and support from corporate partners.
Food startups have shifted the game in the fight against the most pressing issues in the world including food waste and upcycling by developing novel ways of bypassing conventional processes and ingredients. Their products can be the engines of sustainability by encouraging consumers to make more sustainable decisions in their day-to-day food choices – setting up sustainable FoodTech companies to achieve ambitious climate objectives and drive a more sustainable and equal future.
Scalability
Food startups are also focusing on creating new solutions to climate change and sustainability as they become global citizens’ top issues. From creating green protein to making green packaging solutions, food startups are devising answers to this urgent issue in various forms.
Entrepreneurs such as AKUA are changing the face of plant-based protein with their line of kelp products, including kelp jerky and burgers – supporting consumers’ shift to more ecologically sustainable diets without losing flavor or quality.
Eco-friendly companies aren’t just creating environmentally friendly products, they’re also working to reduce their carbon footprint with things such as carbon credits and emission sensors in warehouses and highways. The startups are doing wonders by blending creativity and new thinking with the assets, services, and market influence of larger companies to make our futures more sustainable for all of us. This alliance is making the world a greener place for us all.
