Lineage unveils Food Chain Innovation Challenge

Lineage recently launched the Food Chain Innovation Challenge, a global competition that invites students and startups to develop and pitch groundbreaking solutions aimed at tackling food waste.

The challenge will convene bright minds at three major events Nov. 14 in London, Nov. 19 in the Netherlands, and Nov. 19 in San Francisco. Participants will present their solutions for empowering different regions of the world—from mature to emerging and developing markets—to mitigate postharvest food spoilage through affordable and scalable methods, thereby enhancing food security, quality, safety, and market access.

“According to the UN Environment Program’s Food Waste Index Report 2024, the latest data from 2022, shows 1.05 billion tons of food went to waste—an amount sufficient to nourish billions,” Greg Lehmkuhl, Lineage president and CEO, said in a news release. “This reality is stark, especially considering that over 783 million individuals globally suffer from undernourishment.

“By reducing food waste, we can significantly enhance global food security and address hunger.”

Winners from each regional event will win a cash prize. Additionally, an overall winner will be selected from the regional winners and announced in December. The grand prize winner will receive entry into an incubator program tailored to help them further refine their business development skills and scale their solution effectively.

At the events, participants will be asked to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges, concentrating their efforts in one of four specific areas:

• Reducing food waste: Introduce technologies and strategies to diminish food loss from farm to market.
• Innovative food preservation techniques: Propose novel methods that enhance food longevity and reduce spoilage.
• Access to nutritious food: Improve the logistics of food distribution to enhance the availability of nutritious foods in underserved areas.
• Data-driven insights and analytics: Employ analytics and IoT to optimize supply chains and reduce waste.

“At Lineage, we are dedicated to spearheading innovation across the global food supply chain,” Lehmkuhl said. “Through our Food Chain Innovation Challenge, we are seeking to cultivate solutions that not only tackle food waste but also advance sustainable development. We are eager to witness the emergence of these new ideas and their evolution into practical, impactful strategies.”