Food Innovation and Regeneration

From Farm to Fork, it is critical today to help sustainable food companies to have a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental principles and advancements in food industry. Accelerating innovation means learning how to build a food system that produces healthy, sustainable food for all. Achieving innovation in global food systems requires an understanding of food chemistry, flavor, and processing. This module will introduce the complex interactions between food components, their transformations during processing, and their impact on sensory properties and human health. The course provides insights into developing functional foods and dietary guidelines for improved well-being and disease prevention.

This module offers a comprehensive examination on strategies and frameworks that foster innovation within organizations. How to practically apply an ecosystem approach that embraces diversity and prosperity? From Stage and Gate to Systems Thinking. This module introduces how to solve problems, but more importantly, how to identify opportunities and dynamics in an innovation process; learn how to manage it by leveraging user-centered analysis, co-creation techniques, and scientific and lean procedures of food development. The course explores with practical examples in the food industry, the application of design thinking, agile, stage-gate and lean startup as prominent methodologies for innovation.  The course also examines the role of organizational culture in fostering innovation. The course emphasizes the importance of creating an innovation-friendly culture that encourages experimentation, embraces failure as a learning opportunity, and rewards entrepreneurial behavior. Participants will be equipped with practical tools and frameworks to drive innovation within organizations and navigate the challenges of a rapidly changing business environment.

How is it possible to build bridges between countries and bring more sustainable practices into the food industry through “innovative and educating products” that can change food behaviors? This module will focus on food trends and new scenarios (new food production, 4.0 technologies applied to the food industry, new food culture, and identity as drivers of innovation).

The course begins by investigating the Maillard reaction and its effects on flavor, color, and potentially harmful compounds in food processing. Participants will learn how to optimize processing conditions to enhance flavor while minimizing negative substances. Participants will then examine the impact of various food processing techniques on nutritional quality. They will learn about thermal processing’s effects on nutrient bioavailability and preservation of bioactive compounds. The course emphasizes innovative approaches to maintain nutritional value while ensuring food safety. Sensory analysis and flavor perception are explored in the subsequent segment. Participants will gain knowledge of advanced techniques used to assess sensory properties like aroma, taste, and texture. They will understand the factors influencing flavor perception and learn to develop consumer-friendly food products.

In this module, participants will examine how organizations can leverage external knowledge, collaborations, and partnerships to enhance innovation. The course emphasizes the importance of creating an open and collaborative culture that fosters cross-sector collaborations and embraces external ideas as a means of driving innovation. Although companies have understood that they need to take action toward being more sustainable, they sometimes make decisions that only consider the environmental perspective while foregoing other aspects. How can we implement an integral ecological approach as a framework for development, therefore systemically approaching sustainability and creating a model that is going to be resilient and inclusive? This module will focus on integral ecology and collaboration, start-up ecosystem and open innovation, and strategic product and service development.

Integral ecology means realizing the deep interconnectedness of political, economic, human, environmental, social, and cultural pillars, which is unfortunately often lacking in many large companies’ approaches to sustainability. A strategy to take care of the food system cannot ignore an important transformative factor, largely independent of governmental and institutional actions: a change in mindset, which can only come from spreading a broader awareness about food. This module focuses on regeneration, starting with the soil: regenerating the Earth must be a process and mindset that takes time, the time of nature’s cycles. It is a circle that begins with individuals returning the value of beauty to society and the economy. People and communities are expanding their vision beyond what we need today and tomorrow to what we need 20 years from now. This replaces quick fixes with completely dismantling our thinking to rebuild a more future-oriented mindset.

This module will explore key concepts and methodologies to understand and anticipate future food landscapes, analyze emerging trends, and develop sustainable strategies for the food industry. The course begins with an introduction to foresight methodologies and tools used to anticipate future scenarios in the food sector. Participants will gain practical skills in scenario planning and trend analysis, enabling them to assess and respond to future challenges and opportunities. The exploration of food trends forms a significant component of the course. Participants will examine the driving forces behind food trends, including shifting consumer preferences, technological advancements, and sustainability concerns. Through case studies and analysis, participants will learn to identify and evaluate emerging trends, enabling them to make informed decisions in the evolving food industry.

An essential focus of the course is on regeneration scenarios for the food industry. Participants will study innovative strategies to promote sustainable food production, circular economies, and regenerative agriculture. By considering environmental, social, and economic factors, participants will learn to develop scenarios that balance sustainability and economic viability. They will possess the skills to anticipate and respond to emerging trends, assess their impact on the food industry, and develop sustainable and regenerative strategies for a future-oriented food system.

Prosperity thinking is a methodological approach to designing a world that fulfills all its beings’ needs within the planet’s ecological means. This concept goes beyond the more traditional design thinking approach by putting the planet at the center. Prosperity thinking aims to enable the design of a better food system starting from a shared, inclusive idea of prosperity that encompasses not only economic growth but also social and environmental well-being. Prosperity Thinking means that we can only thrive, as well as our economy or business if the planet thrives. This module focuses on Prosperity Thinking methodology for future food systems, Future Thinking and Foresight for regeneration, Values Thinking, and food behaviors. In this module, participants will become familiar with the approach that goes beyond user-centered design to designing for human- and planet-centered growth.

Being able to “connect the dots” to design and innovate food processes, systems, and products. How do we harness creativity and technology to address today’s agribusiness challenges? How can we generate cultural and social innovation through design? This module introduces the Design method applied to the world of food and agriculture, where the designer is increasingly involved in re-designing the value chain of food systems. This module analyzes transdisciplinary and successful case studies on food and design, using the Empathy-Systems Thinking Mindset and toolkit for the Food Sector. The course delves into sustainable food production and waste valorization. Participants will discover strategies to reduce food waste, optimize resource utilization, and promote eco-friendly practices in the food industry. The course emphasizes the value of utilizing food by-products and waste streams to establish a circular economy model.

Living Labs are dynamic spaces where we host innovators and people who want to test their ideas and interact with the broader community. Smart Week program, the so-called Boot Camp, will be organized in Pollica Living Lab. The Boot Camp is based on an experiential learning approach that allows participants to engage in a based-workshop environment comprised of live experiences, challenges, prototyping exercises, teamwork-based innovation challenges, mentorship sessions, and inspirational talks presented by visionary food entrepreneurs, policymakers, innovators, and thought leaders. Held in the historic Princes Capano Castle and home of the Mediterranean Diet Study Center “Angelo Vassallo”, Pollica Living Lab espouses the protection of gastronomic pleasure and defense of biodiversity, pride for one’s own identity, and awareness of the continuous exchange between cultures, love for the sea, and roots firmly planted in the earth. The Mediterranean Diet is the perfect example of respecting the landscape, the territory, the community, and the economy, combining creativity with resilience and adaptation. It symbolizes eating together, connecting with the social and natural environments, respecting natural cycles, and promoting healthy diets, lifestyles, and well-being. The Mediterranean Diet should be proposed for its systemic approach, forward-looking mindset, and for the whole range of values that make it so sustainable: resilience, inclusivity, conviviality, and community.

Questo corso si rivolge specificamente ai dirigenti delle aziende moderne che si confrontano con le crescenti aspettative dei consumatori riguardo all’impatto economico, sociale e ambientale delle loro organizzazioni. Utilizzando modelli economici contemporanei di aziende e mercati, viene esaminata una vasta gamma di scenari strategici reali. Gli studenti acquisiranno le conoscenze e le competenze necessarie per identificare e selezionare efficacemente una posizione competitiva superiore, stabilire e mantenere un vantaggio competitivo e creare un contesto organizzativo che faciliti il successo dell’implementazione della strategia scelta. Inoltre, saranno introdotti agli strumenti analitici che li aiuteranno a prendere decisioni strategiche. Un’ampia ricerca ha dimostrato definitivamente che la creazione di modelli di business innovativi produce il più alto ritorno sugli investimenti per promuovere l’innovazione e questo corso fornisce un quadro efficace per convalidare qualsiasi strategia aziendale di alto livello e la diversificazione dei prodotti.

La maggior parte della legislazione alimentare europea e nazionale è strutturata intorno al concetto di sicurezza alimentare e ai principi giuridici volti a garantire una valutazione affidabile del rischio e una gestione efficace del rischio. Oltre alle questioni relative alla qualità e alla proprietà intellettuale, i più importanti “building materials” della legislazione alimentare sono gli atti che stabiliscono i principi giuridici, le procedure amministrative e i processi aziendali riguardanti la sicurezza alimentare e la gestione delle crisi in questo campo. Inoltre, l’intera normativa armonizzata sulla circolazione degli alimenti nel mercato interno nasce dall’esigenza di superare le legislazioni nazionali e gli ostacoli posti dalle preoccupazioni in materia di sicurezza alimentare e mira a farla funzionare armonizzando le norme e i requisiti di sicurezza.
L’obiettivo di questo corso è fornire ai partecipanti gli strumenti per comprendere appieno tutti i meccanismi sopra descritti.

Il corso si propone di fornire gli strumenti e le competenze necessarie per diventare un change maker nelle organizzazioni, passando in rassegna sia le soft skills che le hard skills necessarie per guidare il cambiamento nelle organizzazioni. In particolare, il corso approfondirà il tema del cambiamento organizzativo e di come l’innovazione e il cambiamento possano essere correttamente comunicati e introdotti nelle organizzazioni, prendendo in considerazione i seguenti argomenti: cos’è il cambiamento organizzativo e perché è così difficile cambiare (fonti di cambiamento e fonti di resistenza al cambiamento); come comunicare il cambiamento (il ruolo della percezione, della gestione visiva e del feedback); come diventare un change maker (come apprendere un nuovo modello, il lato emotivo del cambiamento e la facilitazione del cambiamento); l’innovazione collaborativa sul lavoro; l’intelligenza emotiva del team e come aumentare il capitale sociale; un approccio scientifico al cambiamento.

Il corso si propone di fornire agli studenti un’introduzione su come misurare la sostenibilità nelle organizzazioni. In particolare, si evidenzierà come il settore agroalimentare possa beneficiare di una corretta implementazione dei processi e delle pratiche di misurazione della sostenibilità. Il corso avrà un approccio “pratico”, radicato nel Life Cycle Thinking e sviluppato in conformità con i principali quadri normativi dell’UE. Gli studenti riceveranno le conoscenze necessarie per impostare una valutazione del ciclo di vita (LCA) per un prodotto, un processo o un’organizzazione. Il corso fornirà una solida introduzione teorica ma anche attività pratiche che permetteranno agli studenti di affrontare i principali aspetti critici della metodologia LCA (ad esempio, la definizione del modello concettuale, l’interpretazione dei risultati) e di acquisire una prima esperienza pratica di questi strumenti.