The inaugural Blue Food Innovation Summit will be in London on June 14-15. The Blue Food Innovation summit is a new chapter from the hosts of World Agri-Tech, Future Food-Tech and Animal Ag-Tech, to catalyse innovation and investment in Aquaculture. The summit hosts a diverse intersection of industry leaders and discover technologies that will be pivotal in advancing production and rebuilding the blue food ecosystem.
With the growing focus on our oceans as a source of nutritious and sustainable proteins, the Blue Food Innovation Summit will explore the opportunities and challenges in scaling aquaculture production while protecting and restoring the ocean ecosystem.
The Blue Food Innovation Summit brings together global technology leaders, start-ups, investors, retailers and aquaculture producers to build new partnerships accelerating the development of technologies that can protect and restore the ocean ecosystem. The two-day summit will focus on the transformative potential of new technologies and encourage collaboration and partnership between stakeholders across the value chain.
“Improving fisheries and aquaculture management is indeed crucial to ensure future generations continue to benefit from ocean resources and ecosystem services. We need events like this where we open up, talk to the ecosystem and collaborate,†says Laetitia Gerbe, Investment Director, Seventure Partners.
“We need new protein solutions to feed the world going forward. Investments into seaweed solutions are some of the most impactful investments there are. They have huge long-term potential for direct and secondary impact on our climate and society,†shares Jonas Skattum Svegaarden, CEO & Partner, Katapult Ocean.
The programme will feature speakers from Leroy Seafood, Aquaculture Stewardship Council, SWEN Capital Blue Ocean, Katapult Ocean, S2G Ventures, Hatch, Aqua-Spark, Nutreco NuFrontiers, Safe Seaweed Coalition, ADM Animal Nutrition, Builders Initiative and The Kingfish Company and many more.
Taking place in London and livestreamed to a global audience, the summit will connect major producers, technology providers, start-ups and investors who are developing, financing and adopting innovative solutions.
Key themes for the summit include:
• Sustainable aquafeed: Scaling alternative and novel feed ingredients
• Seaweed & algae commercialisation: Food, feed & biorefining
• Farm optimisation: Accelerating adoption of sensors, imaging & digital platforms
• RAS: Overcoming challenges to scale and diversification across species
• Fish health & welfare: Tackling disease through vaccines, feed additives & fortification
• Restorative aquaculture: Replenishing our oceans through nature based solutions
• From egg to plate: Building transparency & traceability across the supply chain
• The blue carbon economy: The viability of carbon capture as a revenue stream
• Offshore aquaculture: The role of automation & robotics in deep water farming
• Circular systems: Closing the loop through waste utilisation & resource optimisation
• Investment models: Attracting ESG, VC & growth capital into blue food production
• The edge of innovation: A deep dive into production technologies a decade from now
Keynote Speaker
Organisers have announced that Professor Manuel Barange, Director of Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, United Nations FAO will give the opening keynote address “Realising the Full Potential of the Blue Food Economyâ€. Barange will set the scene for two days of collaborative discussion and networking to accelerate technologies in sustainable aquaculture and ocean health.
On the importance of the aquatic foods sector, he shares, “As we move towards a world of 10 billion people, aquatic foods are progressively under the spotlight. Transforming the aquatic foods sector, from expanding aquaculture, improving capture fisheries and developing fish value chains is increasingly crucial to reduce growing poverty and hunger around the world.â€
Through plenary discussions, start-up showcases, fireside chats and 1-1 networking, the summit’s conversations will look across species at how we can create more circular systems and reduce the carbon footprint of aquatic foods, whilst increasing health, welfare and yield. Registration is available to join the summit in person or virtually. www.bluefoodinnovation.com
