Lack of imagination to novel food blocks – food and drink industry challenges

“The big challenge for European food and drink businesses, I think in many cases, is regulation,” said FlyBlast CEO Johan Jacobs.

“The whole novel food package is limiting, especially if you compare it to other continents and geographies,” he says alongside other food and drink industry entrepreneurs in the video above.

A level of conservatism from both a consumer and regulatory perspective was often blocking progress, said SANI Membranes marketing manager Philip Hindsgaul-Nissen.

New food and drink ideas“Companies and people [are] being a bit too conservative and not open to new technologies and new ideas,” he said. “Both in terms of tech, but also in terms of new foods, new alternative proteins, basically just new ideas in the industries is too difficult for new ideas to get a foothold.”

Consumer demand for healthier, more sustainable and less ultra-processed foods were also – while in many cases the right direction – proving problematic as the industry seeks to navigate associated costs and other inputs.

“Trying to drive and become more sustainable and all of those companies are focused on sustainability, but doing that while focusing on price and quality is very challenging,” said Meatly CEO Owen Ensor.

The UPF debate was often driving consumers and makers into unnecessary areas, Unseen Bio CEO John Hartman pointed out.

Is the UPF debate still a problem for food businesses?“The contradictory fact that we’re basically looking to have the shortest possible way from farm to fork, but there’s a lot of evidence that proves that low or minimal processed foods are very good for you,” he claimed.

But the well-trodden issues faced by all food and drink businesses also continue to prevail as problems for the sector.

“One of the biggest challenges is how to make the best food product that is tasty, good for health and environment,” said Funki Foods CEO Sirli Rosenvald.

“To get listing in big retailers. One thing is to produce, the second is to sell. We [consumers] buy mostly at supermarkets,” added Sunfly co-founder and CEO Dmitri Eivin.