Fungi For Future hailed as the champions by a panel of expert judges
Fungi For Future, a project focusing on the production of mycelium-based alternatives for packaging materials, has been named winner of Lineage Logistics’ hackathon event, ‘Tackling Food Waste for a Sustainable Future’.
The event, which took place in Amsterdam this month, brought together some of the brightest minds of student and start-up teams as well as NGOs and supply chain leaders from across Europe for an intense few days of innovation, collaboration, and problem-solving.
The hackathon saw participants from various backgrounds and skill sets come together to try and tackle the challenges of food waste along the supply chain. Teams were asked to effectively track and trace the weight of food waste along various points of the supply chain. For two consecutive days, the participants crafted innovative solutions with the potential to revolutionise the approach to addressing food waste.
After careful evaluation by an expert judge panel, Fungi For Future emerged as the winning team, impressing the judges with its exceptional creativity, technical expertise, and an innovative and scalable project that focuses on the production of alternatives for packaging materials, based on mycelium.
“We are amazed by the level of talent and dedication displayed by all the participants in this hackathon,” said Harld Peters, president of Lineage Europe, on behalf of the expert jury panel representing Foodvalley NL, Van Geloven (part of McCain), Taste Before You Waste, VU Amsterdam, and Lineage.
“The ideas and solutions presented underscore the incredible potential of smart and driven problem-solvers to drive positive change in our industry.”
The winning team will receive a monetary prize and personal mentorship through a 6-month incubator program facilitated by The Waste Transformers and Lineage to develop and potentially implement their solution.
Lara van Druten, CEO of The Waste Transformers, commented: “As a global leader in on-site containerised food waste biodigesters, The Waste Transformers enthusiastically embraces the involvement of students in addressing the critical issues around food waste. As partners in this programme, we are dedicated to support Fungi For Future over the next six months to amplify their impactful ideas.
“I am very excited about the transformative potential of these young minds in revolutionising the way we handle food waste. Together, we strive for a greener, more sustainable future”.
The winning team said taking part in the hackathon had been a huge learning experience. “It was inspiring to all be working towards the same goal of reducing food waste. We look forward to taking the next step with the prize and the incubator programme.” it said.
