EIT Food Challenge Labs increases consumer trust
The EIT Food RIS Challenge Labs workshop took place in Warsaw, Poland, on the last weekend of October.
More than 30 food enthusiasts with backgrounds in food technology, marketing, business, psychology and IT came together to solve current and future challenges of the food industry. During an intensive two and a half days, participants had to develop solutions that would enhance the transparency of the food chain and increase consumer trust.
The group was first introduced to challenges in the food sector presented by industry experts. After that, participants learned about design thinking and human-centred design methodologies that would help them solve these challenges.
Challenge Labs’ teams in action
Equipped with great tools, Challenge Labs’ teams discovered the needs of the customer personas by interviewing Warsaw residents, created customer’s journey and storyboards and finally built tangible prototypes of their ideas. Their teamwork was supported by advice and feedback from the industry professionals with expertise in food processing, marketing as well as international logistics and sales from companies such as MASPEX, Danone, CEDROB, MOWI and Asia Pulp & Paper.
After participants pitched their solutions and showed the prototypes they built in one day, the jury had to choose three best ideas and award them with the prizes of EUR 2 000, EUR 1 000 and EUR 500. Great motivation and professional pitch decks prepared by all teams didn’t make it an easy choice for the jury. The presented solutions included a home food container indicating the shelf-life of food; a local restaurant managed by the community rewarding customers based on the sustainability of their choices and the app which can plan shopping and make it as healthy and quick as possible.
Finally, the main RIS Challenge Labs prize was awarded to FreshTacka team that invented a biodegradable packaging for meat that extends its shelf life with the help of probiotic bacteria.
In 2019, RIS Challenge Labs workshops will also take place in Valencia (Spain) and Syracuse (Italy). The programme will come back next year to solve more food industry challenges by ambitious students and professionals.
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