On September 12, 2024, TOKYO FOOD INSTITUTE (TFI) in collaboration with Venture Café Tokyo and Future Food Institute (FFI) hosted “Future Food Connect 2024” – a multi-discipline talk event that explored the theme of “Interdisciplinary Innovation of Food Products and Services.”

“Future Food Connect 2024” is the third year in a row to hold this event with 270 people attending in person and over 400 people participating online, exceeding last year’s attendance. With the aim of creating new value that will lead to the development of the food industry and to a better future for the earth and people, this event brings together a variety of players across diverse fields including government officials from the public sector; large corporations, startups and chefs from the private sector, and academia, and startups. This is Part 1 of a two-part report on the event and the various discussions transcending sector and industries.

TFI’s philosophy and establishment of a new base

This year’s event was again held by Venture Café Tokyo at two conference venues in the CIC Tokyo facility in Toranomon Hills Business Tower. The event opened with an address by TFI Representative Director Toshikazu Sawa on the main stage. In his speech he outlined the organization’s efforts and programs:

At TFI, our aim is not profits. Rather we seek to benefit our society. And recently, our activities have expanded beyond food and are tackling the concept of ‘regeneration.’ Instead of restricting our focus to the two axes of economic activity and the global environment, we believe that a better future can be created by shifting our perspective and simultaneously considering a variety of values such as enrichment of the quality of people’s lives, social connections, and culture. This way of thinking has existed in Japan over our long history,and was once a matter of course. I think it is important to re-focus on this approach. So, rather than letting this idea languish as words on some scholarly paper, we are taking action. At TFI, we are quite light on our feet, like to take the initiative and give ideas a try. This has led to our pursuit of a variety of activities in collaboration with FFI in Italy and the Basque Culinary Center (BCC)–an academic food institution in Spain. We also plan to open a new base for our activities in Nihonbashi in November.”

Following the remarks of Toshikazu Sawa, Tokyo Tatemono’s Sawada Akihiro shared more information about the new facility:

“GOe is BCC’s next-generation platform focusing on advanced education, research, innovation, and entrepreneurship. It is attracting attention from all over the world and has chosen Tokyo as its first co-creation location. We are now establishing the Gastronomy Innovation Campus Tokyo (GIC Tokyo). It will have three functions: a cafe, a campus, and a living lab. “Chef Tatsuya Noda of nôl will be in charge of the café. While offering a café and an adjacent living lab as a gathering place for players in food-related fields, GIC Tokyo will not only host conferences, but also actively disseminate a variety of other content. Also as a campus, this facility will offer people an opportunity to take part in BCC’s innovative curriculum. We will initially start with courses for companies, chefs, and scientists, beginning with a trial course in 2025. We aim to create a place where people will sense something new is happening whenever they step in the door.”

Solving food issues: Initiatives by companies and organizations

Next on the event itinerary came the “Inspiration Talks”. Exceeding previous participation, a total of 17 companies and organizations talked about their visions and initiatives for creating the future of food in Japan.

BCC will open a new Gastronomy Open Ecosystem (GOe) in Tokyo in 2025. This will be the nucleus of an ecosystem where diverse food-related players such as chefs, researchers, producers, and startups can come together to solve the challenges facing food. Raquel Martín of BCC took the stage online to talk about this project.

“Currently players from diverse fields such as scientists, chefs, producers, and architects each apply their own methodologies, have their own ways of thinking, and set their own objectives. Each has their own area of expertise and possesses their own specialized knowledge. The failure to integrate of all their approaches, efforts and results has been an issue. GOe provides a framework for synthesizing and linking their information, paving the way to solutions to larger problems. “This project is also collaborating with a team from the Gastronomy Innovation Campus Tokyo. Keep in mind that the best innovations and solutions come from breaking down the barriers between disciplines.”

The topic of “Food in a Super-Aging Society” presented by Kohei Yamaguchi, DDS, PhD of the Department of Dysphagia Rehabilitation Institute of Science Tokyo generated a high degree of interest from participants because of its look at food issues from the perspective of dentistry.

“Recognition, chewing, swallowing. When these functions of eating fall below a certain level due to tooth loss, aging, disease, etc., a person is no longer able to enjoy the pleasure of eating. And when people no longer enjoy eating, there may be a growing reluctance to dine out and other changes in behavior. “When we look at elderly segments, their eating functions are a mosaic-like diversity. Can Japan respond to that diversity? Nursing homes provide food in different forms depending on the requirements of their eating functions. That is, they may add water to the ingredients and blend them in a blender. Naturally, the original ingredients cannot be identified by the eater, and the flavor is also bland. Can we say that people are truly experiencing the authentic enjoyment food in this way? On the other hand, if the elderly were able to enjoying food despite a decline in eating function, they would possibly be more interested in dining out. In other words, food can perhaps change the behavior of the elderly. While Japan boasts top-level research and medical know-how in this field, but it has not been widely applied in society. I would like to use this opportunity to discuss these gaps in more detail.”

SoftBank is currently working on a project to standardize fish quality standards. Kazuto Suda, who spoke at the event, is conducting research and development to make primary industries, including livestock and fishing, smarter.

“The world is currently facing threats to food security including from conflicts, terrorism, and extreme weather conditions. Japan’s food self-sufficiency is declining year by year, and we are now dependent on imports. Take Japan’s fishing industry as an example. The catch has been halved from its peak, and the number of people working in the industry is declining year by year. Moreover, the industry is not very profitable and demands hard work, making revitalization a difficult challenge. Our company is tackling this issue by looking at how to expand both the demand and supply of seafood.

“First, the demand side. While there exist some standards that certify the taste and price of meat and fresh foods, fish are generally selected by consumers according to the species and weight. We propose measuring fish with sensors and creating standards for freshness and umami. “As for the supply side, we propose observing and collecting data on the behavior of fish at fixed points. Then AI researchers use the data to create 3D simulations that make aquaculture smarter, improve productivity, and reduce costs. We are endeavoring to transform the hard work of fishing into a cool and profitable industry, and to support the delicious, safe and secure supply of ‘Made in Japan’ quality fish.”

Akiko Iida of the New Business and Food Industry Department, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) of Japan gave a presentation on “Japan’s Foodtech, MAFF Initiatives, and the Strengths of Japanese Food.” The Ministry is currently promoting food tech that will lead to the creation of new food markets and the resolution of social issues. In 2020 MAFF launched the Council for Public-Private Partnership in Food Technology (abbreviated, Foodtech Public-Private Council) and is carrying out various initiatives.

“Soybeans, seaweed and vegetables have been a part of the Japanese diet since ancient times. Processing of the mainstream alternative protein of soybeans and fermenting of foods, are now attracting attention around the world. These are things that Japan has been doing for a long time. This legacy makes me believe that we can bring a Japanese touch to the new technology known as food tech. “When it comes to health and nutrition, evaluations of food companies by a Dutch NGO have been used by investors. However, their product evaluations are premised on Western nutritional issues such as obesity. I think we need a yardstick that meets Japan’s nutrition needs, health issues and food culture, and to share it with the world.”

From major food companies to venture capitalists and startups, many players from various fields gave other inspirational talks and shared diverse perspectives on the future of food.

– written by Junko Hayashida