“All of the startups we watched at FoodBytes! Chicago showcased some of the most innovative solutions we have seen yet when it comes to building a more nutritious and sustainable food supply,” said Darren Streiler, investment director, ADM Ventures, who served as a judge on the panel.

Over the past several months, interested companies have analyzed their value chains, from farm to fork, to identify the most impactful levers to protect and nurture biodiversity.

When making food and beverage purchase decisions based on the environment, packaging is most visible to consumers. One in 10 US adults, or roughly 20 million consumers, said that they have switched to a different food or beverage brand because it had earth-friendly packaging.

PepsiCo's sustainable plastics vision is rooted in three pillars: Reducing the amount of plastics used, Boosting recycling rates, and Reinventing plastic packaging. 

Tate & Lyle is the first corn wet-milling ingredient supplier to launch a sustainable agriculture program of this kind, with an acreage scope representing the corn it buys globally each year.

One trend that emerged from the survey is that of "better informed purchasing decisions." A majority of millennials want to know where their food comes from and how it is sourced. Transparency in food sourcing is important to more than 65% of millennials, particularly for fresh meat and seafood.

ReGrained created its bright character driven packaging to more closely reflect their internal culture and active, intentional consumer base, creating a unique identity for every flavor.

According to research recently conducted by New York University’s Center for Sustainable Business and IRI, sustainably marketed products account for 16% of the CPG market but have driven half the market growth between 2013-2018.  And the trajectory is only going to expand according to NYU’s data.

Product packaging that remains after use is a burden. It’s a burden to consumers, to communities and to the environment. My sense is that products positioned with sustainable packaging messages are going to dominate categories and eventually set a baseline for market entry.

IRI’s EVP of Market & Shopper Intelligence Larry Levin, and Randi Kronthal-Sacco, Senior Scholar, Marketing and Corporate Outreach, NYU Center for Sustainable business will share the impact and importance of driving new sustainable products.