New conference highlights key challenges and opportunities in the food industry

27 September 2024

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The Global Dilemma Conference, featuring a number of prominent debaters and keynote speakers, will address the need to simultaneously meet the growing demand for food and reduce the climate footprint. The international conference is part of FoodTech, which takes place from 1-3 October 2024 at MCH Messecenter Herning.


The new, forward-thinking Global Dilemma Conference is ready to tackle the green transition in the food industry when it premieres at FoodTech on Wednesday and Thursday. Among the conference's many participants will be Esben Lunde Larsen, former minister and current Senior Agricultural Specialist at The World Bank, who will take part in the debate 'Navigating Investment Opportunities in the Food Tech Industry', moderated by Danish Chamber of Commerce.

- The audience can expect me to link the national Danish challenges with the global ones and hopefully provide answers to some of the challenges we will be discussing, says Esben Lunde Larsen, who considers the Global Dilemma Conference highly topical and relevant:

- It is important to discuss challenges and solutions from a global perspective, as Denmark is a small and open economy that is involved in the EU, NATO and the UN, but also because so much of Denmark's production is exported. In addition, these are issues and challenges that transcend national borders, especially in the areas of climate, energy, food and sustainability, which is why the solutions to these problems must also be found in a global perspective.

Esben Lunde Larsen says that he is attending the conference because he finds its topics important and because he wants to contribute with a global perspective. His expectation for the conference is that participants will be better equipped to deal with the challenges we face.


Renowned keynote speakers
Other debates at the Global Dilemma Conference include ‘Regenerative Farming - new sustainable farming’ moderated by Think Tank Frej, ‘Sustainable Shifts’ moderated by Clean, ‘New business opportunities within biorefining and cascade utilisation’ moderated by Food and Bio Cluster Denmark and ‘Technological solutions of the future Food Tech Industry’ moderated by Food Nation Denmark.

To complement the debates, the Global Dilemma Conference will also feature a wide range of keynote speakers, each with their own focus and perspective on how the food industry can take responsibility for the green transition - for example, Sebastian H. Mernild, Professor in Climate Change and Head of SDU Climate Cluster, and Connie Hedegaard, former minister and EU Commissioner for Climate Action. The former will speak under the heading 'Global warming and future extremes - what to expect?', while the latter will ask the question 'We know the climate target - how to get there?’.


Aligned with FoodTech's DNA
The overall mission is to focus on the most important challenges and potentials in the food industry, and FoodTech’s expectations for the conference are high - especially now that the overall programme has been finalised.

- FoodTech will continue to be the place where new technological solutions in the food industry are explored, not least with a view to creating a more sustainable future. For this reason, we are very grateful for the strong support for the Global Dilemma Conference, which will now enable the conference to present a wide range of leading and knowledgeable players who will undoubtedly help to broaden horizons, put things into perspective and encourage pushing boundaries - all of which is already part of FoodTech's DNA, says Thue Jensen, FoodTech Project Manager, MCH A/S.

The Global Dilemma Conference will be held on Wednesday and Thursday during FoodTech, the unifying destination for the food technology of the future, which takes place from 1-3 October 2024 at MCH Messecenter Herning. Read more at foodtech.dk and request press accreditation here.


The English language Global Dilemma Conference will focus on the following four main themes:

'Exploring the Political and Financial Framework'
The food industry is facing challenges with new regulations and financing models to balance innovation and sustainability. Carbon taxes and political frameworks have a major impact on the industry, where clear guidelines are needed to ensure growth and green transition.

'Balancing Energy and CO2 Reductions'
Technological advances can counteract environmental benefits if energy consumption is not sustainable. It is therefore crucial to find solutions that reduce CO2 emissions and water consumption and optimise energy use in both global and local food production and distribution.

The food industry needs to reduce waste and resource consumption through circular solutions involving the entire value chain. Innovation in recycling, biosolutions and precision agriculture can promote more sustainable production and the use of by-products as new resources.

'Navigating Behavioural Issues in Foodtech'
Increased health awareness leads to changing eating habits. Behavioural changes can encourage investment in sustainable innovation and reduce the strain on ecosystems. How can companies use partnerships and nudging to understand and influence user behaviour?



Keynote speakers at the Global Dilemma Conference
• Sebastian H. Mernild, Professor in Climate Change and Head of SDU Climate Cluster
• Connie Hedegaard, former minister and EU Commissioner for Climate Action
• Claus Felby, Senior Vice President, Biotech (Novo Nordisk Foundation)
• Jacob Schaldemose Peterson, CEO, Re:Meat
• Sofie Carsten Nielsen, CEO, European Biosolutions Coalition
• Jacob Vishof Paulsen, EVP of Food and Beverage Biosolutions (Novonesis)
• Henrik Good Haugaard, Futurist, Universal Futurist
• Rasmus Mortensen, Founder, Lyras A/S
• Susan Løvstad Holdt, PI and Associate Professor, DTU Food