THE BRIEF

The objective of your proposal should be to:

• WHAT - is the problem or opportunity your pitch is going to solve?

• HOW - is your solution going to address this problem or opportunity? How and who will it benefit - which societies or communities?

• WHY - will your pitch be successful and why is it scalable?

This Future of Food competition is considered to be a first of its kind, food industry event. It has an important agenda to encourage action or increase awareness of key (and in some cases, seismic) megatrends coming fast down the line where issues and opportunities need addressing.

Pick any megatrend that you want to address.
Here are a few examples (but by no means exhaustive):

• By 2050, in the UK alone, 10 million more people than today will be over the age of 65 – this will have a significant impact on how we need to adjust in the food industry.

• By then, the world’s population will reach 10bn and 68% of them will live in cities (up from 55% today).

• Huge shifts in emerging technologies will disrupt whole industries. For example, renewable energy sources will become commonplace.

• The Arctic could see ice-free summers within a decade - reshaping global shipping routes and food supply chains (away from the Suez canal!)

• Farming techniques will change and a greater focus on sustainability will gain pace as we near the net zero goal by 2050 (if this is indeed still the target!)

• Climate change will frustrate food production and tourism and wildlife will need to adapt to new norms.

• There will be more frequent and severe natural disasters to cope with and coastal areas will experience the effects of sea levels rising.

• AI and AR are already disrupting whole industries. AI’s impact on social media may lead to a ‘cesspool’ of synthetic content.

• The rapid adoption of GLP-1 products (Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy) are already disrupting appetite as we know it - and off patent a flood of cheaper, soluble options will arrive. What will this mean for the weekly shop?

• Bespoke personal monitoring of our own nutrition requirements will become an everyday check.

• Retail will become more and more convenient and products more personalised as alternative sources of vitamins and proteins become a new opportunity. Increased connectivity will help the third world enjoy middle-class information availability.

• Demand on resources, logistics and food will reach breaking points without careful preparation as tariffs, trade shocks and reshoring quietly rewrite global food supply chains

• Water scarcity - not carbon - may become the defining food system constraint of the 2030s.

• Space tourism is close to becoming reality - what will they eat?

OUR 5 FOCUSED TRANSITION THEMES

The competition focuses on five key areas to address global food system challenges, aligned with 11 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

1 Health:

• Nutrition: nutrient dense, low GHG foods (eg all-natural, low sugar snacks, fortified grains)

• Reformulation: healthier additives, reduced HFSS (eg natural preservatives, mandatory reporting, upcycled ingredients)

• Personalisation: tailored dietary solutions (eg AI-driven meal plans, customisable meal kits)

• Obesity: appetite regulation and weight management (eg Use of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1), portion control or AI supporting seed genetics or human metabolic health)

2 Production:

• Precision Agriculture: tech driven farming (eg robotic harvesting, IoT sensors)

• Alternative/Regenerative Production: sustainable methods (eg vertical farming, lab grown meat)

• Local Sourcing and Provenance: and the future of flavour

3 Technology:

• Data analytics: traceability (eg blockchain)

• Emerging tech & AI: food apps and tools (eg AI for emissions tracking)

4 Waste:

• Circular economy: repair, renew, recycle (eg food waste initiatives)

• Plastic reduction: reduction, replace (eg compostable packaging)

• Food Waste: from farm to fork

5 Equity:

• Consumer education: promoting healthier diets and sustainability (eg apps, hacks and behaviourial change)

• Food access: accessibility for all (eg urban food banks, community projects).

• Staff & Community: the people side of business

YOUR ENTRY -

What does a strong entry look like?

A clear problem - a credible solution - a believable route to scale. That's it. Don't overthink it - we've had brilliant pitches written on the train home and detailed white papers - both have made the final 16. The judges look for clarity and conviction, not polish.

It must be food related but it can be a product, an ingredient, a packaging format, a manufacturing process or a digital solution. It can be unique or mainstream.

It can be something you are already doing or something completely new to your existing business. This is for entrepreneurial minds to come up with credible solutions.

ROUND 1

Prepare and submit across 3 key questions a 500 word summary now (deadline: 25th September 2026). It should include

1. WHAT? (the problem)

2. HOW? (the solution + who benefits)

3. WHY? (why now + why scalable)

Ensure that it is viable and commercially possible but creativity is fine too where you have used assumptions or citations. Upload your ideas now - it’s free to enter and you have nothing to lose - just 500 words!

ROUND 2 - GRAND FINAL

Restaurant Award: 6 finalists will be invited to attend the Final. You wont have a pitch table rather be invited to share a 2 minute pitch from the stage OR create a 2 min pitch video we can play. The judges will then select the winner (along with a popular vote from the audience). 1 winner is crowned.

Blue Skies Award: all entrants are invited to attend the day. Henry Dimbleby will be judging and presenting this award - a single winner will be announced - you have to be there to collect the Blue Skies gong.

Main Award: 16 finalists will be selected to attend the Final on the 19 November 2026. Before the event you will have a chance to perfect your idea and pitch. On the day you will have a 3x3m space with a 5ft table with space for visual media, product, posters or samples. Judges, VIPs and attendees will circulate the 16 pitches as you present and answer questions.

All Main Award pitches will then be asked to present a 1 minute elevator power pitch from the main stage in the theatre. We will provide a single slide back drop as you present this. This will be your chance to shine.

The ultimate Main Award winner will be crowned - leaving the day with a £10,000 grant, a Future of Food gong, industry prizes, a certificate and much applause by key industry figures. Restaurant Award, Blue Skies and Silver and Bronze announced too along with the Popular Vote (audience vote) and special mentions.