By Giancarlos Larocca, Marketing Director, Tetra Pak Oceania
Global food systems are undergoing a transformation driven by urgent sustainability demands and emerging technologies. At the recent Swedish Australian Chamber of Commerce Sustainable Innovation, Technology and Design Summit, leaders and researchers explored how cross collaboration, new foods, and fermentation processes could transform nutrition for a growing, climate impacted world. These innovations, and the partnerships behind them, are paving the way for more resilient food systems in Australia and beyond.
A Turning Point for Food Systems
Population growth, climate change, and shifting consumer expectations are driving the need for healthier, accessible and sustainable nutrition. The Summit highlighted Swedish and Australian collaboration as a catalyst for innovation in food production and processing.
During a panel on The Future of Bio Processing and Sustainable Food Systems, experts including Professor Sally Gras, Associate Professors Kate Hall and Jessica Biesiekierski from the University of Melbourne, and Dr Leif Lundin from CSIRO discussed how new foods and fermentation science offer strategic solutions to regional food security and sustainability. I shared how Tetra Pak, headquartered in Sweden, is playing a key role in global food systems transformation.
The Power of Fermentation
Fermentation, where microbiomes play a critical role in enhancing the nutritional and functional value of food, offers a powerful response to food system challenges. It improves taste and texture, reduces additives and minimises agricultural strain on land and water use. At its core, fermentation supports circular economies and ecological sustainability.
Beyond technical benefits, fermentation unlocks scalable sustainability. It enables the creation of new sources for proteins, improves digestibility, and repurposes food system by-products. Innovations discussed at the Summit included boosting B vitamins in tempeh and preserving apple cider flavour through targeted fermentation techniques.
The Future of New Foods
New Foods are classified as ingredients and products that have both previously been consumed as foods or beverages. The term can also apply to existing dishes and ingredients that are produced through innovative new processes or technologies, as well as food items that have an established history in one part of the world but are considered “new” somewhere else.
The phenomenon is being primarily driven by the need to reduce environmental impact of food production, increase food safety globally, support the needs of our growing population and satisfy consumer demands of non-animal-based products.
Fermentation is crucial to the production of new foods. There are two main processes that have become the focus of development in the new food space: biomass fermentation and precision fermentation. The range of equipment required to develop these products to a high-quality standard, at scale and efficiently is vast, expensive and highly technical.
Scaling Innovation Through Collaboration
To move fermentation from niche to mainstream, scalable infrastructure and cross sector collaboration are essential. Tetra Pak’s New Food Technology Development Centre in Karlshamn, Sweden, and its partnership with Swan Neck Bio are helping reduce risk and accelerate market readiness. These initiatives simplify the scaling of biomass and precision fermentation derived products, offering modular production lines and tailored trial programs.
The Centre streamlines the process of new food development for companies. By offering seed handling, fermentation, harvesting, storage, heat treatments, purification and post processing capabilities, customers can experiment with new food products safely, under the guidance of experts and all in one central location.
Tetra Pak is committed to furthering the innovative solution of new foods through fermentation to satisfy global needs. By enabling all types of food producers to explore the development of new foods, the industry can revolutionise its approach to sustainability. For Australia, applying global learnings will be transformative. Fermentation based solutions, whether from soybeans, oats, dairy by-products, or other plant sources, can help address food waste and improve resource efficiency.
We are only at the genesis of new food science and development, with abounding opportunity lying within simplifying the process, improving its accessibility globally and further supporting the longevity of products through cutting edge packaging solutions.
Practical Pathways to Sustainable Food Systems
The future of sustainable food systems depends on practical and scalable solutions. From simplifying plant-based formulations to advancing fermentation technologies and fostering collaboration, the industry must turn challenges into innovation opportunities.
Companies such as Tetra Pak are leading this shift, aligning sustainability with consumer value. In this future, fermentation derived proteins are not just an alternative, but a step toward better food systems.
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