Expert interview with Lee Greene

Interview with Lee Greene | Driver of transformation in the food system @Food Horizons

Question 1: We are currently experiencing a time of major upheavals, transformations and megatrends. Why does our food system in particular need new values and products?

Lee Greene:If you look at the whole discussion on sustainability, there is actually no area of the SDGs (note: Sustainable Development Goals) that is not somehow related to the agriculture and food industry. Like many other industries, inputs and production processes need to be scrutinised. Where can we reduce emissions and protect the environment and water? However, the agriculture and food industry is also closely linked to the issue of sustainability through output. Nutrition determines health, for example, as well as performance at school. This influences education and social poverty: the question of whether food is safe, balanced and contains high-quality nutrients creates a high level of responsibility and complexity. This is why it is so important to scrutinise the status quo of the food system.

Question 2: When we talk about the bioeconomy and sustainability, we always refer to the increased material utilisation of biomass. How do you reconcile this with food security in the face of a growing world population and declining soil quality?

Lee Greene: We need a truly fresh look at the system. Carrying on as before, digitising the status quo, upcycling existing side streams and "sprinkling in" a bit of biotechnology - that won't be enough. We have been having a tank, plate, trough discussion for a long time. What will happen if we now also need land mass to produce biomass for the construction industry and automobiles? Then perhaps indoor farming will suddenly make sense after all! How can we get completely new streams out of our crops thanks to new technologies, for example?

The status quo has to change completely, but this is a vision of the future, a fundamental change that is scary at first. What we need is a strategic assessment of the land, with a critical look at the technologies we currently have or are developing. Future technologies - and also the question of which cultivars we grow - also need a realistic assessment of their economic viability measured against the business models and sales markets of the future.

Question 3: With our TransBIB programmes, we are specifically targeting industry, especially SMEs, in order to drive forward the transformation of our economic system. How do you think industry can be successfully integrated?

Lee Greene:The economy needs to be more future-oriented and more open to exchange, but: we also need someone who recognises potential and brings it together in a targeted manner. A "truffle pig" for innovations who doesn't do the research themselves, but instead networks continuously (e.g. at conferences) and brings together connections. There are companies in every industry that want to make a difference and can act as change agents. Without marketability, the invention does not become an innovation. Therefore the value chain should be reconsidered and critically scrutinised early on in the research process. An early reflection with change agents to clarify what is necessary in addition to sustainability in order to achieve profitability can have a direct impact on the industrial network and the extended ecosystem of those involved.

Question 4: With more than 20 years of experience in the food system, you are a valuable partner for start-ups, companies and projects: what partnerships or support do we need today? What do you do as an enabler and how do you understand your role?

Lee Greene:The challenges of a deep tech start-up in the biotech sector are much more demanding than those of a food start-up, where it is much easier to test an MVP (note: minimum viable product). Precisely because I am not a technical expert, I have the ability to take an outside perspective when working with deep tech start-ups. This enables me to recognise strategic partnerships and put the puzzle together from the meta level - from isolated ideas to integrated solutions. My experience has revealed three fundamental insights:

1. Start-ups are often still far too early with their idea compared to where the market is at the moment.

2. You can't push boundaries on your own, you need partnerships and networks. That's why: Bringing ideas together to create a real solution that also directly has a larger team with more visibility, assertiveness and reach. To do this, it is often necessary to adopt a more customer-centric perspective.

3. It is underestimated how start-ups can also pilot among themselves: it is not the search for a large corporate partner that leads to success, but collaboration with each other or with mobile SMEs. Recognising this potential requires a "truffle pig". What is often lacking is the networking of players, which is why I founded the Foodhub NRW in 2018 for more open transparency and to a certain extent as "help for self-help".
   

Question 5: A far-reaching reorganisation of an entire industry always depends on many different stakeholders such as research, large corporations, SMEs, start-ups, but also politics and society. Where do you see a clear need to catch up and great opportunities?

Lee Greene:The food industry associations are not really on board yet. To a large extent, they continue to focus on representing the existing interests of their members vis-à-vis politicians - and unfortunately, this often means preserving the status quo. They could play a wonderful role in providing impetus to the industry and moderating the discourse. I am certain that we should not wait for the political knight to come to the rescue and regulate everything: it is up to us to create a "movement towards marketability". Encouraging examples of this are certainly those scientists who are already making topics visible, driving them forward in a market-oriented way and venturing out of research into discourse with politics.

Question 6: If you would dare to look into the future: what will I eat on a day in 2040?

Lee Greene:I'm sure that the product groups won't change at all: I start my day with a coffee, but it's made from 50% classic coffee beans from India and 50% roasted lupins.  Maybe there will also be a personalised, 3D-printed vitamin candy for the day as a personalised nutrient boost, which was created based on the overnight analysis of my needs. My salad for lunch won't come from Spain, but from an urban indoor farm. Our diet will not have changed drastically in terms of food BUT it will have different ingredients. Like chocolate that tastes like chocolate but is made from roasted sunflowers and oats.

I could also imagine that production has become more variable, recipes are no longer so rigid, ingredients vary to take account of the vulnerability of supply chains that are threatened by climatic and political uncertainties.

We would like to thank Lee Greene for the interview.

The questions were asked by TransBIB project team member Dr Thomke Bergs.