On 11th of May, our associated partner Valorial held an online and in presence event in Vannes (France) on innovative proteins and potential consumer demand. Valorial is an agri-food competitiveness cluster, catering for the North-West of France and bringing together 390 industrial firms, research centres and higher education establishments, to focus on developing smarter food.
While many European and world actors increasingly contribute to a wide array of novel proteins, Valorial chose to invite professionals of the food sector (TyK Affinage, Eureden Long Life, FoodInnov Nutrition), research stakeholders (Improve, Institut Agro) and consumer experts (Kantar, Audencia, 109 Conseils) to discuss the relevance of novel proteins in our day-to-day food intake. ValuSect gave a presentation on its activities on insect-based proteins.
After presenting ValuSect, the consortium and the project; our partner Aliénor focused its presentation on consumer strategy, as we believe in the necessity of correctly identifying potential consumers. As a result, the exchange concluded that food diets play a significant role in the decision to eat insects; and thus, that the role of the food industry was to make insect-based food as attractive and accessible as possible towards consumers.
This event was an insightful occasion to discuss novel foods and proteins, and in particular the consumption of insects. It was a pleasure to be able to take part in it, and we want to thank our partner Valorial for giving us this opportunity.