Innovation and digitalisation, key to guaranteeing the future of the food sector

The AZTI technology centre has drawn up the FoodTure report, a guide that includes the fundamental aspects to be taken into account in order to activate, from the world of science, innovation in the food field and achieve the sustainable and healthy transformation of the industry.

The pandemic has generated a major change in the food consumption patterns of Spanish families. During the confinement, spending in supermarkets increased by 50% compared to pre-confinement levels. At the same time, online food shopping rose by more than 60%, while spending in restaurants was reduced to a minimum (decreasing by 90%).

The health crisis has further highlighted the importance of a robust, reliable, innovative and sustainable agri-food fabric.
This new scenario requires the food industry to make an unequivocal commitment to digitalisation, enabling it to develop greater efficiency from the supply chain to the consumer and thus be able to meet new consumer demands. In this process, innovation and research in the food sector will play an important role in ensuring the sector’s viability.

These are some of the conclusions drawn from the FoodTure report, a guide drawn up by the AZTI technology centre, a member of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), which includes the most relevant aspects to be taken into account in order to activate innovation in the food sector and contribute, through science, to a sustainable and healthy transformation of society.