18th Food Safety Quality and Regulatory Summit
The food systems approach is gaining momentum as an ideal way of providing nutritious, affordable and sustainable food to an ever-increasing global population. Efficient and effective food systems is needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 through an integrated approach. Food safety is a critical component in transforming Food systems and therefore relevant to various SDGs.

From the food safety view, its critical to strengthen the Food Safety Control Ecosystem through comprehensive regulatory approaches for robust standards & improved nutritional outcomes efficient analytical capability, scientific and technology-oriented advancements, enabling appropriate backward linkages to improve production practices and monitoring & surveillance measures.

As India assumes the G20 presidency, it has a huge opportunity to call on the global leadership to foster international cooperation in integrating “Food System Transformation” as an area in the G20 mandate. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is the Secretariat for the Business 20 (B20) Engagement Group in the G20 under India's Presidency. Holding the B20 Secretariat, CII is uniquely positioned to further scale these efforts and is working very closely with the business fraternity to ensure that we leverage this opportunity to set a progressive agenda for the B20.

As the B20 secretariat, CII proposes to organize the 18th Food Safety, Quality & Regulatory Summit, envisaged to provide a collaborative platform to deliberate on action areas for an “Inclusive Improvements and Innovations towards Food Systems Transformation” with leading global experts and regulators.
 
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People- Nourishing Everyone for Health and Wellbeing

People’s wellbeing is determined by a healthy and nutritious diet, safe food and access to safe drinking water. However, children in developing countries face a triple burden of malnutrition (undernutrition, overnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies). This threats the survival, growth and development of children, economies and society as a whole. Globally, 20 percent disability-adjusted life years are lost due to malnutrition, more than any other contributor and poor diet contributes to 6 of the top 10 risk factors for the global burden of disease. About 100 million cases of foodborne diseases (FBDs) are reported every year, and unsafe food costs the country an estimated $15 billion a year. Unsafe foods containing pathogenic microorganisms and toxic chemicals are responsible for more than 200 diseases from diarrhoea to cancer. Hence it becomes important to implement effective food safety programmes and traceability solutions as well as access to safe drinking water for all.
This session will focus on understanding the enablers which will allow for a sustainable food system towards heathier consumption by people across their life course.

 
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Inclusive Businesses towards equitable income

Inclusive business models enable the responsible integration of small-scale producers into markets with the underlying principle that there are mutual benefits for them and the private sector. It addresses the needs of low-income groups by providing goods, services, and livelihoods on a commercially viable basis, either at scale or scalable, to people living at the base of the economic pyramid by integrating them as a part of the company’s value chain. Several forms of inclusive business models are gaining prominence under the agriculture sector, ranging from production enhancing models through capacity building on good practices, contact farming models with assured market linkages, enhancing price realisation through technology interventions, etc.

The session will focus on showcasing the various forms of inclusive business models which are proving to be successful globally, the benefits they provide both to industry as well as farmers, and deliberate on opportunities towards scaling up towards maximising impact.

 
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Prosperity- Working towards Inclusive Livelihoods

Empowering and better price realization for producers and other actors in the value chain is crucial for a prosperous food system. This can be achieved through better terms of trade, cooperation, and most importantly, collectivisation of farmers. Further, promoting and enabling of primary processing towards enhancing rural incomes through value addition will help secure livelihoods of the people.

Focusing on local employment is a crucial enabler towards prosperity, hence there should be efforts on developing local employment and entrepreneurial opportunities and maintaining biologically diverse landscapes for sustainable intensification of agriculture. The food systems transformation should be anchored around the small and medium-scale production, family farmers, indigenous peoples, women and workers in food value chains to advance equitable livelihood.

This session will look at understanding the enablers which will allow for a gender responsive food system that empowers farming communities towards better price realisation for producers alongside stable prices for consumers, allowing for a prosperous ecosystem.

 
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Preventing Micronutrient Deficiencies: Need for an Accelerated Action

Micronutrient deficiencies cause morbidity and mortality in individuals, affecting human potential worldwide. We now know that the three-decade old estimation that over 2 billion people worldwide are affected by micronutrient deficiencies (based on estimated anaemia prevalence) is a gross underestimation of the actual prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies. It is estimated that 56% of children 6 – 59 months and 69% of non-pregnant women aged 15 – 49 years worldwide have at least one form of micronutrient deficiency. Also known as hidden hunger, it affects a significant portion of the population globally, regardless of income status.

Micronutrient deficiencies can be prevented and even eliminated if optimal quantities of micronutrients are consumed by populations on a regular basis. The three key strategies identified to address micronutrient deficiencies (MNDs) are: (a) dietary diversification and improvement; (b) micronutrient supplementation, and (c) food fortification. Concerted, holistic efforts are needed to understand, mobilize action and resources across partners to bring about tangible impact.

This session deliberates on the key strategies and proven interventions that hold promise to mitigate micronutrient deficiencies at the population level. Also, it brings together key partners from the government, research agencies/ think tanks, and the private sector to discuss key takeaways and evidence-based strategies, with specific focus on low-and- middle income countries.

 
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Transforming Food Production Systems through Agro-ecological Practices

Today's food system is faced with the dual challenge of improving productivity while also being environmentally friendly. Therefore, there is a need to adopt farming practices that are more nature-friendly and biodiversity-supporting, which involves limiting the use of inputs and promoting polyculture farming practices. There is a growing acknowledgement of the significance of incorporating agro-ecological practices in food production. This approach can potentially reconcile productivity and sustainability by promoting biodiversity, reversing land degradation, restoring ecosystem services, and ultimately strengthening the food production system. The mounting evidence shows that agro-ecological practices such as improved pollination and soil regeneration can lead to an increase in food production. There are various initiatives undertaken separately to restore pollination, soil health improvement in many countries including India. The need of the hour is to stitch a system level solution, embracing complexity, overcoming the silos and integrate interconnectedness between nature and production system.

To bring about the necessary transformation, it is essential to have a robust collaboration among multiple stakeholders and levels involving researchers, farmers, governments, policy institutions, and civil society organizations. This collaboration will expand the knowledge base. Additionally, businesses and financial institutions have a significant role in mainstreaming agroecological practices in the agro food supply chain. The agro food sector, as part of the market value chain, has the potential to create new opportunities, improve the production system, de risking the supply sources and become a transformative force in institutionalizing change.

 
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Food Safety in informal markets

Food items available in Informal markets like open markets, wet markets, small stalls, roadside eateries, and street food are affordable and generally nutritious food which is accessible to all. However, there are high food safety risks involved in perishable food items, food of animal origin and freshly produced food. There is hence a need to create a structured ecosystem comprising of awareness, training and certification, third-party audits, hygiene ratings of informal markets covering street food clusters, fruits and vegetable markets and other clusters. These should be coupled with harmonisation with global food standards like Codex and governance at the national regulatory level. An ecosystem of public private partnerships is also the need of the hour to take a national roadmap forward.

This session will focus on ways to expand the reach of such initiatives through implementation of a framework and establishing stakeholder partnerships to execute these. The aim is to spread the good practices model to low and middle-income countries that have a high degree of informality in merchandising food products and facilitate development and execution of a global framework and national roadmaps.

 
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Adolescent Nutrition: Need for an Integrated and Sustainable Approach

Youth represent the best opportunity for our planet’s immediate future, yet their health and welfare are beset by enormous challenges. The food environment around them is changing rapidly, and climate change, conflict, and disease are causing an escalation of the speed of change. For teenagers, food choice is an expression of autonomy, motivated by social influences and the desire for agency. How teenagers make their decisions about obtaining, procuring, and consuming food is different from any other age group. This session, designed by the Global Child Nutrition Foundation, will highlight ways to improve the food environment for adolescents in a way that benefits people, planet, and prosperity. Participants will be inspired by practical advice and countries’ experiences with policies and actions to address the challenges facing the adolescent food environment.

 
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Moving towards Clean Food Production System

Globally, the farm sector contributes to almost one-third of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This includes CO 2 emissions due to the conversion of natural ecosystems, mostly forest land and natural peatlands to agriculture use and non- CO 2 emissions (mostly methane) from livestock activities and crop production.

The total global emissions from agriculture and related activities reached 9.3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Gt CO 2 eq) in 2018. While land use change activities were responsible for nearly 4 Gt CO 2 eq, livestock farms contributed 5.3 Gt CO 2 eq. which was more than half of the total emissions. Of the non- CO 2 emissions, enteric fermentation (39 percent), livestock manure (20 percent), synthetic fertilizers (13 percent) and rice cultivation (10 percent), were the highest contributors. The livestock sector alone was a major contributor to an extent of two-thirds of total non- CO 2 emissions. The Global Methane Pledge (GMP) targets to achieve at least a 30 percent reduction in anthropogenic emission of Methane by 2030 as compared to 2020. There is a need to take up initiatives across the agriculture supply chain through innovations and technologies which can bring down the GHG emissions.

 
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Scoping a framework for PPP on agri technologies towards mitigating climate change and leveraging global trade opportunities

The information technology revolution is changing the face of agriculture. Further private investments especially on research and development as well as Governments’ efforts to regularly engage with all stakeholders to get feedback and reorient policies based on mutually desired objectives are creating a framework for enhanced cooperation between different parties. These efforts become extremely critical given the threat of climate change and the need to increase global food production by 60% to 70% in the next three decades. Action on climate change is also closely aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 1, SDG 2, and SDG 13, SDG 14, and SDG 15.

Given the above background, the thematic session will provide a platform to deep dive into emerging areas of cooperation in genome editing, plant breeding, food processing, packaging, traceability, value addition, enhancing shelf life and reducing food waste amongst others. The session will also dwell into a framework for deployment of next generation technology under a collaborative approach in the G20 countries.

 
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Lessons on technology delivery to farmers and the entrepreneurs

The session will showcase successful examples around acceleration of technology deployment in agri & foods sector from across G20 countries. Focus will also be on interventions around leveraging Digital Technologies to deliver state-of-the-art Products and Services to Small Farmers and MSMEs Food Technopreneurs.

 
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Food, Nutrition, and Science

Food and cooking are central threads running through the cultural fabric of civilizations. The art of transforming raw ingredients into delicious dishes captures the age-old wisdom driving nutrition and health. Over a century of the reductionist pursuit of the molecular correlates of food, nutrition, and health has highlighted the need for a holistic approach. Food and nutrition science is poised at a point of inflection with the increasing availability of culinary data and breath-taking progress in artificial intelligence.

Computational gastronomy presents an all-new paradigm for the data-driven investigation of food, flavours, nutrition, and health. This new science of food enables data-driven innovations through a structured compilation of culinary data and the application of computational strategies. Making food computable promises to transform the food landscape for better public health, nutrition, and a sustainable future. This event on ‘data science and food’ will deliberate on the challenges and opportunities for realizing the data-driven future of food.

 
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The Circular Economy in Food: What it is and why it matters?

Growing food demand on one hand and environmental challenges associated with climate change, land degradation, and biodiversity loss on the other, are increasing pressure on the food systems. This calls for using innovative approach of circular food economy for developing the food systems. The circular food economy principle aims to reduce waste, conserve resources, and create a more sustainable and equitable food systems for all. Unlike the traditional linear food system, the circular food economy ensures that no food is wasted, rather the waste material including by-products are used for as long as possible, minimizing waste and maximizing the value of resources. With this, the food production, processing, and consumption are designed to be regenerative, restorative, and resilient by using renewable energy sources, minimizing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing food waste, and designing products and processes that are biodegradable or recyclable.

This session will explore the circular economy concept from its origins and benefits, and how it can be applied to transform the food systems. The session aims to find pathways to create a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient food system that meets the needs of all people, while preserving the planet for future generations.

 
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Innovation: Developing an Open and Inclusive Data and Digital Ecosystem

The role of innovations and their actual deployment is integral to accelerate the adoption of technologies at farm level. Developing an open and inclusive data and digital ecosystem is an important element for innovation in this space. Lessons from across the world also call for building a robust Agri-tech policy framework which includes collaboration between all market participants. Cross-country collaboration on Agri-tech technologies and operating models could also be driven through such a policy framework. This requires integration across geographies, within and beyond the country borders, and across the public, private, and non-profit sectors.

The session will discuss opportunities created by the open data architecture; experiences around architecting digital systems and ecosystems; need for developing standards and protocols for data sharing as well as cooperation needed for enabling cross-border transactions.

 
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Modern Nutrition and Traditional Knowledge Systems

Despite food sufficiency, the problem of malnutrition continues to be a major challenge worldwide. Modern nutritional sciences adopt a single-nutrient approach. While this has been helpful in many cases, a single-nutrient approach in the pathogenesis of lifestyle diseases and several other diseases has failed us.

While the scientific understanding of nutrition and food is undeniably invaluable and unquestionable to our health and medical systems, the right approach and application are critical. The answer perhaps lies in our knowledge of traditional diets as in Ayurveda revisiting the paradigm of food as medicine, which is centuries old.

Several traditional concepts like hot & cold foods, food timing, seasonal foods & digestive rest, the gut connection, the importance of the microbiome, etc. thus are finding greater acceptance today. The concept of dysbiosis - imbalanced gut flora, leading to deficiencies (malabsorption) and then to disorders and disease offers a practical and promising solution. There is a need to build interlinkages between modern medicine and traditional knowledge systems.

 
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Reducing and Managing Food Waste

Currently, global food loss and waste is at an epidemic level, with approximately one-third of the food supply produced for human consumption worldwide being lost or wasted. This coupled with the fact that the world population expected to reach 9.7 billion in 2050, global food production systems are stressed.

According to the United Nations, 14 percent of food produced is lost between harvest and retail, while an estimated 17 percent of total global food production is wasted (11 percent in households, 5 percent in the food service and 2 percent in retail). Food that is lost and wasted accounts for 38 percent of total energy usage in the global food system. Further, when food is lost/wasted, all resources that go into the production of that food, including land, water, energy human capital, are all wated.

Thus, reducing food loss and waste is imperative to the sustainability of food systems. Strategic actions are needed both at the global as well as local levels towards maximising utility of food produced.

This session will discuss the various enablers such as innovative technologies, digital markets, efficient and sustainable infrastructure, inventive supply chain models, social initiatives, etc. which can be leveraged towards ensuring reduced food loss and waste.

 
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Funding food system transformation: Investors Forum

The UN Food System Summit 2021 called for responsible investments in agriculture and food systems that can help improve food security, better nutrition outcomes, and sustainable development. A wide range of stakeholders including high impact food entrepreneurs, key investment players, and policymakers from the government can undertake these responsible investments.

The session will bring together vital stakeholders involved in the financing for agriculture, food, and nutrition, with a focus on emerging markets. These will include high-impact food entrepreneurs, key players in the investment community, private sector leaders, and policy actors from government, civil society, and international organizations. The session aims to help create a roadmap for reframing the dialogue around agri-food, nutrition, and sustainable development.

 
 
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Role of Philanthropy and CSR in supporting Food System Transformation

Globally, philanthropy has contributed significantly to social sector spending. In India, its relative share is small, but is continuously growing. In the year 2020, private-sector funding increased by 23 percent to about INR 64,000 crore compared to INR 52,000 crore funding in 2019. Private-sector funding stems from four sources: foreign contributions accounting for a quarter of all funding, domestic corporation donations, also known as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding, accounting for 28 percent, retail investors (5 crore donations each) accounting for 28 percent and the balance (about 20 percent) coming from family philanthropy.

While much of philanthropic contribution goes to education and health care, nutrition gets a relatively small share. Food system transformation that falls at the intersection of public health, environment, education, and environmental sustainability is yet to receive any attention.

Given that philanthropy is becoming a new area of focus, the session aims to sensitize the donor community regarding the potential opportunity and also support the implementing agencies to design projects and interventions that would fall under this category.

 
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  • Entrepreneurs, CEOs, Senior & Middle Management from the Food Industry
  • Importers/ Exporters, Food Ingredients Manufacturers
  • Government and Regulatory Authorities
  • Food Park Partners
  • Hotel, Restaurants and Catering Professionals
  • Pesticides, Fertilizer Producer, Cold Chain Proprietors
  • Academia from Food Research Analysis
  • Food Testing Labs and Test Kit Manufacturers
Diamond Partner
Associate Corporate Partner
Corporate Partner
Bronze Partner