The Kraft Heinz Company joined forces with Future Food-Tech San Francisco to search for innovative solutions from start-ups to unleash the power of tomatoes, delivering on taste, sustainability, nutrition, convenience and/or affordability.

Out of 176 entries submitted from all over the world, three finalists have been selected by the Kraft Heinz judges. They will pitch live on stage to the global summit audience of food brands, corporates and investors, before the winner is revealed. Speaking about the quality of the entries, Maxine Roman, New Ventures & Disruptive R&D at KRAFT HEINZ said: “Our team received a tremendous amount of diverse and creative proposals spanning from agriculture to ingredient innovation to new products. The ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit of the submissions was incredibly impressive. Choosing finalists was no easy task, and the three finalists stand out due to their creative solutions from across the tomato value chain.”

Kuvu Bio Solutions, launched in 2023, is a biological herbicide technology platform. Built on one of the world's first commercialized bioherbicides, its award-winning innovation is supported by World Food Program, Milken-Motsepe Prize for Agritech, USAID Feed-the-Future Innovation Lab, and UNDP. Kuvu brings its technology to the US, to improve yield while tackling herbicide-resistant weeds and reducing pesticide-related green-house gas emissions. The frontrunner bioherbicide innovation is expected to gain significant traction in the $35 billion weed management industry.

Green Spot Technologies’ industrial fermentation platform allows production of the first range of fermented and upcycled flours created from side-streams or by-products (peels, pulps, brans) of fruits, cereals and vegetables. These flours have many advantages, from enhanced nutriscore and fiber enrichment, to simplification of ingredients lists for clean labelling, and above all, reduction of the CO2 footprint of our food. The process consumes little resources (energy, water, surface) compared to similar ingredients, and is a zero-waste process. Green Spot Technologies’ industrial demonstration plant in the South of France is now operational from Feb 2023 to support its commercialization phase.

ANiNA is an innovative food-tech start-up that creates unique ready-to-cook vegan meal pods using delicious ‘ugly’ produce that otherwise would be rejected as waste. Designed by designers, the pods are 100% natural, rich in nutrients, and easy to cook. Using a fusion of innovative technology, expertise in design and knowledge in culinary arts, ANINA has created an entirely new eating experience packed in an edible pod. With a cup of water and a few minutes of heating, Anina’s magical pods open up like a flower, transforming into a meal that’s bursting with flavor, texture and nutritional goodness.

THE FINAL Over 1500 delegates at the Future Food-Tech summit in San Francisco will watch the start-ups make their final pitches to the judges, before seeing the winner crowned shortly afterwards. That winning start-up will benefit from bespoke growth opportunities, including coaching and expertise from Kraft Heinz North America such as technical, regulatory, innovation, marketing, scale up and distribution guidance, with access to Kraft Heinz facilities for on-site support. For full information about the Kraft Heinz Innovation Challenge at Future Food-Tech San Francisco on March 16-17, plus the full summit program and delegate registration, visit www.futurefoodtechsf.com/innovation-challenge.

About Kraft Heinz Kraft Heinz is a global food company with a delicious heritage. With iconic and emerging food and beverage brands around the world, we deliver the best taste, fun and quality to every meal table we touch. We’re innovating across every part of our business to find ways to nourish our company, communities and planet and to lead the future of food. https://www.kraftheinzcompany.com/