(A WikiPearl)
A recent article in l’Espresso highlights what many in Silicon Valley and Italy have been sensing for some time: investment and interest in food tech is poised to boom. By responsibly experimenting with the food we eat, innovators are inventing marketable food products unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. Take, the WikiPearl, for example. It’s the size of a pingpong ball and melts in your mouth when contacting saliva. The shell is edible and contains yogurt, cheese, or ice cream. It has zero packaging and negligible environmental impact. Whole Foods is going to carry them.
Flash to Bologna, Italy. A Made-In-Italy business incubator called You Can Group has worked with with Palo Alto-based Institute for the Future to launch the Food Innovation Program. It is a 10-month master’s program housed at The University of Reggio Emilia that is offered to Italian and international participants interested in developing dynamic careers in the food industry.The program is perfectly situated in an ancient agrarian breadbasket and is at the forefront of the evolution of food and innovation.
This all at a time when the Expo Milano 2015 has just opened its doors to the global community of food and sustainability experts, convening to understand how to feed our planet into the future. These are very exciting times for food and innovation in the bel paese.