World Food Forum Transformative Research Challenge Winner
The global food system faces many ongoing pressures and challenges. Climate change, irresponsible agricultural practices, and evolving dietary preferences have increased the rate of species extinction, deforestation, global warming, and diet-related diseases. Younger generations are aware of this reality and are acting urgently to ensure they will inherit a safe, sustainable, and equitable food system.
The World Food Forum, a youth-led global network facilitated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, is dedicated to this same goal. The organization works to influence policy, highlight inequities, foster innovation, and improve food availability and quality for all.
In 2024, The World Food Forum announced its annual Transformative Research Challenge. The open competition encourages young researchers from around the world to submit proposals, ideas, and innovations to help address the global agrifood system’s many challenges. Selected teams received professional guidance and mentorship to help bring their concepts to life.
In October 2024, the challenge came to its culmination during the World Food Forum’s flagship event which took place at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome, Italy. Teams competed for prizes in six different categories: the role of water in agrifood systems, global one health, plant-based food, food loss and waste, plant breeding and nutrition, and gender mainstreaming and PPR eradication. A diverse panel of expert judges selected the winning teams.
Meatless Monday was a sponsor of the plant-based food category. Several criteria were considered when evaluating the different youth proposals, with the primary emphasis on innovative ways to encourage consumers to make informed plant-based choices that are healthy, sustainable, and environmentally focused.
Many talented teams entered, and although all were worthy of being selected as winners, ultimately, the Mangrove Braw! team from Indonesia was awarded first prize for their innovative mangrove-based nutritional bar. Indonesia is home to the world’s largest mangrove ecosystem, yielding an estimated 68.5 million tons of fruit annually. The Mangrove Bar was pitched as a sustainable, shelf-stable, plant-based packaged food with a diverse nutritional profile that aligns with consumers’ tastes and preferences.
As part of their prize, the Mangrove Braw! team received a monetary prize and the chance to publish their research through World Food Forum’s communication channels. Meatless Monday is thrilled with the outcome and was inspired by the commitment and brilliance of all the young innovators who dedicated their time, energy, and resources to compete.