Davos, January 23, 2020. The Swiss Canton of Vaud, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), the Swiss Hospitality Management School in Lausanne (EHL Group) and Nestlé have joined forces to develop and promote a food and nutrition innovation ecosystem. The initiative was launched on 23 January 2020 at the World Economic Forum in Davos under « Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley ». The aim is to address the key challenges of sustainable and high-quality food by attracting talent, start-ups and investments to Switzerland. An association is being set up in order to bring together the stakeholders of the ecosystem and lead the initiative, supported by the Federal Councilor Guy Parmelin, in charge of Economic Affairs, Education and Research.
The production of sustainable and high-quality food and nutrition is vital. The world is facing major challenges ranging from agricultural production, nutrition, to waste management and recycling. Switzerland can play a key role in addressing these challenges: it is home to a unique food and nutrition innovation ecosystem, which comprises of high-quality gastronomy and agriculture, an unparalleled density of world-class companies and scientific institutions, and a large number of start-ups in the fields of food, nutrition, life sciences and robotics. Thanks to intensive collaboration between the local stakeholders, first-class innovation platforms have emerged in Switzerland.