In 2021, we launched our report, The Big Food Redesign, and two years later, we are excited to share The Big Food Redesign Challenge, which will accelerate the transformation of our food system. Designed in partnership with the Sustainable Food Trust, the Challenge is for ambitious producers, brands, retailers, and suppliers of all sizes to apply Circular Design for Food to their products.
As part of the Big Food Redesign Challenge, participants will be tasked with designing new food products – or redesigning existing ones – using circular design principles, meaning they are produced in a way that regenerates nature.
Participants will be supported throughout the Challenge, with the first designs expected towards the end of this year. Products will be assessed against a range of criteria and a lite version of the Global Farm Metric. Participants will also have free access to the HowGood Latis Platform — a leading data platform for sustainably-sourced consumer product ingredients.
Successful food product ideas will then be invited to go into production and made available in 2024. We are pleased to announce that Waitrose will be supporting the final products with dedicated shelf space. Their parent company, John Lewis and Partners, has also joined the network as a partner.
“We’re delighted to be involved with the global Big Food Redesign Challenge and look forward to stocking our shelves with some of the innovative products that are being created with nature in mind. Our customers are thoughtful shoppers who trust us to offer responsibly sourced produce, and we can't wait to hear their thoughts on the new products developed for the Challenge.”
– Ben Thomas, Senior Environment Manager, John Lewis Partnership
“We know the problems. The current food system is a key driver of biodiversity loss and accounts for a third of global greenhouse gases. By applying the principles of circular design to our food system, we can create food that regenerates nature and tackles some of our most pressing global issues.”
– Dame Ellen MacArthur, Founder and Chair of Trustees, Ellen MacArthur Foundation
By applying circular economy principles to the way that food is designed — from the concept to ingredients and packaging — we can significantly reduce the negative impact of our food and could even create a system that is nature-positive.
The Big Food Redesign Challenge is generously supported with funds raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery and awarded through the Dream Fund, with additional support provided by the Schmidt Family Foundation.
We can, and we must redesign the way we produce our food to allow nature to thrive.
