In collaboration with the Future Food Institute

In 2018, Edible Issues co-led a two-month ethnographic research mission across 12 global cities, as part of the Food Innovation Global Mission (FIGM) by the Future Food Institute. This immersive, on-ground journey explored food innovation hotspots around the world, engaging with pioneering food initiatives, tech labs, markets, universities, and grassroots food communities.

The Mission’s vision:
Not just a message, but a movement — rooted in the belief that innovation thrives through experience, knowledge exchange, and cross-pollination. The mission sought to connect food systems innovation to climate action, sustainability, and local-global collaborations.

Cities and Countries Visited:

• The Netherlands: Wageningen, Maastricht, Amsterdam

• Spain: Valencia, Madrid

• Germany: Berlin

• USA: New York, San Francisco

• Canada: Toronto

• Hong Kong

• Japan: Tokyo

• China: Shanghai

• India: Mumbai

• Thailand: Bangkok

Mission Focus Areas:

The research focused on four future-facing food system themes:

• Sustainability and Circular Economy

• The Future of Proteins

• Agricultural Innovation in Smart Rural and Urban Contexts

• The Future of Food Service

In each city, the team engaged with food entrepreneurs, researchers, makers, chefs, Fablabs, universities, accelerators, community projects, and food tech hubs. This multi-perspective approach captured signals, trends, and stories from both established innovation hubs and underground food movements.

About the Delegation:

An international cohort of 16 multidisciplinary researchers from 10 nationalities, including backgrounds in engineering, food technology, agronomy, design, political science, management, and gastronomic sciences. The mission built a rich multicultural, cross-sectoral narrative of global food futures.

Campaign & Impact:

Alongside the research, the mission championed the Future Food for Climate Change (#FF4CC) campaign, mobilising young climate leaders and food advocates globally, with support from Marc Buckley (entrepreneur and Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project regional coordinator).

Why it mattered for Edible Issues:
This mission provided vital learnings on how diverse food cultures and food system innovations intersect with sustainability, food justice, and circular economies globally — insights that continue to inform our curation, conversations, and public programming in India.

Learn more:
Visit the official Food Innovation Global Mission site here