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Innovation Strategies Include Linking Food and Tech, Leading the Sustainable Charge

Execs from Kraft Heinz and Mars Wrigley share insights on their paths toward a sustainable, tech-focused future at the 2023 Chicago Venture Summit.

Executives discuss corporate innovation at the Chicago Venture Summit (left to right: Nisaini Rexach - Microsoft [moderator]; Rainer Struck - Mars Wrigley; Alan Kleinerman - Kraft Heinz; Alison Borgmeyer - Edelman; Richard Bull - DLA Piper)
Executives discuss corporate innovation at the Chicago Venture Summit (left to right: Nisaini Rexach - Microsoft [moderator]; Rainer Struck - Mars Wrigley; Alan Kleinerman - Kraft Heinz; Alison Borgmeyer - Edelman; Richard Bull - DLA Piper)
World Business Chicago

The future of food may rely on data and emerging technology, sustainable leadership, and learning from emerging start-ups, according to industry leaders at the 2023 Chicago Venture Summit.

The summit’s “Future of Corporate Innovation” panel brought together executives from major brands, including Mars Wrigley and Kraft Heinz, to share insights on their innovation and sustainability strategies for future success.

Data and technology for a clear path to sustainability

Alan Kleinerman, Kraft Heinz vice president of disruption, highlights the link between food and data technology, citing his company’s 2022 partnership with Microsoft to accelerate digital transformation. “If you have the data, you have the ability to actually understand and adjust, control, and make decisions based on it,” he says. “Every aspect of the supply chain can move in a more seamless way.”

Artificial intelligence (AI) also has a place in the future of food production, specifically in plant-based product formulation, Kleinerman says.

NotCo, a plant-based food brand that partnered with Kraft Heinz in 2022, implements AI in product development by “mapping foods down to the molecular level, to really understand the taste, the flavor, the experience, the texture of animal-based products,” Kleinerman says.

The technology has accelerated development for plant-based alternatives of Kraft Heinz staples such as mayonnaise and Kraft Singles.

Rainer Struck, global vice president for innovation transformation at Mars Wrigley, also emphasizes the use of emerging technology, particularly as a tool for sustainability.

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