With the objective of building and nurturing future talents to play an active role in contributing to a sustainable food industry, IMCD APAC Food and Nutrition launched the “IMCD Asia Scholarship,” a two-year postgraduate scholarship in MSc (Research) in Plant Biology, under the Green Food Contest targeting South East Asian countries.
With increasing concerns about health, climate, and sustainability, consumer interest in both plant-based diets and plant-based lifestyles has driven a wave of product innovation in the plant-based industry around the world. Although plant-based food was initially the domain of vegetarian for vegan consumers, the plant-based market is expanding with people (e.g. flexitarian) who would still like to enjoy great tasting, healthier and affordable food but without the environmental footprint. Emerging examples of plant-based food innovations include plant-based meat substitutes or alternatives like meat analogue, the cheese analogue (for example: vegan parmesan cheese) as the alternatives to dairy-based cheese; plant-based drinks (dairy-alternative beverages), vegan yoghurts, and shakes.
The Green Food Contest, launched in collaboration with Nuffic Southeast Asia and Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Singapore (NTU Singapore), is a postgraduate scholarship competition for talented students from six Southeast Asian countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam). Participants in the competition will have to apply their scientific strengths and submit a research proposal focusing on one of the key sustainability issues facing the food industry: finding plant-based alternatives in relation to mitigating the impact of the current (animal-based) food system.
Candidates of the Green Food Contest were pre-screened for eligibility by:
- Indy Hardono Hardono, Scholarship Coordinator at Nuffic Southeast Asia
- Nguyen Viet Long, Associate Professor at the Vietnam National University of Agriculture
- Wasamon Nutakul, PhD Nutakul, SciTech Specialist at Good Food Institute Asia-Pacific
- Wei Ma, Assistant Professor at the School of Biological Sciences (SBS), NTU Singapore
- Wanlin Koh, Regional Technical Director, Food & Nutrition at IMCD APAC.
The eligible candidates were interviewed, and the ultimate winner of the contest was selected by an NTU panel comprising:
- Sierin Lim, Associate Dean (Global Partnerships), Graduate College, NTU Singapore
- Ma Wei, Assistant Professor at the School of Biological Sciences (SBS), NTU Singapore
“This initiative not only created opportunities for young talents pursuing their education but also aims to help cultivate and nurture the next generation of professionals passionate about creating plant-based alternatives. I look forward to seeing how our young talents can positively contribute to the long-term sustainability of the food industry,” remarked Emmanuel Colette, Former Business Group Director of IMCD APAC Food & Nutrition and currently Managing Director of IMCD France, who initiated the programme.
At the award ceremony, Andreas Christopher Igerl, President at IMCD APAC, and Professor Kanaga Sabapathy, Chair of SBS, NTU Singapore, presented the IMCD Asia Scholarship to the winner, Eden Vina Grate, from the Philippines.
“Thank you, IMCD, for this opportunity and for believing in my potential. This scholarship opens doors to my education and empowers me to contribute valuable insights and innovations. I am excited to dive into meaningful projects that can positively impact both my academic journey and the broader community,” commented Eden Vina Grate, winner of the Green Food Contest.
