BASF is hosting a Science Symposium in Chicago to address one of the world’s pressing future challenges: sustainable food. Under the banner of “Sustainable Food Chain – From Field to Table,” eminent scientists, academics, and thought leaders from a variety of disciplines are meeting to discuss how food production can be more sustainable along the complete supply chain necessary to feed a growing world population. The symposium is part of a co-creation program marking BASF’s 150th anniversary.

The symposium features six sessions that highlight the focus areas of organic synthesis, metabolic engineering & plant science, agriculture, and food & nutritional science. Attendees will discuss topics such as how to enhance crop yields, how to advance plant science at the molecular and physiological level to impact crop productivity, and how to improve the delivery of quality food to consumers.

“With a projected 9 billion people to feed by mid-century, the need for building greater efficiency, flexibility, and resiliency into the food supply chain cannot be overstated,” said Dr. Martin Brudermüller, Vice Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of BASF SE. “Addressing these challenges will require innovation along the whole food chain. This is why we are bringing experts from various disciplines together in Chicago.”

In a keynote address titled “Ending World Hunger – A Solvable Problem,” Josette Sheeran, President & CEO, Asia Society, and former executive director of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), stated: “Over the next 40 years, the world will need to produce more food than in the last 8,000 years combined. But this battle is winnable – avoiding food crises requires a paradigm shift in commitment, strategy, innovative models and alliances.”

Alongside the Creator Space Science Symposium in Chicago, BASF is also hosting experts from across the food value chain at “Creator Space – The Future of Food,” a global co-creation event connecting all areas of the food industry. The initiative, launched in Washington D.C., earlier this year, brings together more than 40 food industry professionals, scientists and opinion leaders to ideate around the focus topics – water and nutrient management in agriculture, nutrient-rich food and personalized nutrition – and to develop tangible proposals and prototypes for the future. The goal is to establish collaborative partnerships to drive forward projects resulting from the workshop and make a tangible difference to the future of food.