FoodRegio for the food industry

WTSH online editorial team: The food industry is one of the strongest sectors in Schleswig-Holstein, as your current industry report shows. How do you support entrepreneurs as a cluster? 

Marco Kuhlow: At the heart of what we do are our diverse working groups, which we offer for various topics, such as the working group on ‘Quality and Certification’. In the working groups, participants usually meet at a company, we invite external speakers and offer the opportunity to discuss topics and challenges and identify solutions. We also offer training courses and workshops, e.g. in the areas of quality management, logistics and sales, as well as a series of networking events. Our foodRegio Trend Day is particularly noteworthy in this regard. This event could also be described as a class reunion for the industry. Every year, we focus on a current trend topic and offer exciting keynote speeches and workshops. In addition to the ideas presented there, the focus is above all on networking.

WTSH online editorial team: What are the biggest challenges currently facing the food industry? 

Marco Kuhlow: As in many other industries, the shortage of skilled workers is also a major challenge in the food industry. This is particularly true for commercial specialists. foodRegio also provides support in this area, particularly in the field of training, with its Foodstarter initiative.

In addition, stricter regulations and legal requirements mean that companies have to constantly change and update their processes and products. A good example of this is the new EU Packaging Regulation PPWR.

Another issue is the ever-shortening innovation cycles for new products. This requires early and reliable identification of trends so that companies can be prepared.

WTSH online editorial team: How can such trends be identified at an early stage?

Marco Kuhlow: Our trend radar is a special tool that we offer our members. Trend radars clearly and visually display trends and relationships, making complex future developments more accessible and understandable. This enables companies to respond more quickly and effectively to new developments.

WTSH online editorial team: How does it work? 

Marco Kuhlow: Our trend radars are continuously updated with new signals. To this end, over 300 sources are evaluated every day with the help of AI. These sources include international news sites, websites, RSS feeds and databases of scientific publications or patent applications. Our trend radars then provide specific information about changes in consumer preferences, technological developments, supply chain security and opportunities for innovation, e.g. through new product developments.

WTSH online editorial team: What are the current trends at the moment?

Marco Kuhlow: As in every other industry, artificial intelligence is of course a very big topic. Here, it is now important to integrate AI into the respective specialist departments and put it into practice. foodRegio is making a valuable contribution to this with its Newtrition X. Future Food powered by AI congress series. In addition to AI, the topic of biodiversity is also very important. The food industry has a lot of influence here, and companies should think about how they can incorporate biodiversity into their corporate and sustainability strategies. A great example of this is our member Schwartauer Werke, which already offers a cooperation programme for its farmers with various measures to increase biodiversity.