Seaweed for people and animals

Frederic presents us a brand-new packaging, made from seaweed. “The paper box is made from seaweed fibres – you can't eat them. But the packaging of the herbs and oils will melt in a pan. We're currently investigating whether this might be an option for Foodbag's meal boxes or Boni's salads. This specific creation is the work of Notpla, a start-up in which we invest through investment fund Astanor. We're conducting small-scale tests, the aim is to launch it soon. ”

“Seaweed is incredibly versatile”, Frederic confirms. “That's why we increased our stake in The Seaweed Company, a Dutch company, to 21 %. Not only can you use it as packaging material, but also in food because it has that typical umami or full flavour. We're developing a vegetable seaweed assortment for Bio-Planet and already have a Boni organic seaweed burger. You can also use it to improve the quality of soil. Or as a supplement in cattle feed to reduce methane emissions in cows and thus combat global warming.” the project was scaled up to 4,000 kilos and sold at OKay and Cru shops at the end of 2022. Together with a supplier, we've now also developed detox juices, ginger syrup and ginger jam for Cru.” more easily and millions of trays a year can be recycled better. But we're also innovating with new products such as tasty plant-based cheese or tap water from Robinetto for our workers in our canteens and office buildings. For the sake of clarity: we do this in collaboration with many other teams within our group, such as Sustainable Product, Purchasing, Marketing, Farming, Technics, etc. Together, we try to create not only an economic but also a social added value."

What about the future?

Can you also be too early with innovations?

“Of course, the consumer has to be ready for it too. A couple of years ago we already launched insect balls at BioPlanet, but the time wasn't right for it. You can also learn a lot from failures.”

What are you most proud of?

“I'm actually proud of everything we do here: we have some smart innovations around packaging and delicious products in the store shelves at the moment. I'm proud of the positive impact and added value we create. Working on a ‘packaging-free’ or more circular world, for example. For example, we're going to change the trays used at the butcher's department so that the sorting machine recognises them

“Innovation never stops: technology is evolving rapidly, digitisation offers opportunities, we're moving towards a more personalised diet, there are new insights about the relationship between the health of our own intestinal floraour microbiome - and the health of our soil, etc. The great thing is that with our group we touch on numerous facets in that food and agri-food chain. We don't only innovate for today's consumers, but also and especially for tomorrow's!”