NEWS UPDATES
PLANT-BASED FOODS
Alternative protein university course launched in Singapore to drive innovation
SINGAPORE – The Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU) - one of the top universities in Asia - has approved a new undergraduate course titled “Future Foods – Introduction to Advanced Meat Alternatives,” to help drive innovation in plant-based foods. The course which will be launched in August this year was created in
collaboration with the Good Food Institute Asia Pacific (GFI APAC), a global nonprofit headquartered in Washington DC that works to accelerate alternative protein innovation. According to a statement from GFI APAC, the course aims to equip NTU students with expertise and knowledge of the food industry
focusing on alternative proteins and cultivated meat. It will be offered as an elective to third and fourth year students taking the Food Science & Technology degree program as a 2nd Major. Adapted to suit Singapore’s context and needs, the course will be delivered by several GFI’s scientific experts alongside NTU faculty. It will also feature seminars conducted by veterans from leading companies, providing students with industry insights and knowledge of the specific regulatory and business environment for this industry. As the instructors are based in different countries across the globe, the lectures will be delivered fully using e-learning tools via Microsoft Teams and Zoom. The team of educators aim to equip students with knowledge of the science, technology, advances and challenges facing the three alternative protein industry pillars of plant-based meat, eggs, and dairy, cultivated meat and fermentation.
TECHNOLOGY
Swiggy receives regulatory approval to start drone trials for food delivery in India
INDIA – Swiggy, India’s largest online food ordering and delivery platform, is set to start drone trials for food delivery in Mumbai, one of India’s largest cities. 22
MAY/JUNE 2021 | FOOD BUSINESS AFRICA
This comes after Swiggy’s drone delivery partner ANRA Technologies received clearance from government authorities to commence drone trials for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations in India. ANRA confirmed that over the next several weeks, its flight team will conduct BVLOS food and medical package deliveries in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah and Punjab’s Rupnagar districts. According to the company, the teams will be using ANRA’s SmartSkies technology to conduct the food and medicine delivery trials. ANRA’s flight team launched its first test flight on June 16, 2021, after months of planning, assessment and air traffic control integration.
In the first test flight, the team demonstrated how food packages can be easily delivered using medium drones. Food packages mostly tend FOOD PACKAGES MOSTLY TEND TO WEIGH LESS THAN 1 KG AND CAN BE EASILY PICKED UP BY MEDIUMSIZED DRONES WITH LOAD CAPACITIES OF 3-4KGS to weigh less than 1 KG and can be easily picked up by medium-sized drones that have a load capacity of 3 KG to 4 KG.
FOODBUSINESSAFRICA.COM