Afrinut Enriched Foods advances to semifinals in Global Food Innovation Challenge

Afrinut Enriched Foods, an Ethiopian-based initiative, has been named a semifinalist in the prestigious 2024 Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge. The competition, hosted by the Seeding The Future Foundation and the Institute of Food Technologists, aims to address critical global food challenges by supporting groundbreaking innovations. Afrinut’s project focuses on producing affordable plant-based Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) and nutritious food paste, designed to combat malnutrition and promote food security.

This year’s challenge attracted nearly 1,200 submissions from scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and multidisciplinary teams representing 93 countries. Only 36 semifinalists advanced to the next stage, vying for a share of the $1 million prize fund. Winners will include up to eight Seed Grant recipients ($25,000 each), three Growth Grant recipients ($100,000 each), and two Grand Prize winners ($250,000 each).

Bernhard van Lengerich, founder of the Seeding The Future Foundation, praised the quality of submissions: “The need for transformative innovations to address food system challenges grows more urgent every day. We are inspired by the abundance of creative and passionate teams developing truly novel and impactful solutions.”