Sproutfull joins industry leaders to develop AI tool for sustainable food formulation in PREDICT project

As food producers face growing pressure to reduce environmental impact while maintaining product quality, new collaborative initiatives are emerging to tackle this challenge. The launch of the PREDICT project marks a significant step forward, bringing together major industry players and innovators to develop an AI-driven solution for sustainable food formulation.

For Sproutfull, joining companies such as Unilever, Bel Group, Cosun, NIZO and Vivici in the PREDICT consortium represents an important milestone. The project, part of the Next Food Collective, reflects a shared ambition to make sustainable product development more data-driven, scalable, and effective.

Sustainable food production is highly dependent on formulation choices. However, improving environmental performance by changing ingredients often leads to unintended consequences in taste, texture, and structure—key factors that determine whether consumers accept a product.

The PREDICT consortium addresses this challenge by developing an advanced AI model capable of predicting how ingredients interact during processing, and how these interactions influence the final product structure. This enables food technologists to design more sustainable products without compromising on quality.

Within the project, Sproutfull contributes by bringing in its expertise in environmental impact assessment and data integration across the food supply chain. The company develops software that enables food producers to measure, manage, and reduce their environmental footprint by translating complex supply chain data into clear sustainability insights.

“Joining the PREDICT project allows us to work alongside leading food companies to embed sustainability directly into the product development process,” says Jonah-Jan Willemsen, co-founder of Sproutfull. “By combining environmental impact data with formulation insights, we can support better decisions at the earliest stages—where the potential for impact is greatest.”

A partner within the consortium adds: “One of the biggest challenges in reformulation is balancing sustainability improvements with product quality. Being able to predict ingredient interactions during processing is a major step forward in making sustainable innovation both faster and more reliable.”

By integrating these insights into the formulation process, sustainability becomes a measurable and actionable parameter from the earliest stages of product development - rather than an afterthought.

By combining expertise in food science, AI modeling, and environmental impact assessment, the PREDICT project contributes to the broader ambition of achieving climate-neutral food systems in line with Europe’s 2050 goals.

More information about the project can be found via the Next Food Collective.

Sproutfull joins industry leaders to develop AI tool for sustainable food formulation in PREDICT project

As food producers face growing pressure to reduce environmental impact while maintaining product quality, new collaborative initiatives are emerging to tackle this challenge. The launch of the PREDICT project marks a significant step forward, bringing together major industry players, research institutions, and innovators to develop an AI-driven solution for sustainable food formulation.

For Sproutfull, joining partners including Chemspeed, Cosun, dsm-firmenich, Bel Group, NIZO, Time Travelling Milkman, Unilever, Vivici, and Wageningen University & Research in the PREDICT consortium represents an important milestone. The project, coordinated by Next Food Collective, reflects a shared ambition to make sustainable product development more data-driven, scalable, and effective.

Sustainable food production is highly dependent on formulation choices. However, improving environmental performance by changing ingredients often leads to unintended consequences in taste, texture, and structure, key factors that determine whether consumers accept a product.

The PREDICT consortium addresses this challenge by developing an advanced AI model capable of predicting how ingredients interact during processing, and how these interactions influence the final product structure. This enables food technologists to design more sustainable products without compromising on quality.

Within the project, Sproutfull contributes by bringing in its expertise in environmental impact assessment and data integration across the food supply chain. The company develops software that enables food producers to measure, manage, and reduce their environmental footprint by translating complex supply chain data into clear sustainability insights.

“Joining the PREDICT project allows us to work alongside leading food companies, innovators, and researchers to embed sustainability directly into the product development process,” says Jonah-Jan Willemsen, co-founder of Sproutfull. “By combining environmental impact data with formulation insights, we can support better decisions at the earliest stages, where the potential for impact is greatest.”

By integrating these insights into the formulation process, sustainability becomes a measurable and actionable parameter from the earliest stages of product development, rather than an afterthought.

By combining expertise in food science, AI modeling, environmental impact assessment, and industrial innovation, the PREDICT project contributes to the broader ambition of achieving climate-neutral food systems in line with Europe’s 2050 goals.

More information about the project can be found via the Next Food Collective.