It has been an intensive spring for Cecilia Tullberg, an expert in biotechnology and future food, and director of FORCE (Center for Food System Resilience and Competitiveness). There have been seminar days in Alnarp, Uppsala and Stockholm, and coming up is a panel discussion in Almedalen. We managed to squeeze in a brief chat.
What are you working on within FORCE right now?
"Over the past year, we have worked intensively to launch projects and to establish the centre. The projects address various aspects of cereals, legumes and oil crops, crisis-related impacts and food preparedness.
The areas we cover span the entire food system – from plant breeding and cultivation systems, through processing, packaging and logistical challenges, all the way to the consumer. We also look at food safety, business models related to future protein crops, and what the public sector –for example school kitchens – can do to become more robust and flexible under different risk scenarios.
This spring we have had several master’s theses linked to FORCE that have just been completed, including work on the use of side streams from cereals, municipalities’ responsibilities and challenges related to food preparedness, logistical opportunities, and dependencies within the food chain."
How did you come to work in this area?
"My own research focuses on biotechnology, the food of the future, process engineering and especially oils and product shelf-life. Health aspects related to food are also close to my heart. Within the centre, we work much more broadly, since we connect widely different areas and take a holistic approach to the food system.
I have always been interested in food and in circular, sustainable systems, and in making the most of raw materials. In connection with food preparedness, we cannot afford to waste valuable food resources; we need to make as much use as possible of side streams. This requires rethinking and innovation in relation to future crops, cultivation systems and processing technologies – drawing on emerging technologies such as biotechnology and AI, and developing new and flexible ways of working and solving problems.
Through FORCE, I also learn a great deal about risk research, behavioural science and interaction between different societal actors, which is very rewarding!"
When it comes to food preparedness, what are the most serious risks and what measures are most urgent?
"There are several areas we need to address in parallel. At present, we are highly dependent on imports of inputs such as fertilisers, seeds and animal feed. Logistics is another key issue – the importance of well-functioning transport systems, ports and fuel so that goods can move from farm to store, as an example.
Our current food system is built around well-functioning global trade with long supply chains, which means that we are greatly affected when the global situation becomes unstable. We also need to factor in climate change – an ongoing crisis – which raises questions about how extreme weather affects what we can grow and the resulting harvests. In addition, we must consider other parts of the system, such as access to clean drinking water, a functioning electricity grid, and the risk of attacks on communication systems.
To address these risks, we need to work on multiple issues simultaneously and strengthen collaboration across sectors. We also need to highlight the link between climate change, circularity and preparedness, and become better at utilising residual streams from food production and new technologies for flexible future solutions."
To what extent is the public aware of these issues?
"Awareness has increased significantly over the past year. This is partly due to ongoing global trade challenges that have received extensive media attention, and to import-related issues being reflected in rising food prices in the stores.
Awareness has also grown alongside an increased level of concern in society. Politicians talk more about preparedness in general. Since Sweden adopted a new Strategy for food 2.0, where these issues are emphasised, centres like FORCE have been formed and are supported by the government.
At the same time, there is often considerable uncertainty about what food preparedness means. Several aspects are overlooked in the debate, such as environmental considerations, building a more sustainable food system, and the importance of nutritious and safe food for psychological and physical resilience. If poor diets or unsafe food-handling make us ill, this significantly affects our ability to cope with crises."
Is Sweden ready when a crisis comes?
"In many ways, no. For many years, we have scaled down our food preparedness and are not accustomed to major crises. It is difficult for us to imagine what a large-scale crisis would entail and what consequences it would have.
At the same time, awareness related to food preparedness is increasing. More and more actors in the food sector – from the public sector to industry and academia – are collaborating and train together for different crisis scenarios, and the importance of civil preparedness is frequently highlighted in today’s debate.
Historically, we are also very good at working efficiently in teams. Sweden has strong innovative capacity, and most people are willing to help and contribute, as we saw during the COVID crisis. Since the drought in 2018, we have experienced continuous crises of varying scale related to the food system – challenges that have been noticeable, but also managed and solved.
We are currently building an entirely new system for food preparedness, and we are beginning to see action at all levels – which is very exciting. With initiatives like FORCE, we can drive change forward in a way that benefits society as a whole.
We can never be completely certain about what crises lies ahead, or in what order they will happen, but if we continue to build knowledge and work together on these issues, we can be as prepared as possible."
