Earlier this month I attended Europe’s biggest consumer electronics fair, IFA in Berlin with Grundig to see chef Massimo Bottura of the Michelin three-starred restaurant Osteria Franciscan. He is the current title holder of the No.1 Restaurant in the World. It was a whistle-stop trip as I was literally there for 24 hours before flying to Paris but it was a rewarding insight into the future of the modern kitchen. It was also the enhancement of my understanding of the food revolution that is happening in the kitchen industry.
IFA is a serious mega show with 158,000 square meters of exhibition space and nearly 2000 exhibitors. It was almost entirely a sea of men in suits, very different from the usual exhibitions I attend. Manufacturers from across the globe attend to showcase the concepts and products that will define the future of home appliances and consumer electronics. The 2016 edition featured appliances intended to make homes smarter, healthier, more sustainable and better connected.
The health, wellbeing and the environment proved to be a major trend, with the manufacturers of white goods focusing on healthy lifestyle and freshness of foods. This all made sense given the trends I’d seen at Eurocucina earlier in the year. Hakan Bulgurlu, CEO of Grundig translated their “Respect Food” concept into refrigerators that control temperature and humidity to enhance the longevity of foods and reduce waste. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen this type of technology, but it was the first time I heard a company talking about it with such passion. Special drawers for fruit and vegetables so that they last long is great, compartments that keep fish and
meat (separately) fresh for longer knocked my socks off. Food waste is a challenge for household budgets, for local shops and councils, and above all for the environment. Trying to turn our kitchens into smarter systems so
that we can help the environment is genius. A favourite of mine from the Grundig exhibit was an indoor herb garden that waters and essentially looks after itself. How many times have you gone into a supermarket and bought a packet of fresh herbs or maybe even a pot of herbs and maybe only used half?
These innovations go hand in hand with Massimo Bottura’s own Food For Soul organisations philosophy. The FullFresh+® technology which Grundig presented makes it possible to store fruit and vegetables in a controlled compartment up to 3 times longer by minimizing humility loss, hopefully meaning less food waste. Massimo has collaborated with Grundig on their #RespectFood movement and gave a wonderful demonstration
on how to use those left over. Leftover bread? Turn it into breadcrumbs for a dish. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that 1.3 billion tons of food being wasted each year and at the same time 795 million people are undernourished. Food For Soul and Grundig’s #RespectFood manifesto is fundamentally about waste food with principles that resonate; use the leftovers, clean our plates, use what is in our refrigerators, shop smarter and don’t let it go to waste. Sentiments that I certainly want to work harder in achieving. In the UK I’d highly recommend you check out OLIO a free app that connects
neighbours with each other and with local businesses so surplus food can be shared, not thrown away.
In a world where one third of the food we produce is thrown away, it’s time we tried harder to eat ALL our food and to put much more thought into cooking. Let the food revolution commence. #RespectFood
If you enjoyed my food revolution post with Grundig you might like more of my kitchen posts here
With thanks to Grundig for the opportunity to meet Massimo Bottura and entertaining me in Berlin. All words and opinions my own. All images by Grundig
