The International Year of Pulses (IYoP) declared by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has been marked by a plethora of activities in Canada.
Ottawa, ON. One such initiative is the Pulse Innovation Platform aimed at reinventing competition and collaboration needed for a next generation agri-food innovation system. Bolstered by the partnership of private and public sectors, academia and international organizations, such as the FAO, Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research- CGIAR and the World Bank, the PIP is being advanced as a suitable demonstration model for highlighting benefits which can accrue to health, environment and the economy, with a “whole of society” approach.
The launch took place under the auspices of the Centre for the Convergence of Health and Economics of McGill University (MCCHE) and had presentations and endorsements from a diverse group of executives drawn from the partnering groups. The CEO of Pulse Canada, Gordon Bacon, spoke of Canada’s (indirect) contribution to food security, resulting from exports of pulses to over 150 countries, and shared exciting prospects for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by substituting pulse flour for wheat flour. He stressed the importance of targeting consumer perception and behavior, as the consumer plays a central role – as both citizen and patient.
The half day event was followed by a day-long workshop on Convergent Innovation (CI) for Sustainable Development and Affordable Healthcare. This provided additional insights on consumer behavior, targeting the “Food Convergent Innovation Sweet Spot” and embedding CI into capacity building and systems design for public and private value creation. A highlight was the Convergent Innovation Fair, where young entrepreneurs presented their food based products and their services targeting health, convenience, environmental sustainability and the bottom-line.
Both events were led by Professor Laurette Dubé, the James McGill Chair for Consumer & Lifestyle Psychology and Marketing; Chair and Scientific Director, MCCHE, Desaultels Faculty of Management of McGill University.
