The 11th Innova Symposium took place from 27 to 29 September in Montevideo, Uruguay. 

In his keynote speech, Dr Oliver Schlüter emphasised the urgent need to develop and implement food security measures in the face of climate change. In order to guarantee a sufficient quantity of high-quality and safe food today and in the future, a rapid global transition to healthy nutrition through sustainable food systems is necessary. Without such a change, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement cannot be achieved. In light of these challenges, alternative and innovative approaches are being explored to ensure a sustainable supply of safe, nutritious and high quality food. The presentation provided an overview of the role of alternative food resource cultivation and innovative food processing approaches in addressing the growing challenges to sustainable agricultural and food systems that enable healthy diets for all.

Dr Oliver Schlüter also gave a presentation on 28 September on the topic of "Circular bioeconomy concepts based on edible insect production and processing".  Edible insects are considered a more environmentally friendly source of protein, as they require less land, water, energy and feed than conventional livestock farming and cause fewer greenhouse gas emissions. In his lecture, Oliver Schlüter presented the applications of insects in the food and non-food sectors of the agricultural and food industry, for example as animal feed, organic fertiliser or for the recycling of agricultural materials and food waste. Schlüter also presented the challenges associated with the utilisation of edible insects, particularly in terms of technology, safety and regulation.