The "Clean & Nourish" Innovation Challenge

The Clean & Nourish Innovation Challenge calls on food-tech teams to reformulate everyday products to be cleaner and more nourishing — cutting sugar, fat and sodium while boosting nutrition — without compromising taste or texture. Choose ONE of the four tracks below and submit an Executive Summary and your Formulation Approach. Track 1 — Sugar Reduction: functional sugar replacements, novel extraction techniques, clean-label natural sweeteners, and bulk/texturizing solutions without sacrificing mouthfeel. Track 2 — Fat & Trans-Fat Reduction: oleogels, plant-based fat mimetics, low-oil frying technologies, and emulsification strategies to drop saturated fat in shelf-stable snacks. Track 3 — Sodium Reduction: salt substitutes, umami enhancers, micro-particulate salt technology, and flavour strategies that keep palatability at lower sodium thresholds. Track 4 — Fortification & Bio-Nutritional Enhancement: upcycling food side-streams (fruit pomace, whey, spent grains) into high-protein/high-fibre functional ingredients, and stabilising sensitive micronutrients during processing.

Open to food-tech college teams, students and professionals. Teams of 1–5 members. Each team enters one track. Submissions must be the team's original work. Timeline — Phase 1 Launch & Intake (15 Sep – 15 Oct): call for proposals; submit Executive Summary & Formulation Approach. Phase 2 Technical Screening (16 – 31 Oct): expert evaluation on feasibility, scalability, compliance and commercial viability. Phase 3 Prototype / Pitch (1 – 20 Nov): shortlisted teams submit a sensory/lab feasibility report or a video pitch. Phase 4 Grand Finale & ICFOST (December, BHU): winners announced and top prototypes showcased.