After a year of hard work, learning, and growth, the finalists from our Open Call #1 reached a key milestone — the first FOODITY Star Award Ceremony. This event showcased the top three solutions from this cohort, which are transforming food and nutrition through data-driven innovation, and awarded the most impactful project with a €7,500 prize to further advance its work.
On 14 February 2025, the three teams that made it to the last phase of the FOODITY Open Call #1 Pilot Development Programme — CSE-TKAS (The Kitchen Adventure), DIAITA and STRADA — pitched their solutions. An expert jury evaluated them based on four key criteria:
- Innovation potential: The degree to which the solution is transformative.
- Impact on citizens: How effectively the project addresses citizens’ needs while respecting data rights.
- Benefits to the food system: The economic, social, and environmental advantages the solution offers within the food value chain.
- Business sustainability: The project’s capacity to thrive independently beyond the FOODITY programme.
And the winner of the FOODITY Star Award is… DIAITA!
A Digital Diet Assistant for Cancer Patients and Caregivers
DIAITA, a revolutionary digital diet assistant, has won the first FOODITY Star Award. Developed by Alícia Foundation and Bestiario (both based in Spain), this solution uses trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI) to provide personalised nutritional advice for colon cancer patients, improving their well-being during treatment.
The DIAITA team brings together expertise in culinary innovation, data-driven digital innovation, and healthcare. Their solution empowers patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals by offering science-based dietary recommendations tailored to each patient’s nutritional needs.
Congratulations to Fabiola Juárez, Bernat Esquirol, Elena Roura, Javier Ginebreda, and everyone involved in making this project a success! It will now receive €7,500 to continue improving — on top of the €187,500 it received as one of our Open Call #1 winners.
The Finalists: CSE-TKAS (The Kitchen Adventure) and STRADA
The other two finalists, selected from an initial group of six projects in Open Call #1, made remarkable progress during the FOODITY programme. Their data-driven innovations hold great potential to create positive change and create a healthier, more sustainable food system.
CSE-TKAS (The Kitchen Adventure app)
Fostering Behavior Change and Improving Healthy and Sustainable Nutrition
The Kitchen Adventure is an interactive and educational app that promotes healthy and sustainable nutrition and cooking habits through gamification, AI-driven assistance, and community engagement — created by Mayavi 3.0 Kft – Climate Smart Elephant (Hungary) and Stichting International Parents Alliance (The Netherlands).
STRADA
Development of a Miniaturised Food Sensor Enhanced with Data-Driven Technology for Efficient Food Management
STRADA has developed an innovative data-driven technology to reduce food waste by providing real-time spoilage data. Created by Strada Microsystems (Türkiye) and EV ILVO (Belgium), it empowers citizens to make informed decisions about their food and enhances health and nutrition by offering personalised meal plans and fostering healthier lifestyles.
Celebrating all FOODITY Open Call #1 innovators and mentors
Beyond our finalists, we acknowledge the entire FOODITY Open Call #1 cohort — including FoodMarketMap, EcoTrace, and MI4SaferFOOD — for their dedication to creating better food systems for the people and the planet through data-driven food innovation.
We are proud to have supported their journey, not only through funding but also with expert guidance and resources to help them develop and scale their solutions.
A special shout-out to Antonela Marincart, Tamas Szeker, Mihai Maftei, and all our FOODITY mentors, experts and team members who have provided invaluable guidance throughout this programme. Their support has been essential in shaping these pioneering solutions.
Rewatch the FOODITY Star Award ceremony here:
"Congratulations! This was a really tough decision. To those who didn’t win today, don’t worry. You’re doing something amazing."
"Congratulations to the winners and finalists. Choosing was extremely difficult, you are all amazing and are already successful in terms of what you have achieved until now. I am sure you will have a great success and wish you all the best."
"Congratulations to all the teams! Only one can take the prize, but you are all winners and can be proud of the work you’ve done. This is just the beginning, and I have no doubt you will continue to build on your success."
What’s next? FOODITY Open Call #2 Mid-term Pitch Contest
The journey doesn’t stop here! Looking ahead, we are excited about the FOODITY Open Call #2 Mid-term Pitch Contest, taking place in August 2025. This event will determine which three out of the six projects from Open Call #2 will advance to the final phase of the programme.
We look forward to seeing the innovative solutions that will emerge from this next cohort of FOODITY innovators!
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