Amid the food and agri-food industry's growing demands for health, food security, sustainable development, and technological innovation, Food Innovation & Development 2026 (FID 2026) continues to affirm its role as an academic, creative, and application-oriented platform for students, pupils, young researchers, and startup teams in the food sector.

FID 2025 Closing and Award Ceremony

FID is not merely a competition for new ideas; it is also a platform where products are developed, tested, evaluated, and brought closer to the practical needs of the market. Across its first two editions, the FID Competition has produced numerous products capable of addressing specific challenges in the food industry, from supporting consumer health and utilizing agricultural by-products to increasing the value of agricultural products, developing green products, and addressing business-driven challenges.

Turning By-products into New Resources

One of the FID Competition's notable values is its encouragement of young people to recognize innovation opportunities in materials that might otherwise be considered waste. From FID 2024, this spirit was demonstrated through a range of highly applicable products, including chitosan made from shrimp molted shells by the FIKA team, chocolate made from avocado seeds as a by-product by the ChocoRang team, Eco Snack made from durian peel by the ECO SNACK team, fiber powder from cabbage by-products by the ECO-FIBER team, and a circular product line from durian by the Green Choice team. These products demonstrate that agricultural, seafood, and food by-products can become new resources when approached through technological thinking and innovation.

Continuing this direction, at FID 2025, the Durian Seed Pizza Dough project by the Eco Queens – HUIT team made a strong impression by utilizing durian seeds to develop pizza bases, opening up a new approach to the circular economy model in the food industry.

The Durian Seed Pizza Dough project by the Eco Queens – HUIT team won the Special Prize at FID 2025

The significance of these products lies not only in creating new products but also in helping reduce waste, lessen environmental pressure, and increase value throughout the food production chain. This is also a direction aligned with sustainable development requirements, where every material can be utilized more efficiently and responsibly.

Bringing Health-Supporting Foods Closer to Consumers

FID is also a platform where numerous health-oriented food products are developed based on scientific knowledge in nutrition and food technology. At FID 2024, the Synbiotic Rice Cake by the Hoa Gao RS – HUIT team stood out after winning the Special Prize “The Future Entrepreneur,” First Prize in the Health Focus category, and the Most-Voted Virtual Reality Booth Award.

In addition, FID 2024 featured products such as non-alcoholic beverages and fermented cakes made from Vietnamese black glutinous rice by the Neca team, Spirulina products by the Nano Spihitech team, astaxanthin-enriched yogurt by the Astaboost team, Low-Carb noodles rich in resistant starch made from jackfruit seed starch by the Winie team, and products made from cordyceps mushroom bases by the Four-Leaf Clover team.

The Hoa Gao RS (HUIT) team's booth featuring the Synbiotic Rice Cake

These products clearly reflect emerging consumer trends: consumers are not only looking for tasty and convenient products but are also increasingly concerned about health, nutrition, digestive support, energy control, and healthier food choices. FID therefore provides an environment in which students can understand that the development of modern food products should begin with genuine consumer needs.

Developing Greener Foods and Safer Solutions for the Supply Chain

Alongside health-oriented products, FID 2024 also featured numerous solutions aimed at food safety, food preservation, and green consumption. Examples include hybrid plant-based fresh cheese by the CashewDairy team, a fresh pork preservation formulation using cardamom essential oil by the Amomum EOS team, and biodegradable food packaging film made from BC Kombucha combined with antibacterial compounds from tropical almond leaves and anthocyanins from purple sweet potato peels by the PUNT team. These products demonstrate that FID does not focus solely on foods intended for direct consumption but also extends to solutions that support a safer, more sustainable, and environmentally friendly food supply chain. The development of biomaterials, natural preservation formulations, and plant-based alternatives represents a meaningful direction as the food industry seeks to reduce its reliance on non-biodegradable materials and conventional chemical preservatives.

Addressing Real-World Challenges from Businesses

One of the practical values of the FID Competition is that it not only encourages contestants to create new products but also guides them toward developing products that address real market and business needs. Across different editions, products such as Mochi Prebiotics, energy bars made from soybean pulp and cricket protein, circular product lines from durian, Bố Chính Ginseng instant soup, herbal microencapsulated jelly, and purple rice nutritional jelly have demonstrated the connection between creative ideas, food technology, and real-world applications.

Images of booths at FID

Through this process, FID helps contestants understand that taking a product further requires more than a good formulation. A product needs to offer clear practical value, meet consumer needs, demonstrate production potential, have commercialization prospects, and make a practical contribution to the food industry.

From Competition to a Launchpad for Food Industry Innovation

FID 2025 recorded significant growth in both scale and reach, with more than 500 students and pupils participating, 144 topics/projects from 58 universities and institutes domestically and internationally, and contestants from 14 provinces and cities. Following the selection rounds, the competition selected 65 teams for the Semifinals and the 30 strongest teams for the Grand Final. Compared with FID 2024, the number of topics/projects increased by 18%, while the number of participating institutions doubled, demonstrating FID's growing appeal within the food innovation ecosystem.

Beyond its growth in participation, FID 2025 also demonstrated greater depth in product quality and practical applicability. From Calmio alertness lozenges and the Eco Queen durian seed pizza dough to business-driven solutions such as Crunchypop, Ngoc Sam Nam Quoc, Olygen, Violet Jelly, and Gustacocos, the projects shared a common characteristic: they began with real market needs, were developed using specialized knowledge, and aimed to deliver practical value to consumers, businesses, and the community.

Impressive figures from FID 2025

Continuing the Journey of Bringing Food Ideas Closer to Real-World Applications at FID 2026

Looking back at FID 2024 and FID 2025, the greatest value of the competition lies not only in the awards presented but also in the way students' and pupils' ideas are nurtured, challenged, and gradually developed into products with practical applications. From Synbiotic Rice Cake, durian seed pizza dough, Calmio lozenges, and nano collagen from snakehead fish scales to products addressing business-driven challenges, each project demonstrates that young people can contribute to real-world challenges in the food industry through specialized knowledge, innovative thinking, and a sense of responsibility toward the community.

Building on these achievements, FID 2026 aims to further strengthen connections among stakeholders in the food innovation ecosystem, including universities, businesses, experts, investors, support organizations, and domestic and international competing teams. With a theme centered on sustainable food value chains, the competition is expected to continue serving as a platform for inspiring new products, highly applicable solutions, and ideas capable of creating real impact for Vietnam's food and agri-food industry.

From an idea developed in the classroom to a product capable of entering the market, FID provides young people with opportunities to turn knowledge into solutions, transform creativity into value, and turn their passion for the food industry into practical contributions to the community. FID 2026 not only aims to nurture outstanding products but also continues to seek talents who can help shape a new future for sustainable food value chains.

HUIT Website Editorial Board

Center for Communications and Media