World renowned jury appointed to the world's biggest food prize

STOCKHOLM. Johan Rockström, executive director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, David Nabarro, professor of global health and WHO’s special envoy, Covid-19 and Paul Polman, Creator of Imagine Foundation & former CEO of Unilever, are just three out of the ten world renowned judges of the first ever Food Planet Prize. The prize is founded by the Curt Bergfors Foundation in Sweden.

The jury of the Food Planet Prize, the world’s largest prize in the food arena, has been announced by the Curt Bergfors Foundation in Sweden.

The ten international top professionals include leading scientists, policymakers, and entrepreneurs:

• Olivier De Schutter, Co-chair IPES-Food & UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights.
• Shenggen Fan, professor in food economics and policy at China Agricultural University & former the Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
• Jessica Fanzo, Bloomberg Distinguished Associate Professor of Global Food and Agriculture Policy and Ethics at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics.at Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics
• David Nabarro, professor of global health and WHO’s special envoy, Covid-19
• Magnus Nilsson, Director of the MAD Academy, former head chef the Swedish restaurant Fäviken Magasinet.
• Paul Polman, Creator of Imagine Foundation & former CEO of Unilever
• Lindiwe Sibanda, CEO and Head of Mission of the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN).
• Rami Zurayk, Professor of Ecosystem Management in the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the American University of Beirut.

The jury is chaired by Johan Rockström, executive director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Line Gordon, director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University.

“We are in search of solutions that can be applied widely – preferably globally – at a rapid pace. Finding these solutions among several hundred nominations requires world-leading expertise and experience,” says Johan Rockström.

The jury’s decision will determine the winners of two $1-million prizes – the Food Planet Prize awards. One prize will be awarded to an existing scalable solution for sustainable foods. The second will be awarded for innovative initiatives that could transform the global food sector.

“The Food Planet Challenge of transforming the world to sustainable food systems is critical for our future, filled with high risks if we fail, but major benefits if we succeed,” says Line Gordon.

Nominations for The Food Planet Prize are open until June 30. The first prizes will be awarded later in 2020.

The Curt Bergfors Foundation was established in 2019 to highlight the challenges in today's food system and find new ways to redesign it for the future.

Meet the jury members:

Prof. Olivier De Schutter
Co-chair of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food). Olivier is a professor at the University of Louvain. He has served as the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food between 2008 and 2014 and as Member of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights between 2015 and 2020. He has been appointed the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights in 2020.

Prof. Shenggen Fan
Chair professor in food economics and policy at China Agricultural University. Shenggen Fan (樊胜根) was the Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) between 2009 and 2019. He has worked on transition economies and rural development in China. His research has focused on analysis of the role of public and private investments in agriculture and public infrastructure in the fight against chronic poverty and hunger.

Prof. Jessica Fanzo
Bloomberg Distinguished Associate Professor of Global Food and Agriculture Policy and Ethics at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. Jess is an expert in the fields of diet, nutrition and food security.

Dr. Line Gordon (co-chair)
Director of Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University, associate professor in Natural Resources Management with a focus on sustainability of water, food and the biosphere. Member of the Board of the EAT Foundation.                          

Prof. David Nabarro
Professor of Global Health at Imperial College London. He has worked in the UN system with disease outbreaks and health issues, food insecurity and nutrition, climate change and sustainable development, and is now serving as WHO’s special envoy, Covid-19.

Magnus Nilsson
Director of the MAD Academy, that aims to be a platform for education and inspiration in the restaurant community, creating sustainable change in the food system. Former head chef at the Swedish internationally acclaimed restaurant Fäviken Magasinet.

Paul Polman
Creator of Imagine, a foundation that works to combat poverty and climate change, giving companies the tools to meet UN global goals for sustainable development. He is also the former CEO of the British-Dutch company Unilever.

Prof. Johan Rockström (co-chair)
Professor in Earth System Science at the University of Potsdam and Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. He further chairs the advisory board for the EAT Foundation and the Earth League.

Dr. Lindiwe Sibanda
CEO and Head of Mission of the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN). Lindiwe is a serving member of, the SDG Target by 2030 Champions 12.3, and the African Union Commission (AUC). She has received numerous awards for her work with agriculture and food security in Africa.

Prof. Rami Zurayk
Professor of Ecosystem Management in the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the American University of Beirut. His current research focuses on the relationship between landscapes and livelihoods, on food politics, and on local food systems.

For further information:
https://foodplanetprize.org

Jakob Lundberg,
Head of Secretariat, The Food Planet Prize 
jakob.lundberg@foodplanetprize.org

Johan Rockström,
Jury Chairman, spokesperson for the Food Planet Prize
chair@foodplanetprize.org

Lars Peder Hedberg,
Executive Board Director, spokesperson for the Curt Bergfors Foundation
lars.p.hedberg@foodplanetprize.org
+46 709 7559910

The Curt Bergfors Foundation was established in 2019 with an endowment from Mr. Bergfors’ private assets.The purpose is to contribute to reshaping the food global system so it can feed a growing world population without destroying the planet. In addition to the Food Planet Prize, the foundation will fund a professorship with a focus on transformation to a sustainable food system.