Groundbreaking approach pave the way for radical innovation in the food sector

The food we eat does more than fill our stomachs – it’s one of the primary reasons we exceed planetary boundaries. We need to act quickly and decisively to change the food system.

At the same time, there are significant barriers for companies that want to contribute solutions. Antrop has been commissioned to transform how authorities can shift from hindering to enabling radical innovation within the food sector. The new approach in One Stop Myndighetsshop has been developed and tested over a two-year period and is now ready to create a paradigm shift for a more sustainable food system.

Client: The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth in collaboration with Swedish Food Agency, The Swedish Board of Agriculture, County Administrative Board in Västra Götaland
We worked with: System Innovation, Policy Design, Prototyping

“In the future, we will eat new ingredients and food produced in completely new ways. For example, seaweed, mealworms, Swedish oysters and lettuce from aquaponic circular systems.”

Anna Eldestrand, Coordinator at The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth

Height of innovation in the food sector – a key issue in order to succeed in achieving the goals in the food strategy

The food system is one of the primary causes of impact on climate, biodiversity, land, and water use. The way we consume food today also leads to major challenges in public health. We will need to eat entirely different things and approach food production in entirely new and radical ways to secure food supply in the future.

However, the food issue does not only pose challenges, but is also one of our greatest opportunities to contribute to the shifts that need to happen – on a national and global level. In a food system that is transitioning, Sweden has good conditions to take the lead and influence other countries. It is also a matter of national concern to increase our domestic food production as it contributes to our supply security and can create a positive development in the countryside with many job opportunities.

Sweden’s Food Strategy shows the way forward for both authorities and companies, but achieving the goals of the strategy requires increased capacity for innovation. International rankings show that Sweden is falling behind in innovations in the food area. At the same time, companies at the forefront testify that authorities make it difficult to be innovative. Innovation has thus been identified as a key issue for collaboration between the authorities.

The future of food is facing headwinds. This is how we have worked to create tailwinds.

The regulatory burden for innovative companies is large and complex. By mapping out what affects the level of innovation within the Swedish food system, we have gained knowledge about the fundamental problems as to why development is faltering.

Our mapping shows that companies spend a tremendous amount of time on government contacts, with long response times and unclear requirements for obtaining permits. Furthermore, entrepreneurs experience different interpretations of rules depending on the administrative officer and where in the country they are located. Overall, it is very difficult to predict the future and direction of the sector’s development, which makes it difficult to invest in what is new and unknown. Authorities lack preparedness to handle the introduction of new foods and do not proactively drive the shifts needed in the food sector.

To address these challenges, Antrop has led an innovation project that has resulted in a completely new way of working for authorities, a development process that involved both authorities, companies, researchers, and promoters in the innovation system where we have designed, prototyped, and tested solutions.

The entrepreneurs who participated are about to introduce entirely new and radical raw materials or production methods but have encountered a number of challenges related to laws, regulations, and grants. These have been companies that produce insects, are seaweed farmers, oyster producers, and cultivate in circular aquaponic systems.

“The slow processes of the authorities do not go together with the needs of innovative companies for fast processes.”

Christian Vorbeck, CEO Ostrea Aquaculture

New Methods for Solving Complex Challenges – System Innovation

The need for collaboration between the public sector, business, and civil society has probably never been greater than in the era of sustainable transformation. For a long time, authorities have attempted to tackle society’s challenges with traditional methods, without complete success. In recent years, a new trend has gained strength in both public and private operations, where a new methodology has been used to solve the big questions: system innovation.

System innovation means tackling the fundamental problems in the complex system one works with, instead of creating superficial solutions. In our case, this applies to the food system.

An authority-transcending collaboration model for top-tier innovation

In the collaboration form One Stop Myndighetsshop innovative companies are supported by a guide who leads the company through the authority process, providing the company a gateway to meet all the experts from the relevant authorities. The method includes various functions that form a workflow chain – from the companies’ regulatory challenges, through experts, all the way to reviewing government regulations or initiating regulatory development in Sweden’s or the EU’s legal frameworks. Not least, this form of collaboration is a way for authorities to drive shifts to create long-term sustainable conditions within the food sector.

“This is the first time we have a good way to discuss the need for regulatory changes across multiple authorities and how it should be channeled further to gain traction. It adds weight and momentum and speeds up the process of regulatory change.”

Mats Ivarsson, County Administrative Board in Västra Götaland

A Radical Approach Paves the Way for Cultural Change

In our work, we adopted a radical approach aimed at transforming the food system. By developing One Stop Myndighetsshop as a future-prototype, with a 5-10 year perspective, the authorities were able to think freely and ambitiously – beyond today’s limitations and norms.

Another way to broaden the perspective was to focus on the future we wish to create and formulate a mission. This has served as a common guiding star for all involved parties and in balancing different interests.

This radical approach not only helped to shape the collaboration model but also to take the first steps towards a broader cultural change within the authorities. Working with soft values, such as shifting the mindset of the employees in the authorities, is just as important in system innovation as the design of the working methods and regulations. In our work, it became clear that a shift is needed – from the current state of reactive work to becoming more proactive and preparing for new innovations around the corner. Building an authority culture where innovation and new thinking are encouraged and rewarded among employees, and where they see themselves as potential system changers, not just administrators.

“As innovation leaders, one of our most important tasks has been to create an innovation culture, an environment where the authorities have been able to be brave and have dared to challenge current ways of working. One of the most important changes has been about the employees seeing themselves as possible system changers, not just administrators.”

Jenny Dannstedt, Innovation Leader Antrop

Collaborative efforts and early testing lead to valuable insights

There are many attempts to change the food sector, from the authorities often in the form of investigations and reports. In the work with One Stop Myndighetsshop, Antrop led the authorities through an entirely different approach.

We created a novel approach to collaboration, involving all key stakeholders, which results in solutions more finely tailored to specific needs. Moreover, we tested the new method at an early stage, without having everything fully thought out. This allowed us to efficiently evaluate and validate which parts of the solution to proceed with.

When working hypothesis-driven and testing through prototypes, one gains completely different learnings than when developing solutions purely theoretically. Often, it’s a quicker and more accurate path from understanding a challenge to having a solution in place.

“We have made rapid prototypes and built a culture where it has been okay to test one’s wings and make mistakes. This has been key to us making such progress in a short time that the working method will now be implemented.”

Linda Glad, Innovation Leader at Antrop

On the Path to Implementing the Working Method. Perhaps Even in More Sectors?

During 2022 and 2023, rigorous tests of the working method were carried out, showing very positive results. The project’s benefit analysis indicates that One Stop Myndighetsshop not only means administrative savings but could also potentially contribute to a faster and more efficient process for handling permit matters, which in turn could lead to increased growth and employment within the sector.

Now, the authorities are planning how to implement the working method through a long-term initiative. Starting in 2024, they plan to begin with a smaller, cross-authority working group focused on seafood. Subsequently, the establishment can be gradually scaled up to more focus areas.

However, the One Stop Myndighetsshop approach is not limited to effectiveness solely within the Food Sector. We live in a world that is rapidly changing. Major paradigm shifts require innovation in regulations, a system perspective, and authority collaboration to manage the green transition, for example, in the transport and energy sectors.

Contact us if you want to know more about how we have worked, and maybe we will soon see a One Stop Myndighetsshop in your sector!

“What really gets me going is the idea of transferring this way of working to other sectors. I hope that One Stop Myndighetsshop can become a learning example for many of the societal challenges that we are now facing and where we need to work together in the public and private spheres.”

Elisabeth Backteman, Director General of The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth

“If One Stop Myndighetsshop had existed in 2016 when we started our company, we would have earned two to three years compared to our European colleagues in the industry.”

Nils Österström, CEO Tebrito

“We have tried a few different ways of working user-driven and I think this is really one of the more exciting initiatives where the authorities can see quick concrete results”

Anna Johansson, Head of Department Simplification Tillväxtverket

“As a participating company, I can say that this way of working is much needed. In many aspects the world is up side down – climate change, the international political climate that has changed dramatically in recent years, and food security – all of this became clear to us during the pandemic. We need to get a firm grip and work together to find solutions without getting bogged down in clauses. And we have seen that the One Stop Myndighetsshop works.”

Thomas Bjelkeman-Pettersson, CEO Johannas Stadsodlingar AB

“Incredibly exciting and inspiring with very positive results so far. It becomes really clear that if we are going to be successful in solving these challenges, we need to do it together and we need to do it with completely new ways of working.”

Elisabeth Backteman, Director General of The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth

Contact me if you are interested in collaboration.

Sara Nero

[email protected]

073-066 20 36