Sustainably safeguarding the health of 10 billion people, 10 million of whom live in Switzerland, and ensuring they have sufficient food is a complex challenge that requires a global approach. The Congress will open with insights from Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, and Dr Mark Schneider, CEO of Nestlé. We will then focus on two main topics. First, we will look at the topic of functional food in the context of health and nutrition. We will be paying particular attention to the role it plays in the health context and the extent to which it can be seen as an alternative or supplement to medicines, either preventively or in a complementary role. Prof. Stefan Palzer, CTO of Nestlé, and Prof. Marcel Salathé, Joint Director of the EPFL AI Center, will be providing insights.

The second topic, security of food supply and access to medicines, will be addressed in input presentations by Prof. Patrick Aebischer, former President of EPFL and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of GESDA, Dr Catharina Boehme, Assistant Director General for External Relations at the WHO and Dr Jean-Marc Chappuis (Assistant Director of the Federal Office for Agriculture).