FOODTECH 500:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The FoodTech 500 is the ‘Fortune 500’ of the FoodTech sector – a ranking of the top 500 AgriFoodTech companies in the world. Our mission is to raise the public profile of AgriFoodTech and give visibility to the most innovative companies in the sector, showcasing their valiant efforts in tackling the varied challenges our food system faces. We have created a set of criteria to unify, rank and score the businesses that would define the future of food.

The big differentiator of the FoodTech 500 is that it is a global initiative. Its global coverage provides a more accurate picture of where we are in food tech by showcasing the latest developments from international startup and scaleup companies across the entire supply chain.

Industry Prestige: Gain recognition as one of the top players in the AgriFoodTech industry, thanks to the world’s first Global FoodTech ranking.

Global Exposure in Forward Fooding’s network: Access a vast network of industry stakeholders (22K+ industry contacts), including C-level Executives at Fortune 500 F&B companies, international investors and government representatives among others.

Showcasing Awesomeness: Be featured on the official FoodTech 500 website and the Official White Paper, putting your brilliance on display for the world to see, with over 50K+ downloaded reports on our website.

Highly-curated Industry Events: Get the opportunity to be a speaker or exhibitor at our international gatherings, conferences, and meetups, where you’ll get to network with the best innovators and industry experts out there.

While some global rankings are generated with publishers, we ask companies (including more established players) to apply for the FoodTech 500 themselves. This is because in the application process we ask companies to share a series of metrics and data points that allow us to measure the business with our proprietary algorithm. These metrics cannot be all pulled from online sources, so they require companies to report to us themselves. We have developed this algorithm to take into account three main factors: Business viability, Innovation & differentiation and Sustainability. You can find more information here.

Yes, we require companies to apply every year to ensure our data is the most accurate it can be in assessing the efforts and progress of each company on the list. This matters more than ever in 2026. The evidence-based framework scores companies on current, verified data that the applying companies agreed to share, including customers or markets, deployments, funding, and partnerships. Much of that information isn’t available through public channels. Companies evolve fast in this sector, and a fresh application ensures a ranking reflects where a company is now.

Every year applications close on November 15th. However, companies that apply early will get featured in communications to the community and to investors in the lead-up to the deadline. If a high volume of submissions is received, we reserve the right to close applications early to allow our team to process each one thoroughly

All startups and scaleups from the Food Tech (or ‘AgriFoodTech’) sector – from early stage to more established businesses, operating all across the food supply chain. At Forward Fooding we define Food Tech as ‘the emerging sector exploring how technology can be leveraged to create efficiency and sustainability in designing, producing, choosing, delivering and enjoying food.’ You can find out more about how we define Food Tech here. 

On top of fitting the above definition, there are 3 main baseline criteria for submitting an application:

1. The company needs to be incorporated
2. The company needs to have an active website
3. The company is less than 15 years old

Some sub sectors we are focusing on include: alternative proteins, vertical farming, packaging & materials, surplus & waste management, restaurant tech, bio-engineered ingredients, circularity, functional foods, food processing innovation, food safety & traceability, nutrition, kitchen robotics, irrigation & water tech, precision farming , Ag biotech and more.

No, applying is free of charge and always will be! It is very important to us that the FoodTech 500 is equally accessible to all FoodTech businesses, so there is no cost to apply nor to be featured on the final list.

The FoodTech 500 methodology has never stood still. Every edition, scores are benchmarked against that year’s applicant pool, which is why we’ve always said results are not directly comparable from one year to the next. As the sector matures, the way we assess it matures too.

For 2026, we’ve distilled a decade of sector tracking through the FoodTech Data Navigator (FDN) and seven editions of applications into a refined scoring framework built around three dimensions:

Business Viability
How mature and commercially validated a company is. At the heart of this dimension sits commercial traction assessed on evidence: named customers, confirmed pilots, deployment reach, retail listings. Companies that can point to real adoption in the market will see that reflected in their score, whatever their funding stage.

Innovation & Differentiation
How novel and defensible a company’s solution is. Every technology domain gets assessed on its own merits: what the solution actually does, how it works, and what makes it hard to replicate, from patents to proprietary processes to unique data. Substance carries the score.

Sustainability
How strongly a company contributes to a more sustainable and inclusive food system. The SDG assessment, developed with sustainability experts from the University of Turin, captures a company’s full SDG footprint. And as we shared in our recent reflection on the ranking, we committed to widening the lens for the eighth edition. The new Equity & Impact component is a first concrete step: it recognises founder diversity, solutions serving the Global South, and companies focused on vulnerable and underserved populations.

How do we get there? Underpinning all three dimensions is deep due diligence from our team. Alongside the application form, website, and pitch deck scanning, data cross-checking against FoodTech Data Navigator, we are conducting additional research to verify and enrich provided information.

Find out more here.

Once companies apply, the Forward Fooding team run all the data through our proprietary scoring system. You will hear from us over email both if you have made the list and if you have not been selected – we want to make sure you have full visibility as soon as the ranking is available. 

If you have been selected for the FoodTech 500 you will also receive an invitation to pitch and/or take part in our official FoodTech 500 unveiling events. 

Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Linkedin to keep up to date with the latest announcements around the initiative.

Mistakes happen. Simply submit a new application or email the team at info@forwardfooding.com specifying what you would like to tweak in your application.

We announce the full ranked list at an official unveiling event every year, usually in Q1. Stay tuned for updates!

We understand some of the information you share with us is sensitive and confidential. We will never make this information publicly available – it remains in our safe hands for the purpose of creating the ranking. All non-sensitive information will be aggregated and used to create your profile on the official FoodTech 500 website. You can see an example of the data we showcase for each company here.

By submitting the FoodTech 500 form, you consent to Forward Fooding Ltd using your contact details for communication related to the FoodTech 500 and all Forward Fooding’s activities. We assure you that all data processing will be carried out in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and our privacy policy.

Yes! You will find all the questions HERE.

Great news! If you are an AgriFoodTech startup, it’s really important that you apply first and foremost, so you have a chance at ranking in the FoodTech 500. Businesses across multiple verticals are featured throughout all of our communications and have the chance to pitch and speak on our panels at the official FoodTech 500 unveiling events. 

If you’d like to get involved as a sponsor or in any other way, feel free to drop us a line at info@forwardfooding.com or check out the options below:

Nominate a Company That Deserves Recognition

Innovation can emerge from anywhere, and our public nomination system helps make sure no breakthrough goes unnoticed. Industry professionals, ecosystem stakeholders, and food innovation enthusiasts can all put forward startups and scale-ups they believe deserve a place in the ranking. Community nominations have surfaced some of the most exciting companies in previous editions.

It takes a couple of minutes, and you don’t need any affiliation with the company you’re putting forward. Anyone can nominate: investors, corporates, ecosystem partners, or simply people who rate what a company is doing. Nominated companies still need to complete an application, so tell them you’ve put them forward.

NOMINATE A COMPANY you believe deserves recognition.

Join the Ambassador Network

The FoodTech 500 Ambassador Programme now counts over 50 ambassadors worldwide — ecosystem champions who identify breakthrough innovations in their regions, advocate for promising startups, and open doors across the international AgriFoodTech community. If you have the expertise and network to make a meaningful impact, explore Ambassador opportunities here.

BECOME AN AMBASSADOR and help shape the future of FoodTech

Partner with the FoodTech 500

Corporates, investment agencies, media outlets, and service providers can align with the ranking through sponsorship and partnership opportunities across the edition.

EXPLORE PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES to align with industry leaders