PIPA, AI leader in Food and Health, along with the American Heart Association (AHA), Rockefeller foundation, the University of California, and other partners has been selected as one of the fifteen global teams awarded $2 million in funding through the Bezos Earth Fund’s AI for Climate and Nature Grand Challenge. This funding will help scale Swap it Smart, an AI-powered formulation tool that replaces high-emission ingredients with sustainable alternatives while simultaneously improving nutritional quality, functional health outcomes, and sensory appeal.
“This collaboration reflects what drives us at PIPA—using AI to improve human and planetary health.” said Anestis Taskos, Head of Operations at PIPA. “We’re proud to join partners who share our decade-long vision and to bring our experience with leading food and ingredient companies to this initiative.“
Swap it Smart is built on five sustainability pillars that guide how AI reimagines food design. By optimizing ingredient choices, it reduces environmental impact, boosts nutritional density, and identifies bioactive-rich ingredients that support health. The tool also enhances affordability through AI-driven substitutions, making better foods more accessible—while ensuring sustainability never compromises flavor.
“By combining PTFI’s molecular food composition data, AI, and human capacity, we can unlock the intelligence of food itself to design meals and products that nourish people and sustain the planet, working alongside school meals programs, food enterprises, and chefs to bring these innovations to the table.” said Selena Ahmed, Principal Investigator of the Bezos Earth Fund award and Executive Director of PTFI.
The AI-powered tool is developed by UC Davis scientists with PTFI—an initiative of RF Catalytic Capital co-managed by AHA and the Alliance of Bioversity CIAT, and developed by The Rockefeller Foundation. Using AI to model PTFI’s molecular food database, the collaboration will uncover novel ingredient combinations and design recipes that optimize sustainability, nutrition, and health. Additional partners include the AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems (AIFS), the Innovation Institute for Food and Health (IIFH), and Verso Biosciences.
To learn more about this program and our AI solutions contact us.
