Keynotes

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

Celebrated chef and food writer J. Kenji López-Alt is a New York Times columnist and the author of the New York Times best-selling and James Beard Award–winning cookbooks 
The Food Lab and The Wok. Known for his approachable, science-driven style, Kenji has helped millions of home cooks understand how great food really works—and how to make it at home.
On YouTube, more than 1.5 million subscribers tune in to Kenji’s Cooking Show for his unedited, deeply nerdy kitchen experiments and practical cooking tips. He’s also the author of the best-selling children’s book Every Night Is Pizza Night, a story about curiosity, community, and the joy of food.
Kenji lives in Seattle with his two children, where he spends his time exploring the city’s vibrant food scene and sharing his favorite local bites and hidden gems.

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Brendan Niemira, PhD (Moderator)

Dr. Brendan A. Niemira is the Chief Science and Technology Officer of IFT, the Institute of Food Technologists based in Chicago, IL. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago (AB) and Michigan State University (PhD) and holds certifications in government affairs from American University and Georgetown. As CSTO, Dr. Niemira provides strategic direction and vision for all of IFT’s scientific and technical initiatives, including journals, science policy and advocacy. Following a 25+ year research career with USDA-ARS, Dr. Niemira is recognized as a leading subject matter expert in cold plasma, irradiation, and other nonthermal food processing technologies. He is the co-editor and author of a well-regarded reference text, holds two patents, and has published more than 200 peer-reviewed research articles, book chapters, and critical reviews related to food microbiology and food safety. Dr. Niemira is a Fellow of IFT and has served on IFT’s Board of Directors. He is the recipient of the 2016 Department of Defense Award for Excellence and the 2020 Federal Laboratory Consortium Technology Transfer Innovation Award.

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Andrew Bremer, MD, PhD

Dr. Andrew (Drew) A. Bremer is the current Director of the NIH Office of Nutrition Research (ONR), part of the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI) in the NIH Office of the Director. Since April 2025, he has also been the Acting Director of the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) within DPCPSI. Drew is a board-certified internist, pediatrician, and pediatric endocrinologist, and has a Ph.D. in pharmacology. Prior to his appointment as the ONR Director, Drew was the Chief of the Pediatric Growth and Nutrition Branch at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Drew's areas of expertise include endocrine disorders, obesity, developmental origins of health and disease, and the role of nutrition in health throughout the life cycle. He earned his B.S. at Yale University, completed his M.D./Ph.D. training at Boston University, his internal medicine and pediatric residencies at the Baylor College of Medicine, his pediatric endocrinology fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco, and subsequently received an M.A.S. degree in clinical research from the University of California, Davis. Drew joined the NIH in 2013 after holding academic positions at the University of California, Davis (2007-2010) and Vanderbilt University (2010-2013).

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Angela Odoms-Young, PhD

Dr. Odoms-Young’s research examines how social and structural conditions shape dietary intake and contribute to diet-related chronic disease risk in the United States. Specifically, her work centers on understanding how systemic inequities in food environments, policy contexts, and lived experience produce population-level disparities in diet-related health and food and nutrition security across the life course. Her scholarship further integrates implementation science to assess the feasibility, effectiveness, and scalability of community-based and policy-level nutrition interventions in real-world settings. A central contribution of this work is the translation of empirical evidence into the design, implementation, and evaluation of programs and policies aimed at improving diet quality.

Dr. Odoms-Young has also contributed to national food and nutrition policy through service on expert advisory bodies, including the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. She has served on committees that set nutrition standards for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs and revised food packages for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Most recently, she served as Vice Chair of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee for the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

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Anupama Joshi, MS

Anupama Joshi leads CSPI’s program strategy on national, state, and local policy advocacy; legislative campaigns; and regulatory affairs to support equitable access to healthy, affordable, and sustainable food. She oversees projects on a wide range of issue areas such as school nutrition, healthy food access, food retail, food service guidelines, pouring rights, labeling, corporate engagement, food safety, additives, dietary supplements, and agricultural biotechnology.

Anupama is an experienced leader driving evidence-based policies, programs, and funding in the nutrition, public health, agriculture, and environmental sectors. Previously, Anupama was executive director of the Blue Sky Funders Forum (a working group of the Environmental Grantmakers Association). Prior to that, Joshi was the founding executive director of the National Farm to School Network, where she successfully built cross-sectoral partnerships, scaled up program models, and advocated for local, state, and federal policies. She holds an MS in nutrition from M.S. University in Baroda, India, and spent the first part of her career on related projects in India, Thailand, and Malaysia. She is co-author of Food Justice (MIT Press, 2010).

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Tia Rains, PhD

Dr. Tia M. Rains, Ph.D. is Vice President of Science, Innovation & Corporate Affairs at Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America, where she leads R&D, Marketing, and Corporate Communications. A scientist with more than 25 years of experience across the food and beverage industry, she is known for her evidence-based leadership in reshaping public understanding of misunderstood ingredients, including spearheading efforts to correct longstanding myths about MSG.

Dr. Rains is an influential voice in food and nutrition, regularly speaking at national scientific and industry forums on topics such as ingredient transparency, consumer behavior, and the role of science in food systems.

Before joining Ajinomoto, she held senior roles at Kraft Foods, the Egg Nutrition Center, Biofortis Clinical Research, and Merieux NutriSciences.

She holds a Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a B.S. in Food Science and Nutrition from Arizona State University.

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Mary Ellen Camire, PhD

Mary Ellen Camire is the Editor-in-Chief of Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety and a Professor of Food Science & Human Nutrition at the University of Maine School of Food & Agriculture. She holds an A.B. in biology from Harvard-Radcliffe College, an M.S. in nutrition from the University of Massachusetts, and a Ph.D. in food science from Texas Woman’s University. Her research interests include consumer acceptability of healthy foods and developing healthy products and processes. She teaches graduate courses in sensory evaluation, nutrition and aging, integrative and functional nutrition, and responsible design, conduct, and research analysis. She received the 2006 Babcock-Hart Award from IFT and ILSI, and in 2007 became an IFT Fellow. She also received her College and University Outstanding Researcher Awards and American Society for Nutrition’s General Mills Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition Innovation Award. She was the 75th president of the IFT in 2014-2015.

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Laura Lindenfeld, PhD

Laura A. Lindenfeld, Ph.D. is Executive Director of the Alan Alda Center for Communicating
Science and Professor of Communication at Stony Brook University. She is passionate about
helping the scientific community advance meaningful, productive interactions with communities,
stakeholders, and decision-makers. As a communication researcher, her work explores
environmental sustainability communication and cultivates leadership that translates scientific
knowledge into public action on critical issues and societal challenges. Dr. Lindenfeld’s most recent
co-authored book Science Communication for Scientists: Linking Strategy with Creativity, Practice,
and Respect is the first of its kind open-access textbook on science communication.

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Charlie Arnot

Charlie Arnot is respected strategist and thought leader in food and agriculture. As both a writer and sought-after speaker, he engages audiences across the globe. Charlie has decades of experience working in communications, public relations and issues management within the food system. He is the founder and president of Look East and serves as CEO of The Center for Food Integrity, an international non-profit organization dedicated to building consumer trust and confidence in today's food system. One client said of Charlie’s work, “others help us talk about our business, you help us think differently about who we are and what we do.” His commitment to excellence, innovation and integrity have positioned him as a trusted counselor to CEOs, government leaders and executives, and a respected industry advisor on critical issues within the food system.

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Adelaide Feuer

Adelaide Feuer is Managing Director and U.S. Lead of Food & Beverage at Edelman, the world’s leading independent strategic communications firm. With more than 20 years of experience, Adelaide partners with companies and brands to drive meaningful and lasting impact —building trust, shaping culture, and influencing the way people connect with food, from field to fork.

A registered dietitian and seasoned communications leader, Adelaide brings together deep expertise in brand building, marketing, and reputation strategy with a passion for consumer health and nutrition. She develops integrated communications programs that raise awareness, shift perceptions, and foster advocacy for health-forward organizations, brands, and products.

Throughout her career, Adelaide has worked alongside industry leaders including Unilever, Danone, Burger King, and Barilla to improve the nutritional quality of foods and marketing practices to children, address consumer misperceptions about food, and elevate stakeholders committed to a healthier, more sustainable future.

Currently, Adelaide oversees food and beverage clients across CPG, retail, foodservice, and ingredient sectors, and leads Edelman’s business for the International Food & Beverage Alliance (IFBA), focused on educating stakeholders and the informed public about food processing.

Adelaide earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Miami University and completed her Dietetic Internship at Loyola University Chicago. She lives in Indianapolis with her husband and two children.

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