Day one of IFT FIRST got off to an invigorating start with a performance by Walt Whitman and the Soul Children of Chicago, followed by a riveting keynote debate around the topic of processed foods. The question: Should we eat more processed foods? Organized by IFT and Intelligence Squared, a media company that conducts live debates, the session featured two industry experts arguing each side of the debate.
On the pro-processed foods side, Amy Webb, CEO of Future Today Institute, and Michael Gibn…

Former NIH researcher Kevin Hall argues that debates about ultra-processed foods are still missing the deeper mechanisms at play—and explains why asking better questions matters more than chasing tidy definitions.
In this column, the authors explore emerging research on how probiotics influence health beyond digestion—examining their potential roles in mental health, cardiovascular function, metabolism, immune response, cancer therapy, and skin health—while emphasizing the need for standardized studies to translate these findings into practical applications.
In this column, the author discusses sun drying as a technique for processing fruit, using tomatoes as an example.
This year’s Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge winners boast unique innovations and programs with the power to shape a global food system that is more sustainable, equitable, and nutritious.
IFT calls for science-based definitions that focus on nutritional quality, not the degree of processing, to guide future food policy.