Coming Together to Feed a Fragile, Growing World

Pressures on the food system wrought by climate change and an expanding world population will require more than the new technological tools, promising as they are, to alleviate. It will require people joining together to collaborate and think expansively about how to make sustainability work for all, expressed a panel of food industry leaders at the June 15 IFT FIRST featured session.

Titled "F&B Ecosystem of the Future: Harnessing the Power of Innovation, Collaboration, and Diverse Thinking," the session was moderated by Saharah Moon Chapotin, executive director of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), and featured panelists René Lammers, executive vice president and chief science officer at PepsiCo; Sarah Reisinger, chief science and research officer at dsm-firmenich; James Gratzek, faculty and director, food science and technology, Food Product Innovation and Commercialization Center (FoodPIC) at the University of Georgia; and Quincy Lissaur, executive director of the non-profit SSAFE.

Scientists predict by the end of this century, 30% of humankind will be living in places considered inhospitable, where it is too hot to grow food, said Reisinger. That means there will be mass migration. It is imperative, Reisinger added, that we sustain our food and beverage system “if we want our children and grandchildren to have a life similar to ours.”

At dsm-firmenich, Reisinger said, they’ve launched a feed additive that inhibits methane production in cows and are exploring clean label solutions to extend the shelf life of products to reduce food waste.

“Sustainability is at the heart of what we do,” agreed Lammers, explaining that at every step of PepsiCo’s value chain—from agriculture to processing to packaging—the company has very specific goals.

At its Calcutta plant, Lammers described, PepsiCo is recapturing the water used to fry potato chips as part of its Net Water Positive by 2030 program that aims to replenish more water than the company uses. Moreover, the soft drink and snack giant has plans to roll out this system all over the world, Lammers added.

“Sustainability is a very complex topic,” Lissaur cautioned. “There are contrasting consequences that occur as you try to fix something in one place and then have an unintended consequence in another.”

It will take a thorough collaboration and common understanding between the private sector, intergovernmental organizations and institutions, academia with leadership from universities like the University of Georgia, and others to resolve these very complex problems, Lissaur added. “We’re trying to feed the world and we’re trying to do that without harming the environment because otherwise we’re not going to have a planet left for us to live on.”

Exciting technologies such as artificial intelligence and precision fermentation are rapidly evolving and becoming increasingly important to the food system, making training the coming generations of food scientists more critical than ever, said Gratzek.

“How do we put our arms around [the technologies] in a way that makes sense?” Gratzek asked. “The students are our way to the future. It’s an awesome time to be a food science student.”ft