In a recent IFT compensation and career study, 41% of respondents said that seeking more supportive management was their reason for leaving an organization. 62% said that higher salary was their main reason to move to a new organization. While in the last year compensation has soared, it is just one of the many ways organizations have worked to retain talent. We’ve convened this podcast to discuss employee engagement, DEI, talent retention, affinity groups for employees/business resource groups, and what Ingredion is doing to not just keep top talent but enrich the lives of their employees.
Guests
Harper Hall (he/they), Global Flavor Applications and Technical Service Lead at Ingredion Incorporated, joined Ingredion in 2007 and has over 15 years of industry experience as a food technologist. In 2019, they began their Diversity Equity and Inclusion journey with PRIDE at Ingredion as a member of the BRG (Business Resource Group) leadership team. Harper has supported PRIDE and various levels, from local team leadership to global president and supports Ingredion’s overarching DEI initiatives such as self-ID, access, and policy creation.
Beyond Ingredion, Harper’s work in DEI includes volunteerism with Informa’s JEDI Content Creation Advisory Council, Naturally Proud Network’s board of directors, and assisting Garden State Equality, New Jersey’s largest LGBTQ+ advocacy and education organization, with representation among other food companies operating within the state.
Harper holds a Bachelor of Professional Studies in Baking and Pastry Arts Management from The Culinary Institute of America, and a Bachelor of Science in Culinology® from Southwest Minnesota State University.
Erica Jenkins (she/her), Sr. Specialist, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at Ingredion Incorporated, joined Ingredion in 2017 and has spent the last 8 years as a Human Resources professional. Currently, Erica is leading DEI initiatives globally as the Senior Specialist, bringing with her experience from her time in Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, and as an HR Business Partner in the manufacturing industry.
In this role, Erica leads executive level projects and executes on Ingredion’s DEI strategy to create an inclusive workplace and equitable opportunities. This includes designing DEI education and trainings, supporting the DEI Councils and Business Resource Groups (BRGs), and leveraging diversity analytics, including benchmarking tools, to report out trends and influence change.
Erica obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and holds a certification in Strategic HR Leadership through the Human Capital Institute.
Host
Matt Teegarden, PhD is a food chemist and science communicator, with experience in both industry and academia. Matt is currently the Senior Researcher in the Foods for Health initiative at Ohio State, where he is largely responsible for the development and advancement of scientific operations and communications. Outside of work and IFT involvement, Matt enjoys baking and participating in LGBTQ+ recreational sports leagues around Columbus.
More Podcasts
Episode 34: How Ingredion is Working to Engage and Retain Top Talent
Discussing employee engagement, DEI, talent retention, affinity groups for employees/business resource groups, and what Ingredion is doing to not just keep top talent but enrich the lives of their employees.
Episode 33: Global Food System Challenge Growth Grant Winners
Join us to celebrate the Global Food System Challenge Growth Grant Winners. Representatives from Food Systems for the Future (FSF Institute), iDE Global, and the African Center for Technology Studies discuss their work and the role that the generous funding from Seeding The Future Foundation plays in helping to make healthier diets more accessible and empowers consumers to make choices benefitting both personal and planetary health.
Episode 32: Global Food System Challenge Grand Prize Winners
Join us to celebrate the Global Food System Challenge Grand Prize Winners. Representatives from the International Rice Research Institute, Solar Freeze, and WorldFish discuss their work and the role that the generous funding from Seeding The Future Foundation plays in helping to make healthier diets more accessible and empowers consumers to make choices benefitting both personal and planetary health.
Episode 31: Promoting Sustainability and Mitigating Illegal Fishing with Seafood Traceability
Since 2017, IFT’s Global Food Traceability Center has worked with the World Wildlife Fund to advance a unified framework by convening seafood companies and other relevant stakeholders as part of the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability. We’ve convened this podcast to discuss the latest in traceability, particularly in the seafood industry.
Food Technology Articles
Cultivating a Crop of Food System Solutions
Five organizations dedicated to eliminating hunger and sustainably boosting nutrition earn top honors in this year’s Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge.
GRAS 31 Flavoring Substances
The 31st publication by the Expert Panel of the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association provides an update on recent progress in the consideration of flavoring ingredients generally recognized as safe under the Food Additives Amendment.
Kyowa Hakko Publishes White Paper, New Ingredients, and More
A roundup of news from food industry suppliers, including sponsored content from Kyowa Hakko.
How to Achieve EPR-Forward Packaging, Part 2
In this two-part series, the author explores the history of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), what is needed to help EPR succeed, and how brands can best prepare for EPR.
Future-Proofing Healthy Flours
The authors describe why traditional process of stone milling holds significant advantages over modern milling methods, how the stone milling process works, and the benefits of using a stone mill processing method, including production of flours with higher nutritional and functional value.
Recent Sci Dish Episodes
EP 24: The Sweet Side of Toxicology: Exploring the Safety of Artificial Sweeteners
Originally developed to reduce caloric intake, these sugar substitutes have become a hot topic for consumers.
EP 23: DEI’s Role in Supporting a Sustainable Food Ecosystem
Discover how Ingredion leverages diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), supplier diversity and well-being, pipeline programs, and community-driven initiatives to drive innovative solutions within their organization, helping create a more accessible, safer, and sustainable global food system for everyone.
EP 22: Plastic on Your Plate: Exploring the Effects of Micro & Nano Plastics on our Health and Food
Plastics have been a popular choice for food packaging for a considerable time, but the resulting accumulation of non-biodegradable plastic waste has caused growing concern about its detrimental effects on both the environment and human health.
EP 21: Sensory Science Series - “Fast & Early” - An approachable path to the valuable consumer voice - Part 2
This is the second podcast in a Sensory Sciences series in collaboration with the Sensory & Consumer Sciences Division.