The relationship between return on investment (ROI) and operating sustainably was a recurring theme in Session 230, “Sustainability: How Beverage Innovation Award Winners Did It,” held Tuesday morning, June 14, at the IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo.

Speakers in the session, all of whom represented companies recognized for their initiatives by the International Society of Beverage Technologists, pointed out that often operating sustainably also produces economic benefits for a company. 

In a presentation on a technology from a company called Trustwater, Christopher Hoemeke of the company pointed out that Trustwater’s Electrochemical Activation technology—which allows for the elimination of all chemicals in processing equipment clean-in-place (CIP) systems—also allows the companies that implement it to achieve substantial savings on water and energy expenditures. 

“If the ROI is not there, it doesn’t matter how big the green footprint is,” said Hoemeke.

At Coca-Cola, which last year introduced the award-winning PlantBottle produced with 30% plant-based PET materials, the project would not have moved forward if it had not been economically viable, explained Robert Kriegel of Coca-Cola’s packaging operation.

Using the plant-based PET reduces dependence on petroleum and lowers carbon impact, but it also makes sense from a business and consumer satisfaction perspective.

“No other material can meet our quality standards,” Kriegel said. “We have the infrastructure for PET and PET recycling.”

It was important for the new material to be cost-effective, compatible with the company’s existing packaging equipment, and recyclable, Kriegel continued. Having a cost-effective technology is critical because the company is committed to keeping its price points stable. Making a change that would require a massive change in equipment would not be either cost-effective or sustainable, he emphasized.

“It’s still PET,” said Kriegel. “Make no mistake it’s still polyethylene terephthalate. … Because it is still PET, it is still recyclable, and that is critical for us in the big picture.”

Coca-Cola is working with the H.J. Heinz Co., which later this summer will begin the rollout of Heinz ketchup in the plant-based packaging Coca-Cola developed. “We have to have these partners that can share our vision and provide scale,” said Kriegel. “Ultimately, we want the entire industry to be using (plant-based) PET.”

Also in the session, Nels Anderson of Ecolab talked about the process of driving sustainability into the innovation process. He urged those developing a sustainability program to be aware that program drivers will evolve continually. “Reassess your market,” he urged, “because the factors influencing it will be changing.”

It’s also important to realize that ideas can come from many different sources. “You have to take ideas from everywhere,” said Anderson. At Ecolab, for example, the idea for the company’s award-winning innovation came from a field employee in Mexico—located more than 2,000 miles from the company’s closet R&D facilty.

To help ensure sustainable operation, it’s also important to set sustainability goals upfront. “What we have done is state our sustainability goals early in a project,” said Anderson.

Foodservice operators are getting greener. Research conducted by the National Restaurant Association (NRA) supports this fact, reported Chris Moyer of NRA’s ConServe initiative, which encourages restaurant industry operators to run their businesses according to sustainable practices.

Moyer, a presenter in Session 186, “Greening of the Restaurant Industry,” held on Monday afternoon, June 13, set the stage for the discussion with some background information on sustainable practices within the foodservice industry.

NRA’s research underscores the fact that “every year, more and more restaurant operators are investing in green initiatives,” said Moyer. As for consumers, 57% of all adults said they are more likely to visit a restaurant where the menu includes food items that were grown or raised in an organic or environmentally friendly way.

NRA research done in partnership with Georgia Pacific shows that 65% of restaurant operators have a recycling program, Moyer said. Nearly three out of four (72%) say their business purchases products made from recycled materials. And more than one in10 restaurant operators participate in a composting program.

“Recycling is not [just] a trend,” said Moyer. “It’s the way that things are going to be done.”

Nika Kabiri of The Hartman Group, a consumer research company, shared the company’s simple definition for what living sustainability is all about. “Sustainability is increasingly about following the golden rule,” said Kabiri. “It’s really that basic. Treat others as you would like to be treated. That’s really the essence of sustainability.”

Hartman groups consumers into four categories according to their attitudes about sustainability. The groups include core consumers, representing 13% of the market, who care deeply about sustainability issues; inner mid-level (34%), who care about sustainability but are not rigid adherents to sustainable practices; outer mid-level (31%), who also embrace sustainability but to a lesser degree; and the periphery, which includes the 21% of consumers who really don’t care about it. 

As to why consumers do care about dining in sustainable restaurants and doing business with companies that embrace sustainable practices, Kabiri offered this simplified rationale: “Everybody wants to support businesses that are the good guys,” she said.

Environmental accidents do affect the food supply and consumer perceptions of food safety, but speed, consistency, and communication are keys to responding to food safety issues, reported Ronald Klein, President of the Association of Food and Drug Officials. He and other experts were on hand to provide information about addressing food safety concerns arising from radioactivity in the late-breaking session “Food after Fukushima: Responding to Radioactive Material as a Foodborne Contaminant.”

Klein, who is with the Alaska Dept. of Environmental Conservation, Anchorage, Alaska, explained to the audience how Alaskan officials worked to determine risk and ensure the safety of food in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in northern Japan and the resulting nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility. There was immediate reaction to concerns of radioactivity in foods from consumers and officials in Alaska and around the world. Alaska has plenty at stake: Its seafood industry is a significant segment of its economy and its wild foods like birds, marine and terrestrial mammals, and marine vegetation provide subsistence to many people who do not have access to markets. Alaskan officials partnered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other federal agencies to coordinate environmental health evaluating activities and determine risk assessment, said Klein. Analysis of the data, including data from exposure assessment, toxicity assessment, and risk characterization has shown that radiation release from Fukushima does not pose a risk to fisheries, wild foods, and human health.

Even though Klein and Patricia Hansen from the FDA said that results of their organizations extensive research show that consumers can have confidence in the safety of Alaskan seafood and FDA-regulated foods from Japan, Aurora Saulo, Extension Specialist in Food Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, said that results of research she conducted show that most of the consumers who were surveyed for the study will not purchase food products imported from Japan and that their emotions drive the decisions in purchasing these products.

Finally, Kirk Kealy, Director of Raw Material & Supplier Safety, Pepsico, gave the perspective of a large, multinational food company in dealing with such a crisis. In addition to working with U.S. and Japanese officials and crafting a consistent message for consumers and the media, Pepsico had to verify the safety and assess risk of the raw materials imported from Japan and determine possible disruptions to the supply chain if any of these raw materials cannot be used.

I know, I know … it’s the last day of the meeting and you feel like you have been up for the past 72 hours straight. However, you don’t want to miss out on Tuesday’s Sunrise Sessions, which take place from 7:15–8:15 a.m. Don’t worry, there will be free coffee to perk you up. And you can always sleep on the plane ride home. Tuesday’s bonus sessions are as follows:

Structure-function of carbohydrate polymers
Session 211, Tuesday, 7:15–8:15 a.m.
Room: 395
Track: Food Chemistry

Knowledge of macromolecular architecture helps to explain functionality. In polymer science, form and function are inseparable, i.e. shape dictates observed properties. In the carbohydrate arena, there is a big gap in our knowledge between atomic structure and its intrinsic relationship to the macroscopic behavior. This session will delineate these puzzling properties of carbohydrate polymers from insights of structural features and assembly. Further, it provides a strong platform for sharing existing methods and techniques from experts in the field, and promotes collaboration between academia and industries, leading to innovation of new functional ingredients.

Non-targeted analytical approaches for detecting economically motivated adulteration of food and food ingredients: Part 1
Session 212, Tuesday, 7:15–8:15 a.m.
Room: 396
Track: Food Safety & Defense

Economically motivated adulteration presents a huge challenge in the marketplace and threatens the integrity of the food supply chain. A developing approach for detecting adulteration is screening food and food ingredients for adulteration using non-targeted approaches. This symposium will highlight promising research done to date and identify challenges and opportunities to transform these approaches into tools that can be used in routine quality assessment settings for raw material screening to guard against adulteration in the food supply.

How to obtain and manage AFRI competitive grants
Session 213, Tuesday, 7:15–8:15 a.m.
Room: 398
Track: Food, Health & Nutrition

The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) competitive grant programs of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), formerly CSREES, of the USDA are of high relevance to the food science and nutrition community, especially in improving quality of food and ensuring food safety. NIFA National Program Leaders will provide overviews on the peer review process, attributes of a winning proposal, and tips for post award management.

It’s no surprise that the United States’ obesity rate is on the rise. However, you might be shocked to find out that it’s not only the environment—living near fast food vs. healthy food stores—that affects obesity, it is also genetics. As Kathleen Keller, Columbia University, said in her presentation “Genetic influences on fat preferences” our genetics influences our preferences for fat, and therefore our propensity for obesity. Fat appeals to humans because of its palatability (it tastes good), its positive post-ingestive feedback to high energy content, and its rich and creamy mouthfeel. Keller went into depth about two genes that impact taste: CD36 and TAS2R38. As she explained there is a phenotype called reduced fat perception which reduces one’s ability to perceive fat in the diet. Therefore, these “non-tasters” seek higher fat foods to compensate, which has a direct impact on their weight. For example, a non-taster would perceive less creaminess in dairy products and therefore the non-taster would like an increased amount of creaminess in the product.

The structurally-related compounds 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) and phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) are heritable and strongly correlated. According to Keller, the PROP phenotype and PTC genotype affect one’s preferences for fat. For example, PROP non-tasters don’t discriminate between high vs. low-fat salad dressings. They can’t tell the difference between 10% and 40% fat but do tend to like the higher fat dressings better. This is why non-tasters may have higher body weight. “The non-taster genotype and PROP phenotype combine for a double whammy when it comes to obesity,” said Keller. It should be noted that the environment still does affect obesity rates. If a non-taster lives in an unhealthy food environment he/she is at risk to be the most obese.

Keller went on to propose that CD36 plays a key role in coordinating fat preference and selection with metabolism and storage of fat. Unlike TAS2R38, CD36 is a large gene with hundreds of polymorphisms. One variation (Rs1761667) is associated with heightened ratings of perceived creaminess regardless of fat content. Another variation (RS1527483) is associated with ratings of perceived fat content. As Keller explained, genotyping common taste genes may provide helpful insight about taste preferences and obesity risks. “Genetic markers may help the food industry better understand consumer response to new product development,” she concluded.

Journalist Michael Specter and panelists representing the food industry tackled the complicated question of how to go about changing the image of food science in the marketplace during a provocative Keynote Session on Sunday morning, June 12.

Specter, a New Yorker staff writer who has frequently focused on issues of science and public health, set the stage for the discussion in a presentation that underscored U.S. consumers’ mounting mistrust of science. Anti-science attitudes are dangerous, Specter said, noting that they have led to a wide-ranging—although unsubstantiated— mistrust of genetically modified foods.

“Environmental issues exist with genetically modified food,” Specter acknowledged. “There are political and philosophical issues. Here’s an issue there isn’t: There isn’t a health issue. There’s never been a single issue of a person becoming sick from eating a genetically engineered food.”

The public needs to begin to understand and accept that all scientific progress comes with attendant risks, and it’s up to organizations and individuals to evaluate that risk and make a decision about whether to accept specific scientific and technological innovations.

Unfortunately, he said, society has become increasingly risk averse. More and more, we have come to embrace “precautionary principles,” which suggest that “we should not engage in any sort of activity unless we have mapped out all possible risks.” Such an approach makes it impossible for society to advance and progress; with this attitude, there would have been “no x-rays, no antibiotics, no green revolution,” Specter said.

“There is a risk to everything we do,” Specter continued. “We need to look at the benefits and look at the downsides of everything we do.

“Technology can be misused,” Specter observed. “It will be misused. That doesn’t mean technology is bad.”

Specter cited the example of raw milk as a product that consumers may perceive to be naturally healthful and beneficial while in reality, “it’s deadly. “Raw milk has been linked to all sorts of problems. It’s worth remembering that in 1938—before pasteurization—milk caused 25% of all outbreaks of foodborne illness.”

One of the things that makes it difficult for scientists to correct misperceptions about the dangers of science and technology, said Specter, is the fact that scientists tend to rely on a logical presentation of data without recognizing the importance of addressing the beliefs and emotions that consumers associate with a technology.

To change that scenario, the food industry needs to do a better job of “storytelling,” contended panel discussion participant Martin Cole, Chief of CSIRO Food and Nutritional Sciences. “We need to need make it personal,” Cole continued. “As scientists we’re very good about talking about how we do things. We need to make personal.”

Panelist Mary Wagner, Senior Vice President, Global R&D/Quality, Starbucks Coffee Co., agreed. Starbucks, for example, has reportedly saved consumers 17 billion calories by converting from whole milk to 2% milk in its beverages—a benefit that is meaningful to consumers.

“You can’t just say, ‘look at the data,’” Specter said. “Instead,” he said, “the food industry needs to do a better job of communication—using tools that include the Internet and social media.

“One of the things we don’t teach about risk is the risk of not doing things,” said Specter. “If we don’t pasteurize milk, there is a risk that 23,000 kids will die.

“Go out and educate,” he urged the food science community. “Fight on the internet. People want to believe that things are simple. They’re not. You need to remember that progress is why we are here.”

“I don’t think we do a good enough job of being on the offensive,” said Wagner. “We have to find a venue to do that and to do that together [as an industry].”

Specter offered the last word to the Keynote Session audience—urging food scientists to get aggressive telling their side of the story. “You need to be out there on the field, battling with truth. If you don’t, people will think there is something you are hiding.”

Speaking Saturday night, June 11, at the Awards Celebration, IFT President-Elect Roger Clemens called on food scientists to help build a better, more nutritious food supply—for consumers in the United States and throughout the world.

“Our mission to supply safe, abundant nutritional food should compel us to develop ideas and strategies to reconcile the U.S. food supply with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” said Clemens.

“There are many products that we can develop using whole grains, less sugar, and seasonings other than salt, while assuring a safe and nutritious food supply. Consumer demand is moving away from shelf-stable products, so perhaps we need to reduce our focus on extending shelf life and allocate more attention to maintaining freshness,” he suggested.

As a member of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, Clemens was instrumental in supplying science-based recommendations to help shape the guidelines.

“As scientists, we have significant roles to play here,” said Clemens. For example, he pointed out that “we have the opportunity to use science to help bridge the gap between what the Dietary Guidelines recommend and the amount of fresh produce available. We can enhance existing technologies such as vertical farming, hydroponics, and aeroponics or develop new ones to increase our capacity to grow, harvest, and deliver fresh produce.”

Clemens also turned his attention to the state of Americans’ diet and health, noting that there has been an “alarming increase in the number of people with health problems linked to poor dietary choices and lifestyles.”

While the basic approach to a healthier lifestyle is fairly straightforward—eating well, maintaining a healthy weight, and getting adequate exercise—the process of developing dietary recommendations that work for everyone can be complicated. Clemens noted, for example, that “if consumers skip or limit eggs, milk, and butter to avoid saturated fat and cholesterol, they end up with insufficient intakes of choline and vitamin D and numerous other nutrients. … Those consequences could contribute to significant public health issues, particularly among populations at risk.”

Clemens also raised another major challenge confronting those charged with improving Americans’ collective public health. “Healthy food is not nutritious unless it is eaten,” he said. “Clearly, getting consumers to make healthier food choices requires more than issuing new recommendations every five years, putting up a website, and placing healthier choices on the shelves of supermarkets.”

To this end, he noted, “as a follow-up to the release of the Dietary Guidelines, IFT has recommended that we initiate a multi-disciplinary dialogue among key stakeholders from academia, government, and industry, to identify potentially effective interventions to enhance short- and long-term weight management, better understand what drives food behaviors and behavioral economics, and assess the impact of time allocation and constraints as related to food choices.”

Clemens brought his remarks to a close with words of thanks and tribute to the members of IFT. “You membership and volunteerism ensure the strength and relevancy of this organization,” he said. “Our collective expertise makes us the premier authority in food science and technology. Our knowledge makes us the best individuals to ensure that our food resources are capable of meeting current and future Dietary Guidelines, and that we continue to provide a safe and abundant food supply worldwide.”

New this year at the IFT Annual Meeting is the Beacon Lecturer series. Two sessions will be led by two prestigious individuals who use their extensive experience and knowledge to dispense provocative opinions and cutting-edge strategies in the fields of science and technology. The two presenters for the Beacon Lecture Series are Patrick Wall and Regina M. Benjamin.

Patrick Wall is world-renowned for his contributions to consumer protection and food safety. Wall will be speaking on Sunday, June 12 at 4 p.m. He is an associate professor at the University College Dublin’s School of Public Health and Population Sciences. In addition to his professorial duties, Wall is the leader of a significant research project on the best approaches to risk and benefit communication within the European Union. Also, he is Chairman of the Advisory Body for the Delivery of Official Controls at the United Kingdom’s Food Standards Agency and is trained as both a veterinary surgeon and a medical doctor. Wall’s research covers foodborne illnesses and other diseases related to consumer behavior or lifestyle choices.

Regina M. Benjamin is the Surgeon General of the United States. Benjamin will be speaking on Monday, June 13 at 4 p.m. In her capacity as Surgeon General, she provides science-based wisdom on the best ways to improve the health of U.S. citizens and directs 6,500 uniformed health officers serving in global locations, working to accomplish the same. Prior to accepting her current post, Benjamin was Associate Dean at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and Chair of the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States. She founded the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic in 1990 to provide much-needed medical services to an underserved rural fishing village and was the first physician under the age of 40 to be elected to the board of trustees of the American Medical Association. In 2002, she was appointed President of the State of Alabama Medical Association, making her the first black female president of a state medical society in the United States.

Dr. Benjamin has frequently referred to the preventable illnesses that have plagued her family, including the death of her father from complications due to diabetes and high blood pressure. “I cannot change my family’s past, but I can be a voice to improve our nation’s health for the future,” she has said. Benjamin has thus placed great emphasis on the importance of healthy dietary options as the solution to health problems linked to poor diets and overconsumption.

Both speakers will offer different perspectives on food and health, perhaps contradicting the opinions and philosophies of food scientists and technologists. Opposing viewpoints are part of what makes these lectures alluring and provocative.

Finding solutions to complex issues is often more productive with collaboration. Consequently, the link between food safety and nutritional quality can benefit greatly from a global cooperative approach. Session 066 Internationalization of Food Science Education and Research through Collaboration Across Academia, Industry, and Government will describe how the two issues can be addressed effectively through unified global approaches to improving education and targeted research. Speakers from the United States and China will discuss topics related to this cooperative effort. Jian Chen of Jiangnan University will discuss the world-renowned food science program at Jiangnan University and its cooperative programs with U.S. institutions of higher learning. Perry Ng of Michigan State University will present creative ways to develop dual-degree food science programs between the United States and China. Pingfan Rao will discuss specific collaborative efforts between major Chinese universities and multinational food companies. Bruce Hamaker of Purdue University will cover the recruitment efforts to attract international food science students. And Hongda Chen of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture will discuss the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s cooperative strategies with China for food science research and education. Session 066 will be on Sunday, June 12, from 1:30-3:00 pm in room 398.

His book is titled Denialism, but there’s no denying that when New Yorker writer Michael Specter takes the stage during the Annual Meeting Keynote Session on Sunday morning, June 12, his presentation promises to be provocative.

A former New York Times correspondent, Specter writes frequently about science, technology, and public health. In his book, he argues that too many consumers are adopting anti-science attitudes, rejecting childhood vaccines and genetically modified foods, for example, while rushing to embrace organic foods, dietary supplements, and natural cures. Repudiating scientific inquiry—or embracing “denialism”—takes us down a dangerous path, Specter contends, and it gets in the way of global priorities like eliminating famine and preventing the spread of dangerous diseases.

The book’s subtitle—“How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet, and Threatens Our Lives”—further clarifies Specter’s position. Americans’ mounting suspicion of science stems from a variety of causes, Specter theorizes. These include our poor grasp of history and the difficulty of accepting a reality that used to be taken for granted: that some risk is an inevitable accompaniment to progress.

In addition to his keynote address, Specter will participate in a panel discussion with leading food industry experts on the topic, “Delivering Food Science: Changing the Image of Food Science in the Marketplace.” Martin Cole, Chief of CSIRO Food and Nutritional Sciences, and Mary K. Wagner, Senior Vice President, Global Research & Development, Starbucks Coffee Co., will also take part in that discussion. Linda Eatherton, Partner, Director Global Food & Nutrition, Ketchum, will moderate the conversation.

The Keynote Session, which will take place Sunday from 8:30–10:15 a.m. in the La Nouvelle Ballroom of the Morial Convention Center, will also feature remarks by Executive Vice President Barbara Byrd Keenan, IFT President Bob Gravani, and Martha Rhodes Roberts, Chair, Feeding Tomorrow. A year-in-review video and presentation of the IFT Food Expo Awards are also on the agenda for Sunday morning. The session is sponsored by the Corn Refiners Association.