Sustainable Food Supply Chains – Challenges and Opportunities! (webinar)

The talks will explore how we can respond to the challenges via multidisciplinary approaches in order to maximise the opportunities to make future food supply chains more sustainable.

Speakers

DR ZIYNET BOZ, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA – THE ROAD AHEAD: COLLABORATIVE APPROACHES TO FOOD SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability is not just a buzzword, it is a vital necessity for the future the planet and food industry. How can we produce, process, distribute and consume food in a way that minimizes environmental impact, maximizes social justice and ensures food security for all? How can we collaborate across different disciplines and sectors to find innovative solutions to the complex challenges of sustainability? What are the major gaps of knowledge and practice in our profession? These are some of the questions that will be addressed in this talk, which aims to showcase the role and relevance of the sustainability-focused division at IFT. The sustainable food systems division is a network of professionals who share a common vision and passion for advancing sustainability in IFT. The division provides opportunities for learning, networking, advocacy and leadership development for its members and the wider IFT community. The division also fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and communication among other IFT divisions, as well as external partners and stakeholders. By joining this talk, you will learn more about the goals, activities and benefits of the sustainable food systems division, and how you can get involved and contribute to its mission.

JOÃO BRITES, HOWGOOD – THE UNTAPPED SUPERPOWER OF FOOD TECHNOLOGISTS

This presentation starts with an overview of the greatest challenge of our century and the pivotal role the food system plays in solving that challenge. We then make the case that food technologists have a ‘superpower’ to transform the food system, but that is rarely used. The bulk of the presentation will then be dedicated to show how food technologists across the world are using the HowGood platform to create a food system that is regenerative by design.

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Biographies

DR. ZIYNET BOZ

Dr. Ziynet Boz is an Assistant Professor of Sustainable Food Systems Engineering at the University of Florida and an active IFT member and volunteer. She founded and chaired the Sustainable Food Systems division, and also served as the chair of the Packaging division.

Her current research projects focus on measuring and monitoring food loss and waste, optimizing and modeling food systems, and evaluating the sustainability performance of various food systems activities. Dr. Boz is passionate about applying systems thinking approaches in the food industry and integrating them with ongoing projects on food loss and waste, circular economy, and digital twins.

She has a PhD and an MS in agricultural & biological engineering and food engineering fields, with specializations in packaging and food processing. She is also a previous Fulbright Scholar and a committed educator who aims to enhance the learning experiences of her students.

JOÃO BRITES

João Brites is Director of Growth & Innovation at HowGood, a SaaS platform that helps food companies measure, improve, and report their social and environmental impact. HowGood has built in the last 16 years the world’s largest food product sustainability database.

Prior to HowGood, João served as Global Director of Sustainable Development at AB InBev and was a co-founder of award-winning impact ventures, including Movimento Transformers, the Amazon Summer School and Carbono Biodiverso.

João lives in Spain, and is also a breakdancer, recreational scuba diver and small-scale agroforestry farmer.

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We will circulate a recording afterwards for those who are unable to join on the day.