In this episode, we speak with Dr. Rohit Karnik, Director of Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS) at MIT—a pioneering research hub that tackles global challenges in water and food systems, and since 2014, has invested more than $25 million in transformative solutions that address food security, water scarcity, and climate resilience. One of J-WAFS’ standout collaborations is with CoolVeg. Led by Dr. Eric Verploegen, he speaks on how CoolVeg develops forced-air evaporative cooling chambers designed to extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables in off-grid, low-resource settings—offering a low-cost, energy-efficient alternative to traditional refrigeration, helping smallholder farmers reduce post-harvest losses and improve food access.

Plus: This episode of Omnivore is brought to you by CoDeveloper, from IFT. CoDeveloper is the first AI-powered co-scientist built BY food scientists FOR food scientists, and leverages IFT’s 85+ years of scientific excellence—accelerating your R&D processes and helping solve your toughest challenges. Learn more and book your free demo at www.CoDeveloper.IFT.org.

Consumer insights guru Liz Sloan unpacks the latest consumer demographic trends and how they will shape food and beverage market opportunities. Tom Adams, CEO of Pairwise, discusses the potential of the gene-editing technology CRISPR to advance agriculture and deliver better-tasting fruits and vegetables.  

Plus: This episode of Omnivore is brought to you by CoDeveloper, from IFT. CoDeveloper is the first AI-powered co-scientist built BY food scientists FOR food scientists, and leverages IFT’s 85+ years of scientific excellence – accelerating your R&D processes and helping solve your toughest challenges. Learn more and book your free demo at CoDeveloper.IFT.org. 

Flavor trend expert Melanie Zanoza Bartelme of Mintel shares how social media, Gen Z curiosity, and a craving for comfort are redefining the tastes of 2026 and beyond. Food scientist Abbey Thiel breaks down the concept of biodiversity, drilling into why it matters in terms of sustainability, nutrition, and food security.

Plus: This episode of Omnivore is brought to you by IFT Membership. It’s where you belong. As a member, you’ll enjoy a global community united by purpose and driven by science ready to make a lasting impact on the global food system. Visit ift.org/join.

Scientific misinformation has become a defining challenge of our time—fueling consumer confusion, eroding public trust, and influencing policy in ways that can undermine health outcomes and industry credibility. From nutrition myths and food additive fearmongering to unscientific claims from influential voices, food professionals now face an imperative to engage with science denial—not just ignore it. In this special live podcast recording from IFT FIRST 2025, Science communication experts Charlie Arnot and Veronica Jaramillo unpack why misinformation spreads, how it shapes public attitudes, and what the science community can do to push back.

Plus: This episode of Omnivore is brought to you by IFT Membership. It’s where you belong. As a member, you’ll enjoy a global community united by purpose and driven by science ready to make a lasting impact on the global food system. Visit ift.org/join.

Purdue University’s Richard Mattes chats with consulting nutrition scientist Lisa Sanders about the concept of hyper-palatability—foods designed with specific combinations of fat, sugar, and salt that may override natural satiety signals—and discuss what makes a food hyperpalatable, how researchers identify and test for it, and whether evidence exists linking hyperpalatable foods to increased consumption and poor health outcomes. Packaging expert and contributing editor Claire Koelsch Sand about why reuse is worth reconsidering as the industry struggles to keep pace with the demand for more sustainable packaging.

Plus: This episode of Omnivore is brought to you by IFT Membership. It’s where you belong. As a member, you’ll enjoy a global community united by purpose and driven by science ready to make a lasting impact on the global food system. Visit ift.org/join.

Entrepreneur Tony Martens shares the story of IFT 2025 pitch competition winner Plantible Foods—from the early rough days living on-site in a trailer to the company’s recent success commercializing its plant-based protein ingredient. Food Technology’s editors talk about the hot topics and trends they discovered at IFT FIRST 2025.

Plus: This episode of Omnivore is brought to you by IFT Membership. It’s where you belong. As a member, you’ll enjoy a global community united by purpose and driven by science ready to make a lasting impact on the global food system. Visit ift.org/join.

In this episode, we bring together three food and nutrition experts to talk about the latest science behind foods and ingredients that pack a nutritional punch while tasting great. Dr. Kirstie Canene-Adams, director of Ingredion’s Nutrition Center, Global Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, Dr. Lisa Sanders, owner and principal scientist at Cornerstone Nutrition, LLC and consulting nutrition scientist for IFT, and Angela Cauley, cofounder and executive director of the George Washington Carver Food Research Institute, give practical insights into how to make food and beverage products as healthy as possible without losing the sensory attributes that consumers love.

Plus: This episode of Omnivore is brought to you by IFT Membership. It’s where you belong. As a member, you’ll enjoy a global community united by purpose and driven by science ready to make a lasting impact on the global food system. Visit ift.org/join.

In a special segment, recorded at the Hot Topics Studio stage at IFT FIRST 2025, we’re listening in as The Rockefeller Foundation’s Dana Thomas talks with IFT’s Anna Rosales about scaling up food as medicine programs into sustainable models that can reach millions of people. Michiel Bakker, president of the Culinary Institute of America and former head of Google’s Global Workplace Programs, including Food at Google, calls on food and beverage companies to innovate with greater intention. In his keynote at IFT FIRST, he urged industry leaders to move beyond taste, convenience, and cost—and embrace food as experience design to better support human and planetary health.

Plus: This episode of Omnivore is brought to you by IFT Membership. It’s where you belong. As a member, you’ll enjoy a global community united by purpose and driven by science ready to make a lasting impact on the global food system. Visit ift.org/join.

Food industry experts Darryl Riley and Arlin Wasserman share their insights and expert tips on how to create and build resilient and adaptive supply chains to help overcome the operational and economic challenges of today’s volatile business environment. Futurist Tony Hunter forecasts the transformative potential for generative AI to supercharge food product development.

Plus: This episode of Omnivore is brought to you by IFT’s Science and Policy Initiatives, your food science advocate elevating the central role of food science in food and nutrition security, food safety, and sustainable food systems, and championing the adoption of science-based regulations in policies and legislation. Learn more at ift.org/policy-and-advocacy.

Researchers are under increasing pressure to “publish or perish” in the academic ecosystem, which leads some to employ unethical practices to increase their publication metrics. With so many scandals rocking the research world—mass retractions, paper mills, falsified data, misuse of AI—how do IFT’s journal editors ensure the integrity of the research they publish? IFT’s journals have a strong reputation for publishing quality research, but you might be surprised at how many problematic submissions are screened out before and during the peer-review process. In this chat with the editors-in-chief of IFT’s journals, learn about the most common issues, how IFT’s journals assess research to identify possible problems, and how you can avoid making common mistakes in your research.

Plus: This episode of Omnivore is brought to you by IFT’s Science and Policy Initiatives, your food science advocate elevating the central role of food science in food and nutrition security, food safety, and sustainable food systems, and championing the adoption of science-based regulations in policies and legislation. Learn more at ift.org/policy-and-advocacy.