FoodNiche Changemakers

Latest Episodes:

Understanding The Science Behind Nutrition, Microbiome and Weight Loss Oct 20, 2023

Show notes

Have you ever been curious about microbiome, nutrition, and health? On this episode of Changemaker, we discuss with a scientist who has made a remarkable impact in understanding microbiome, nutrition, and health. Our special guest is Dr. Liping Zhao, who is a leading scientist recognized around the world for his groundbreaking work in the field of microbiome.

He is chair of Applied Microbiology at the dept of Biochemistry and Microbiology at Rutgers University. He is also the Director of the Center for Nutrition, Microbiome and Health at the New Jersey Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, At Rutgers University. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and a Senior Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR). He serves on the Scientific Advisory Board for the Center for Microbiome Research and Education of the American Gastroenterology Association. (https://dbm.rutgers.edu/websites/liping-zhao/)

Resources

Help your children understand the importance of food to health, download free activity sheets here: https://foodniche-ed.com/resources
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Innovating The Future of Food & Beverage With Sweet Proteins With Oobli CEO- Ali Wing Oct 05, 2023

Show notes

On this episode, we dive into food and beverage innovation leveraging sweet proteins. Oobli CEO Ali Wing takes us into their innovative products that derive sweetness from sweet protein. There are proteins that have been isolated and explored for their sweet taste, these are all plant products that are non-carbohydrate sweeteners. Studies show that these proteins stimulate the human taste receptors but their mechanism of action is not fully understood.

Ali is currently the CEO and director of Oobli, Inc., a food technology company leveraging precision fermentation to disrupt sugar. Prior to Oobli, Ali served as the Chief Consumer Officer of Bright Health Group, EVP of Digital/Chief Brand Officer at Ascena Retail Group, Founder/CEO/ Chairwoman of Giggle, an EIR for a variety of venture-backed consumer software & technology companies & a Corporate Securities Attorney in the Silicon Valley.

Ali holds a dual JD / MBA from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. Ali has completed Harvard Business School’s 2020/2021 Corporate Governance Certificate Program & was recognized among Women's Inc. Top 100 Corporate Board of Directors in 2019.

To learn more about Oobli, visit here: oobli.com

This podcast is made possible by FoodNiche: A mission-driven company driving innovation towards a healthier food system through educative programming and strategic partnerships. Learn more at FoodNicher.com

Expanding American Pantry Staples With Soom CEO - Amy Zitelman Sep 23, 2023

Show notes

Our special guest on this episode is the Co-founder and CEO of Soom Foods. Soom Foods is a purveyor of globally inspired pantry staples with sesame seeds and tahini as the main ingredients. The company was founded by 3 sisters driven by a mission to expand the American palette to exotic and nourishing ingredients. Amy was named Forbes 30 under 30 in 2018 and has been featured in New York Times, Washington Post, Food & Wine, Forbes, Cooking Light
To learn more about Sooms visit here>> https://soomfoods.com/

This podcast is made possible by FoodNiche Inc. a community and consulting firm supporting innovators shaping a healthier and sustainable food system. To learn more about working with the FoodNiche Team visit here>> https://www.foodnicher.com/work-with-us/

Regulating Innovative Food Products In The US - Dr. Keefe, Director, Office of Additive Safety, FDA Sep 13, 2023

Show notes

Our special guest on this episode is the director at the Office of Food Additive Safety at the FDA, Dr. Dennis Keefe. This conversation was recorded at the Global Food Health Innovation Summit, 2020. The Food and Drug Administration is responsible for protecting public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, and medical devices, and by ensuring the safety of our nation's food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation. FDA regulates all foods and food ingredients introduced into or offered for sale in interstate commerce, with the exception of meat, poultry, and certain processed products regulated by the U.S. There are regulatory agencies that ensure consumer safety by regulating the entrance of innovative foods or food ingredients into the marketplace. Take a listen.

Special Summer Series: Understanding Policies, Governance & Food Security By Kate Mackenzie -NYC Mayor's Office Aug 24, 2023

Show notes

This episode is a continuation of our special summer series. Here we share the presentation by Kate Mackenzie, the Executive Director at the NYC Mayor's Office of Food Policy. She shared how they work with profit and non-profit organizations to ensure food security and a healthier food system for their constituents.

This is part of the presentations at the FoodNiche Summit 2023.

This episode is brought to you by FoodNiche Inc.

w: foodnicher.com

Special Summer Series: The Science Behind Safe, Healthy & Sustainable Food Innovation Aug 19, 2023

Show notes

Consumer demand is creating shifts in food innovation with healthier and sustainable products as a primary focus. These shifts call for science-backed innovative strategies across the value chain, from R&D to production to packaging to distribution. Panelists will discuss examples of disruptive innovation taking place to address evolving consumer needs. They will also share their perspectives on scientific breakthroughs and emerging technologies that are most likely to differentiate the winners from losers in the fast-growing movement toward healthy, sustainable food innovation.

Speakers:

Anabelle Broadbent Ph.D., Chief Science Officer, Verde Ops

Martin Slayne Ph.D., VP of Global Scientific & Regulatory Affairs, Ingredion

Duncan Aust Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer, AgroFresh

Ellen Jorgensen, Ph.D., Co-founder & Director, Aanika Biosciences

The podcast is bought to you by FoodNiche Inc.

w: foodnicher.com

L: https://www.linkedin.com/company/foodniche/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/foodnicher/

Special Summer Series: Prioritizing Sustainability and Consumer Well-being in Global Food Innovation Aug 05, 2023

Show notes

This summer series focuses on sharing engaging conversations by thought leaders at the FoodNiche Summit 2023.

There is a growing consumer focus on how to optimize health through nutrition while embracing sustainable food practices. Join our panelists to evaluate how brands can effectively balance both priorities in developing new, innovative, nourishing, and tasty products. Panelists will share success stories centered on bringing new products to market that are better for humans and for the environment. They will also examine the key considerations and enablers for consumer acceptance and commercial viability of these products.

Speakers:
Megan McIlroy, Director, Innovation R & D
KraftHeinz
Kevin Benmoussa, EVP
Aleph Farms
Matt Weiss, CEO
RIND Snacks
Trish Thomas, CEO and Co-founder
Every Body Eat

Special Summer Series: Investing In Innovation- Accelerating Healthy & Sustainable Food Movement Jul 26, 2023

Show notes

On this episode, we share a panel conversation from the 2023 NYC edition of the FoodNiche Summit on investment in food.

Sustained investor interest is critical for accelerating food innovation.

The panel will examine how investor appetite has evolved with the growing movement towards sustainability and food as medicine. They will also explore how to keep investors’, innovators’, and consumers’ interests aligned amidst further changes in the food industry.

Speakers:

Anne Greven, Strategic Finance Leader and former Global Head of Food and Agribusiness Innovation, Rabobank International

Jenn Smith, Director,
Center for Regional Economic Advancement,
Cornell University

Bunmi Olayanju, Strategic Finance Leader, Investor & Co-founder, FoodNiche

Ben Fishman,
Chairman, Regenified LLC and Former Managing Director, Continental Grain

Henry Gordon-Smith, Founder and CEO,
Agritecture

Sponsorship:

This podcast was made possible by FoodNiche-ED, a gamified platform that is empowering teachers to expand the science of food and health in schools (K-12). Visit here>>foodniche-ed.com

Instagram: @foodniche-ed

Changemaker Special Series: Shaping the Future of Food Innovation through Collaboration - FoodNiche Summit NYC Jul 03, 2023

Show notes

On this episode, we will be sharing a panel conversation that took place at the FoodNiche Summit NYC on May 30th, 2023.

Accelerating food innovation requires cross-sector collaboration. From technology companies providing insights to guide innovation to consumer goods companies leveraging consumer insights and R&D capabilities to develop innovative products, ongoing collaboration is crucial in driving healthier and sustainable food innovation. Our panelists will discuss how industry players (e.g. consumer goods producers, consumer insights companies, retailers and academic innovation labs) can effectively collaborate to accelerate food innovation. Panelists will also discuss successful models of collaboration that are already in place, impediments to and opportunity areas for cross-sector collaboration to fast-track food innovation.

Speakers:

Alon Chen, Chief Executive Officer,
Tastewise

Kevin E. McCurdy, Global CPG Partner Segment Leader, Amazon

Eric Beringause, Chief Executive Officer,
Winland Foods

Jonathan Deutsch, Professor & Director,
Drexel Food Innovation Lab

Deane Sullivan, Manager, Multicultural & Local,
Stop & Shop Supermarkets’ Corporate Office

Sponsorship:

This podcast was made possible by FoodNiche-ED, a gamified platform that is empowering teachers to expand the science of food and health in schools (K-12). Visit here>>foodniche-ed.com

Instagram: @foodniche-ed

Special Summer Series: Visionary Leaders Share Insights At FoodNiche Summit. Jun 23, 2023

Show notes

This summer we are publishing a special edition of the changemaker podcast. On May 30th, 2023 we hosted the FoodNiche Summit at Cornell Tech University bringing together visionary leaders in food, food tech, food science and innovation leaders as well as investors together. Our goal was to have thought-provoking conversation on how to tackle some of the most difficult problems in our food system. We will be sharing these conversations with you.

To wet your appetite, this episode, shares a short snippet from the presentation by Kate Mackenzie, the executive director at the NYC Mayor’s office of food policy. Where she highlighted some of the opportunities for partnership between public and private sectors

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