Abstract
Begin with the end in mind. Sounds simple enough. In other words, consumer wants, and needs have to be the major focus of everyone in the food production chain. Today’s consumer has questions about food – where it comes from, who’s producing it and how, food safety, animal well-being, environmental impact, labor and human rights as well as business ethics – just to name a few. A study by the Center for Food Integrity (CFI, 2018) found a "trust deficit" that exists between consumers and food companies, federal regulators and farmers. Only 33% of survey respondents said they "strongly agree" that they are confident in the safety of the food they eat, compared to 47% in 2017. Food traceability is no longer an option for manufactures, it’s a requirement. In fact, this increasing focus by consumers on sustainability, health and freshness has placed significant pressure on the food industry to innovate and communicate. This presentation will overview technologies/programs/efforts that are continuing to play an increasingly critical role in how the food we eat is produced, how it is packaged, how it is delivered, how it tastes, feels and smells and how it is reused and repurposed. After all, we are what we eat.