PepsiCo Chief Science Officer Tara Glasgow says the future of food innovation depends on moving R&D upstream to help decide which questions are worth asking and which projects are worth pursuing. In this special segment taken from the IFT FIRST Hot Topics Studio, IFT’s Sara Morris talks with Trustwell’s Todd Dolinsky about how food companies can better evaluate and advance traceability capabilities as part of a broader risk management strategy. 

Plus: This episode of Omnivore is brought to you by IFT’s Compensation and Career Path Report, providing the insights you need into workforce trends to support smarter hiring, retention, and talent strategy, Download the report today at www.ift.org. 

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In this special episode recorded at the IFT FIRST Hot Topics Studio, Omnivore explores three timely topics: food waste, water, and natural emulsifiers. In the first segment, packaging innovators Tom Seymour and Taraka Ramji Moturu explore the different ways of utilizing food waste for manufacturing biopolymer packaging materials. Next, PepsiCo’s Derek Holthaus hosts ingredient innovation experts Amber Beckett and Joyjit Saha in an interview exploring the technical and regulatory considerations shaping the use of natural emulsifiers and preservatives and highlighting formulation challenges, performance trade-offs, and emerging approaches. And in the final segment, you’ll hear from water experts Paul Bowen and John Ikeda who converse about whether water has become the “new gold,” examining the growing pressures on both water quantity and quality—from increasing competition across industries to emerging concerns such as PFAS and supply reliability.

Plus: This episode of Omnivore is brought to you by IFT’s Compensation and Career Path Report, providing the insights you need into workforce trends to support smarter hiring, retention, and talent strategy, Download the report today at www.ift.org.

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The food science profession is changing rapidly, creating both new opportunities and new challenges for early-career professionals. In this episode, career coach Marie Kozlowski and Campbell’s senior research scientist Joseph Pethő share insights on navigating career uncertainty, building future-ready skills, and finding success in a profession where career paths are increasingly nontraditional. Together, they offer practical advice on everything from AI and workplace expectations to leadership, career growth, and making confident next-step decisions. 

Plus: This episode of Omnivore is brought to you by IFT’s Compensation and Career Path Report, providing the insights you need into workforce trends to support smarter hiring, retention, and talent strategy, Download the report today at www.ift.org. 

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