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  2. Sustainability

Sustainability in Food Science & Technology

Why integrate sustainability into our program?

From post-harvest to post-consumption, our food manufacturing systems are complex. It follows that the challenges and opportunities to change these systems to be sustainable are also complex.  

OSU Food Science & Technology believes it has the responsibility and the opportunity to be a leader in evolving our food systems to better incorporate sustainable practices, technologies and information, and to catalyze impactful connections across stakeholders.

To fulfill this role, FST is integrating Sustainability into all parts of our mission – Teaching, Research and Outreach.

This strategic shift has been endorsed by OSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences’ leadership, our FST Advisory Board, and our faculty and students.

 

 

Learn more about the integration of sustainability into the Food Science & Technology program at Oregon State University by reading our comprehensive guide...

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Sustainability learning outcomes:
  1. Describe environmental impacts for a given food processing system (pre-production and post-production*) and the tools employed to do so:
  • In terms of carbon footprint, water footprint, water/soil health, animal/plant health, food loss/waste, biodiversity, environmental toxicity. * “Post-production” refers to the processing steps beyond farm gates
  • Explore the circular economic and the portfolio of packaging options for food products and their cradle-to-cradle impacts via lifecycle assessment
  • Explore the “hand print” (positive impacts) versus “footprint” (negative impacts) of the food production system.
  1. Apply chemistry and engineering principles in identifying sustainable practices in food processing
  1. Describe who the stakeholders may be and how a sustainable food system provides added economic value for stakeholders along the supply chain
  1. Communicate, in written or oral format, complex relationships among different stakeholders in a sustainable food system.
  1. Describe collaboration and engagement strategies with government (regulatory), non-governmental organizations (NGO) and commercial stakeholders, and how they influence regional and global definitions of sustainability.
  1. Evaluate, using data and evidence, the environmental, social, and economic impact of regulations and certification programs related to food production systems
  1. Explain how technologies are used to enhance food security and access to nutrition for a variety of communities

  1. Describe basic principles of regenerative agriculture and the impact of agricultural management systems in different parts of the world

  2. Identify current trends and predicting future ones which will directly impact the food processing industry

  3. Demonstrate understanding of tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 supply chain traceability and transparency models and software platforms

Sustainability Faculty

Dairy Innovation & Sustainability

Younas Dadmohammadi - Assistant Professor, Food Innovation Center

  • Protein Functionalization
  • Precision Delivery of Bioactives
  • Functional Food & Beverage
Fruit & Vegetable Processing

Qingyang Wang - Assistant Professor and Extension, Food Science & Technology

  • UV & organiz sanitizers for fresh produce safety 
  • Byproduct valorization via fungal fermentation (single-cell protein)
  • Novel and dry sanitation for food facilities
Sustainable Seafood Processing

Angee Hunt - Assistant Professor, Seafood Research & Education Center

  • Shrimp waste oil extraction for sustainable use
  • Fish bone phosphates to improve Pacific whiting surimi
Sustainable Processing & Packaging

Yanyun Zhao - University Distinguished Professor, Food Science & Technology

  • Reduce food loss and waste
  • Eco friendly packaging and valorize byproducts
  • Energy efficient processing
Sustainable Packaging

Jooyeoun Jung - Assistant Professor, Food Science & Technology

  • Reduce agri-food loss and waste
  • Recycle byproducts into cellulose-based materials and biodegradable packaging
  • Extend shelf life with advanced packaging
Sustainable Food Systems

Katherine Fuller - Assistant Professor, Applied Economics

  • Sustainability labeling preferences
  • Socioeconomic impacts of emerging food technologies
  • Perceptions of FDA's updated healthy definition
Sustainable Food Systems

Sheri Cole - Assistant Professor, Food Science & Technology

  • Statewide food and beverage innovation
  • Translate supply chain food loss and waste into value-added goods
  • OSU's role in industrial symbiosis
Sustainable Food Manufacturing

Qiao Ding - Assistant Professor, Food Science & Technology

  • Biochar-based wastewater decontamination system
  • Innovative technologies for energy saving
  • Upcycling food waste into value-added products
Food Chemistry

Anna Hayes -  Assistant Professor of Food Chemistry, Food Science & Technology

  • Dietary fiber recovery from brewers spent grain
  • Pearl millet and gut-brain health
  • Dairy and fermented food and AGE-related memory
AI and Sensing Technologies

Luyao Ma - Assistant Professor, Food Science & Technology

  • AI pathogen detection
  • AI freshness sensing
  • AI harvest timing
  • AI food production
Waste to Resources

Cheng Li - Assistant Professor, Biological and Ecological Engineering

  • Marine microbial fuel cells for energy and waste remediation
  • Anaerobic technology for wastewater treatment
  • Cable bacteria for environmental remediation
Food Engineering

Clay Swackhamer - Research Associate, Food Science & Technology

  • AI modeling of gut microbiome
  • Residue to prebiotic fiber conversion
  • AI ultrasonic cheese ripening