The Engineer's Bite: Sustainable Engineering

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THE ENGINEER’S BITE

INT E R V IEW W ITH I AN CHOWN

DISMA N TL IN G D I E T C U LU T R E

ADVANC ES I N F O O D PAC K AG I N G

Learn about Ian Chown’s experience of bieng a supply chain leader

Diet culture and it’s impact

Moving the food packaging industry towards sustianability

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

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ABOUT CAFE

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R E S E A R C H PA N E L

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D I S M A N T L I N G D I E T C U LT U R E

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THE EFFECT OF COVID-19 ON FOOD WASTE

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A MESSAGE FROM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF On behalf of CAFE’s Magazine Team, we are excited and proud to showcase the Fourth Edition of The Engineer’s Bite! Personally, starting this journey when The Engineer’s Bite was only on its second release has been a pleasure. There has been so much growth and success, making it a huge honor to witness and experience.

The Engineer’s Bite was made to provide informational and educational content through creative outlets regarding food engineering. Additionally, it has always been a way to see CAFE’s initiatives and events through the course of the year by providing it through a creative lens for one to enjoy. This past year, and especially the past semester, the team at The Engineer’s Bite has been working hard to bring this installment to fruition. From researching, writing, conducting interviews, and designing graphics, this team has been hard at work. I am extremely grateful for every member of the team that helped bring this edition of this installment to life.

Their ambition, creative drive, and dedication are beyond appreciated.

Our team is comprised of diverse individuals from different universities and programs across Ontario. We have come together to create something wonderful for people everywhere to enjoy, and it has been an honor working alongside them.

With the fourth installment of The Engineer’s Bite, this edition focuses on Sustainable Engineering. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we had fun creating it. It has been a great opportunity and honor to be the Editor-in-Chief for The Engineer’s Bite, and I am so excited to see what we have in store for you for years to come!

Sincerely, Mary Ishaq CAFE 2021-2022 VP Magazine

ABOUT CAFE Food engineering is the application of engineering principles to the storing, processing, and distributing of food products in order to improve their quality, taste, texture, smell, and nutritional value.

Our mission is simple: to foster the academic growth of students in the IRRG HQJLQHHULQJ ƓHOG WKURXJK VHPLQDUV DQG SURIHVVLRQDO GHYHORSPHQW activities. Events like our PEY & Industry Mixer and our Case Competition allow you to get your questions answered by professionals working in the food engineering industry.

The Canadian Association of Food Engineers (CAFE) dives deep into food industry innovations. Promoting the food engineering profession among students at the University of Toronto is one of our greatest expertise. CAFE’s mission is to support all club members and participants by connecting them to research opportunities, industry professionals, and networking events about anything related to food engineering! We plan numerous events and competitions each year. The PEY & Industry Mixer invites past students to speak about their work experience at companies such as Mondelez, Kellogg, Weston Foods, and Pepsico. Year-round, we advertise internship and co-op roles available at these companies, and we’re thrilled that many of our club members have ended up at major food companies across the nation!

P R E FAC E

In this edition of the Engineer’s bite, we explore technological advances within the food engineering industry. In today’s evolving society, researchers are FRQVWDQWO\ ƓQGLQJ PRUH ZD\V WR VXSSRUW RXU OLIHVW\OHV DQG UHGXFH FOLPDWH FKDQJH SROOXWLRQ DQG ORVV RI biodiversity. This particularly pertains to the food LQGXVWU\ VRPHWKLQJ WKDW LV KHDYLO\ UHOLHG RQ E\ WKH SXEOLF :H GLVFXVV PXOWLSOH ZD\V DQG PHWKRGV WKDW KDYH EHHQ LPSOHPHQWHG WR KHOS FUHDWH D VXVWDLQDEOH IXWXUH 2XU WHDP KRSHV WKLV HGLWLRQ RI WKH (QJLQHHUōV %LWH Sustainable Engineering is insightful and thought SURYRNLQJ :H H[SORUH PXOWLSOH WRSLFV VXFK DV JHQHWLFDOO\ PRGLƓHG FURSV WKH HIIHFW RI &29,' RQ IRRG DQG PDQ\ PRUH :H DOVR SURYLGH D UHFDS RI VRPH &$)( HYHQWV WKLV VXPPHU VXFK DV WKH 5HVHDUFK 3DQHO event, and include exciting interviews with professionals in the food industry. We hope this edition serves as a great conclusion to the school year!

IMPRESSUM

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MEET THE EXECUTIVE TEAM PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENTS

Muskan Malek PRESIDENT

Sarah Birch SENIOR VP

Mubashir S SENIOR VP

Jacqueline Chang VP EVENTS

Asad Raza VP EXTERNAL

Amy Luo VP FINANCE

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Mary Ishaq VP MAGAZINE

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Helen Liang VP TECHNOLOGY

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MEET THE EXECUTIVE TEAM DEPUTIES

Sarah Birch DEPUTY ADMINISTRATION

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Melinda Xie DEPUTY EVENTS

Nidhi Nair DEPUTY EXTERNAL

Sinthiya Pathmakumar DEPUTY EXTERNAL

Nada Dalal DEPUTY MARKETING

Mariel Stanco DEPUTY MARKETING

Badhusha Siraj DEPUTY OUTREACH

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Marie Shah DEPUTY MENTORSHIP

Julia Mamcarz DEPUTY MENTORSHIP

MEET THE MAGAZINE TEAM EDITORS, WRITERS & GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

*DEULHOD 6DYYD EDITOR

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Natalie Chan GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Sanjana Ghagare GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Melinda Szarics WRITER

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Jacqueline Chang WRITER

Cassandra Piazza WRITER

Helen Tran WRITER

B y . C a s s a n d ra P i a z z a

C A F E ’ S R E S E A R C H PA N E L On the evening of February 7th, 2022, CAFE’s annual Research Panel took place online via Zoom. Such an illuminating event had an incredible turnout, with intrigued students and members of CAFE tuning in to listen to a panel of well-educated and talented speakers who shared their knowledge and research during the event. The speakers at our Research Panel event were all members of the UofT faculty, consisting of Professor Levente Diosady, PhD student Folake Oyewole, and Master’s student Naayaab Nagree.

The night started out with Professor Diosady sharing the elements of engineering with attendees and informing them that food engineering is an intersection of multiple forms of engineering. All our wonderful speakers' focus of study revolves around iron within IRRG FRQVXPSWLRQ DV LURQ GHƓFLHQFLHV FRQWLQXH WR EH D VLJQLƓFDQW JOREDO LVVXH Through Professor Diosady’s presentation, he explained that there are many ways to become a strong engineer, and one of the many ways is through research.

Through such passionate discussion about research, Professor Diosady informed attendees that there may be a IHZ GLIƓFXOWLHV ZKHQ DWWHPSWLQJ WR GR research, and the main factor can be funding.

The importance of research is to never give ķp anÌ to aăœařs ťght for řoķr œorā anÌ œhat řoķ Åeăieve in Åecaķse signiťcant Ìeveăopments anÌ ťnÌings can emerge through such perseverance.

Both Folake Oyewole and Naayaab Nagree are graduate students of Professor Diosady’s and work alongside him regarding their research, both of whom want to make a positive difference in the food engineering world through their work.

Folake Oyewole’s research consists of LURQ IRUWLƓFDWLRQ RI KLELVFXV VDEGDULIID beverages, whereas Naayaab Nagree’s DUHD RI UHVHDUFK LV WKH IRUWLƓFDWLRQ RI PLON tea. Oyewole explained to attendees that she fell in love with research and wanted to create positive change stating,

ȵA wanted to maāe a difference and A wanted something very innovative” (Oyewole).

“Honestly this was a really great event! The Kahoot at the end was a great idea and really fun!”

As an incentive to those dedicated students who stayed until the end of our HYHQW DQ HDVWHU HJJ UDIŴH RFFXUUHG DW WKH HQG RI WKH ƓQDO SUHVHQWDWLRQ (DFK presenter displayed a slideshow for learning engagement, and a CAFE logo was hidden in various slides per presenter’s research slideshow.

Attendees were able to learn critical information about the research realm of food engineering while looking for CAFE logos in each presentation, and whoever guessed the correct amount of logos was rewarded with a gift card of their choosing. The research panel event ended with a Kahoot game, with all participants encouraged to answer questions about the panelists' presentations in hopes of winning a giftcard of their choosing!

CAFE’s research panel provided attendees with a wonderful step in the door regarding research within the food engineering industry. This informative event assured students that food engineering is a diverse and growing career, and that incredible research can be conducted at any age or education level.

This was such an inspiring event, and we ăooā forward to more events in the future that provide growth and ānowăedge for those studřing to Åe in the food engineering ťeăd.

MAJOR FOOD BRANDS WITH MAJOR RESPONSIBILITY B y . H e l e n T ran

The f o o d i n d u s t r y is undoubte dly one of the mos t neces s ary and vast industrie s in the w orld.

The food industry is undoubtedly one of the most necessary and vast industries in the world. However, with billions to feed, countless resources are needed to clean, prepare, package, ship, and provide the population with fresh, frozen, and preserved varieties of cuisine. This environmental concern is shared by consumers and companies alike, as climate change, water quality, land degradation, and the risk of disease - especially given the COVID-19 pandemic - threaten productivity demands but more importantly, the state of the Earth [1].

As such, there’s a growing need and expectation for major companies to switch to more sustainable practices - ones that reduce harm, and ultimately, benefit the environment.

According to Food Engineering Magazine’s rankings of the Top 100 Food and Beverage Companies, the top 10 companies based on annual sales are [2]: 1. PepsiCo Inc. with over $70 billion in total sales 2. Nestle 3. JBS 4. Anheuser-Busch 5. Tyson Foods 6. Mars 7. Archer Daniels Midland Company 8. The Coca-Cola Company 9. Cargill 10. Danone, with over $26 billion in total sales.

We’ll be looking at two companies in more detail to see how each one engages with sustainability in regard to their goals and recent initiatives.

DANONE Danone’s main mission is “to bring health through food to as many people as possible [4].” To do this, their 2030 sustainability goals align with many of the United Nations’ (UN’s) sustainable development goals (SDGs) [5].

Furthermore, they have 5 battlefronts associated with their mission [4]:

Create a food supply chain that fights climate change and protects biodiversity

Help address health challenges at every stage of life

Promote healthy diets that are better for the planet

One of Danone’s initiatives involves taking a “regenerative agriculture” approach to their farming practises to restore soil quality and reduce their carbon footprint [6]. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the UN, agriculture accounted for 24% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2015, and a third of the world’s soils have been degraded via erosion, salinization, acidification, and chemical pollution [6] [7] [8].

Act locally for a virtuous food model

Fight waste, recycle and reuse: toward the circular economy

To counter and eventually reverse these impacts, regenerative agriculture, as defined by Regeneration International, “describes farming and grazing practices that, among other benefits, reverse climate change by rebuilding soil organic matter and restoring degraded soil biodiversity – resulting in both carbon drawdown and improving the water cycle [9].”

Practices within this scope include minimising soil tillage, applying compost and crop rotations to increase soil fertility, restoring the microbial population, etc. - all of which would contribute to better soil health, crop resilience, and nutrient density in plants [9].

Furthermore, Danone has a growing focus on developing more plant-based products [10]. Based on statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO), plant-based products use a tenth of the water and a sixth of the CO2 required to prepare animal products [11]. Furthermore, there’s been a recent surge of food insecurity i.e. a lack of access to nutritious and sufficient food in 2018 and during the pandemic [11]. Danone recognizes the importance of a healthy diet and is tackling that through simple, transparent, and sustainable practices that allow consumers to make informed decisions. Thus, sustainable, plant-based diets would greatly reduce the usage of critical resources, and benefit the health of consumers!

Overall, Danone is fighting for sustainability through their core mission and multiple battlefronts with practices such as regenerative agriculture, plantbased production, and increased transparency.

PEPSICO P e p s iC o ’ s m a in m ission is to “c re ate more smiles with every s ip and e ve ry bite [H 1 4].”

They are dedicated to their consumers, customers, associates, shareholders, and the World, where they emphasise the importance of conserving natural resources and fostering sustainability for the future [13]. As such, they have made strides in the past few years, including the launch of a Sustainable Farming Program in 2013, the shift to 100% renewable electricity in US direct operations in 2020, and the announcement of a net zero emissions goal by 2040 [14]. Their specific goals are emphasised in their sustainability performance metrics, where they focus on the areas of agriculture, packaging, water, climate, product, and people [15]. For example, they planned and achieved 87-100% of their goal to sustainably source all cane sugar, palm oil, potatoes, whole corn, oats, and oranges in 2020 [15]. Further target metrics include reducing GHG emissions, increasing water-use efficiency, and designing packaging that is fully recyclable, compostable, or degradable - all by 2025 [15].

Moreover, their philanthropic efforts related to the Earth include [16]: Diversifying 99% of their operational waste away from landfill sites Cutting resources dedicated to secondary and primary packaging; this included converting polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles into lighterweight bottles, reducing plastic use by 20% Self-producing electricity through the Co-generation (COGEN) unit in their Toronto Beverage plant Reducing water consumption by 48%; this included reducing the water required by 17.4% for each litre of beverage production

Thus, PepsiCo’s efforts toward sustainability mainly involve reducing plastic use in their packaging, landfill waste, and natural resources usage, as well as developing self-preservation practises through recycling, sustainable agriculture, and producing their own energy.

Overall, the trajectories of these huge food and beverage brands involve: Dedication to achieving sustainability goals, especially in regard to net zero emissions and alignment with the UN’s SDGs [5] [14] Major cutbacks to natural resource usage, including water and nonrenewable electricity, and a shift to self-sustaining energy production [6] [11] [16] Reduction of GHG emissions to combat climate change, improve soil quality, etc. [6] [7] Transformation of agriculture practises to regenerative and sustainable agriculture [6] [9] However, this list is merely a sample of the entire food industry’s efforts. Again, the food industry is one of the most significant and necessary industries in the world in regard to fulfilling human needs and its environmental impact. Its escalating transformation toward sustainability throughout the 21st century is promising, but as consumers, we must continue to make informed choices about the brands we support in order to push even more brands to follow this path!

RE FERENCE S [1] “The Food Industry Is Leaning Into Sustainability—But Consumers Still Want More,” The Nature Conservancy, 2020.

[Online].

Available: https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/foodindustry-market-analysis-green-recovery/ [Accessed: March 3, 2022].

[2] BNP Media Staff, “2021 Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies,” Food Engineering, 2022.

[Online].

Available: https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/2021-top-100-food-beveragecompanies [Accessed: March 3, 2022].

[3] “Danone Logo,” Danone, 2022. https://www.danone.com/ [Accessed: March 3, 2022].

[Online].

Available:

[4] “All Aboard the Food Revolution,” Danone, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://integrated-annual-report-2020.danone.com/ [Accessed: March 3, 2022].

[5] “Our contribution to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals,” Danone, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.danone.com/impact/un-sustainabledevelopement-goals.html [Accessed: March 3, 2022].

[6] “Create a Supply Chain that Fights Climate Change and Protects Biodiversity,” Danone, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://integrated-annualreport-2020.danone.com/cause/sustainable-food-supply-chain/ [Accessed: March 3, 2022].

[7] Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, “Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use,” FAO, 2016. [Online].

Available: https://www.fao.org/3/i6340e/i6340e.pdf [Accessed: March 3, 2022].

[8] Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS), “Status of the World’s Soil Resources Main Report,” FAO, 2016.

[Online].

Available: https://www.fao.org/3/i5199e/I5199E.pdf [Accessed: March 3, 2022].

[9] Regenerative Agriculture Initiative and The Carbon Underground, ”What is Regenerative Agriculture,” regenerationinternational.org, 2017. [Online].

Available: https://regenerationinternational.org/wpcontent/uploads/2017/02/Regen-Ag-Definition-2.23.17-1.pdf [Accessed: March 3, 2022].

[10] “Promote Healthy Diets That Are Better For The Planet,” Danone, 2022.

[Online].

Available: https://integrated-annual-report2020.danone.com/cause/promote-sustainable-healthy-diets/ [Accessed: March 3, 2022].

REFERENCES CONT’D

[11] FAO and WHO, “Sustainable healthy diets – Guiding principles,” Rome, 2019.

[Online].

Available: https://www.fao.org/3/ca6640en/ca6640en.pdf [Accessed: March 3, 2022].

[12] “PepsiCo Logo,” Wikipedia, 2021.

[Online].

Available: https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PepsiCo_logo.svg [Accessed: March 3, 2022].

[13] “Mission & Vision,” PepsiCo Canada, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.pepsico.ca/en-ca/about/mission-and-vision [Accessed: March 3, 2022].

[14] “2020 Sustainability Report Summary,” PepsiCo Canada, 2021. [Online].

Available: https://www.pepsico.ca/docs/librariesprovider15/pepsico_positive/2020_sustai nability_report_summary.pdf [Accessed: March 3, 2022].

[15] “2020 Sustainability Performance Metrics,” PepsiCo Canada, 2021.

[Online].

Available: https://www.pepsico.com/docs/album/sustainabilityreport/2020-csr/2020-sustainability-performance-metrics-sheet.pdf [Accessed: March 3, 2022].

[16] “Philanthropy,” PepsiCo Canada, 2022.

[Online].

Available: https://www.pepsico.ca/en-ca/sustainability/philanthropy [Accessed: March 3, 2022].

HOW THE AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY ADAPTS TO CLIMATE CHANGE B y . Jac que l i ne C hang

Climate Change, a global phenomenon that has altered weather patterns and disrupted the balance of nature. The agriculture industry is no stranger to the effects of climate change, as agriculture productivity has declined and threatened food security at a local, regional, and global scale [1]. However, because agriculture is one of the biggest industries in the world and is responsible for providing food to the constantly growing population, there have been actions to adapt agriculture to climate change.

Seasonal Changes and Sowing Da t e s In general, climate is incredibly important in farming as it will dictate what crops can be grown and how long the growing season will be [2].

With the effects of climate change steadily raising global temperatures, it means changes in seasonality precipitation that results in excess runoff during off seasons and not enough precipitation during critical crop growth periods [3]. But that does also mean there will be shorter winters and longer growing seasons [2]. To adapt to climate change, management practices have been implemented to calculate the number of field workable days and study the optimal temperatures and precipitation ranges and changes for growth [3]. Farmers will then be able to choose the best day to sow their seeds and prepare for the different seasonal changes due to climate change.

Di ff e ren t Va r i et i es of Crops With the changing weather conditions due to climate change, there are many disturbances to the balance of nature. Though that also means different regions can experience climate they never could have without climate change. The agriculture industry can take advantage of this and experiment with different varieties of produce [4]. Since local farmers can potentially grow produce that are traditionally imported from other countries, that also benefits the agriculture industry in different regions. Additionally, different varieties means more positive effects in biodiversity and ecosystem services [5] that help mitigate the effects of climate change.

Imp r o v in g So il Q u ality To adapt to climate change, one thing to consider is the amount of carbon dioxide emissions there are. Research has shown that sequestering some of the carbon dioxide emissionsin the atmosphere to reduce temperatures can be done by improving soil quality [6]. The improvement of soil quality will also increase biomass of crops, grass and roots so that more carbon dioxide can be stored in soil from photosynthesis [6]. Farmers can now combat the weather changes by increasing their crop’s fertility and water capacity and decreasing potential of erosion [6].

Farmers and researchers all over the world are experimenting many different ideas and crop management to adapt the agriculture industry to climate change. Though most plans are still not full proof, there is constant innovation for mitigation and adaptation methods to climate change.

RE FERENCE S [1] United States Environmental Protection Agency, “Climate Impacts on Agriculture and Food Supply.” [Online]. Available: https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/climate-impacts/climate-impactsagriculture-and-food-supply_.html. Accessed on: March 24, 2022.

[2] Climate Atlas of Canada, “Agriculture and Climate Change.” [Online].

Available: https://climateatlas.ca/agriculture-and-climatechange#:~:text=Strategies%20range%20widely%2C%20and%20include,systems %20for%20livestock%20and%20manure. Accessed on: March 24, 2022.

[3] U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Growing Seasons in a Changing Climate.”

[Online]. Available:https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/growing-seasonschanging-climate. Accessed on: March 25, 2022.

[4] Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, “Adaptation to climate change in agriculture, forestry and fisheries: Perspective, framework and priorities.” [Online]. Available: https://www.fao.org/nr/climpag/pub/adaptation_to_climate_change_2007.pdf.

Accessed on: March 25, 2022.

[5] Climate ADAPT, “Use of adapted crops and varieties.” [Online]. Available: https://climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu/metadata/adaptation-options/use-ofadapted-crops-anD-varieties. Accessed on: March 25, 2022.

[6] Farooq. I, “Improving soil quality may slow down global warming.” [Online].

Available: https://www.newfoodmagazine.com/news/73397/soil-quality-globalwarming/#:~:text=Improving%20the%20quality%20of%20soil,use%20carbon%2 0dioxide%20to%20photosynthesise. Accessed on: March 25, 2022.

B y . J a h n a v i U p re t i

C A F E L AT E N I G H T S W E E T S E V E N T H A R D H AT C A F E X M R . B LU E A N D G O L D X C A F E

In the midst of midterm season, late night baking is a great destresser. That’s why CAFE launched an event called Late Night Sweets - a chill baking session, starring Mr. Blueandgold and HardHat Cafe. Read on to discover useful cooking tips, unique adjustments to recipes, and the beauty of the science behind baking.

We all need a break during midterm season, and baking is a great way to destress. The warmth of a preheating stove, the smells of roasted spices and browned butter, and the tasty reward at the end is the best way to clear your mind.

CAFE had the perfect event to encapsulate this spirit: Late Night Sweets, a chill baking session to make cookies.

Collaborating with Mr. Blueandgold and HardHat Cafe, this exciting online event took place on March 9, from 7 pm to 8:30 pm.

Participants were given a cookie recipe and made the cookies during the baking session.

Cookie Yield: 15-20 Cookies Estimated time: 35-45 minutes INGREDIENTS Ř ŝ FXS WEVS DOO SXUSRVH ŴRXU 25 FXS WEVS DOO SXUSRVH ŴRXU FXS FRFRD SRZGHU PHDVXUH ŴRXU E\ spooning into measuring cup.

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Mr. Blueandgold, also known as Jeremy Mainella, walked everyone through the recipe. The environment was supportive ive nts and relaxed, with other participants e pitching in various baking tips. Notable ones included how to brown butter in a PLFURZDYH KRZ WR PHDVXUH ŴRXU accurately, and how to measure ingredients without the usage of utensils.

Participants also talked about their variations on the recipe - some people used instant coffee powder, and others used matcha powder.

To explain the science behind baking, members of the HardHat Cafe talked about the role of each ingredient in the recipe. Cookies aren’t just a bowl of mixed ingredients, but the careful FRQVLGHUDWLRQ RI FKHPLVWU\ ŴDYRU SURƓOHV and textures.

Baking soda reacts with acidic ingredients to create carbon dioxide, making the cookies rise as they bake. %URZQHG EXWWHU FUHDWHV FRPSOH[ ŴDYRUV Brown sugar and egg whites trap moisture in the cookies, making them VRIWHU 7KH W\SH RI ŴRXU XVHG WKH HJJ white or yolk, and even the size of the FRRNLH LQŴXHQFH WKH ƓQDO UHVXOW

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“It was entertaining watching others bake and learning the food facts — the vibe of the event was great!”

This interlude was insightful during the baking process. It also transformed into a discussion about the different changes people were making to their recipes.

How would adding matcha change the structure of the cookie? How much should you add to make sure the cookie LV ŴDYRXUIXO EXW QRW RYHUSRZHULQJ" HardHat Cafe member Ankita Kapoor told us all, lending us her expert baking advice.

While the cookies were baking in the RYHQ D UDIŴH ZDV GRQH IRU WKH participants. Prizes included a $50 gift card and a gift box from HardHat Cafe.

The event concluded on a relaxed note, with everyone thanking HardHat Cafe representatives and Mr. Blueandgold for their contributions.

Despite the nature of the event, there was still an underlying message in it all: that food is way more complicated and intricate than we think it is.

GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS: APPROACHING A MORE EFFICIENT FUTURE By . M e l i nda Sz ari c s

With the obvious limit on available arable land and fresh water worldwide, it is becoming increasingly important to maximize the effectiveness of farmland [1].

Many methods have been developed since the mid-twentieth century to increase food production while largely maintaining the amount of farmland [1]. However, these methods are often not environmentally-friendly and “mounting population pressures and rising quality-of-life expectations” [2] require new strategies to be implemented. This is where genetically modified (GM) crops come into play.

W hat A r e Ge n e tic a l l y M odi f i e d C r o p s ?

Almost all plants currently on the market are the result of genetic modification, such as domestication or selective breeding [3]. However, GM crops are any plant that has specifically been altered using DNA recombinant technology, such as cloning, splicing, or inserting genes [3]. This is almost always carried out either using a gene gun or a biological vector [2].

The gene gun method consists of gold or tungsten microparticles being coated with the desired DNA fragment and launched into plant cells [2]. On the other hand, the biological vector method uses a version of the tumour-causing soil bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens, altered to to transfer the desired gene fragment into the host cells instead of its own genes [3]. The exact gene being added to cells by these two methods varies, but is generally a gene that improves insect-resistance or herbicide-tolerance [3].

He r b ecid e T o l er a nc e

I nse c t Re si s tance

Since an abundance of weeds can deprive crops of space and nutrients, a tolerance to glyphosates is the most common genetic modification, mainly applied to corn and soybeans [4]. Glyphosates are a family of herbicides with a relatively low environmental and human health impact [5]. Compared to other herbicides, glyphosates are less prone to entering groundwater, more biodegradable, and less toxic to many animals [5]. Although there were initially concerns about the micronutrient content being lower in glyphosate-resistant plants, this was found not to be an issue [4].

An existing strategy for increasing farmland productivity is using large quantities of pesticides [4]. However, “there are concerns about adverse effects of these compounds on human and environmental health, as some fraction of pesticides applied to crops typically moves off the fields and into the atmosphere, surface water and groundwater” [4]. Insectresistant crops, mainly containing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) genes, are a potent alternative [5].

Additionally, glyphosates are toxic to many, if not most, unwanted plant species [5].

Since glyphosateresistance ensures that the crop is not harmed, farmers can use this one-size-fits-all herbicide instead of having to target each weed species with a different herbicide which would likely be more toxic to humans [5].

Using glyphosates as an herbicide also corresponds to less tilling [5]. Tilling removes weeds mechanically, and “causes soil erosion, releases carbon from the soil (which contributes to climate change concerns), and increases farm runoff” [5].

The genes produce proteins that are toxic to many insect pests, but completely safe for most mammals, including humans [5]. These toxic proteins have few adverse environmental effects and are very potent, being able to control insect populations even in surrounding agricultural fields located near Bt crops [4].

Although over time, insects can develop resistance to Bt proteins, the US Environmental Protection Agency has mandated a system of “smaller non-Bt crop areas (strips/blocks) [being] planted within or adjacent to Bt crop areas to avoid (or slow) evolution of insect resistance” [4].

Even if Bt crops end up being a temporary solution, they reduced global pesticide usage by 8.8% just between 1996 and 2012 [4].

V i r a l R esist a n ce Although viruses are microscopic, they can be as much of a threat to certain plant species as other pests, such as fungi or insects [6]. Since traditional plantbreeding techniques are especially ineffective for viral tolerance, genetic modifications are needed [6]. These modifications can use genes from already resistant plant species, use the virus’ own genes to produce proteins or RNA, or use genes from bacteria or mammals that target the virus directly [6].

Although viral-resistant GM plants are rare, the positive effects cannot be understated. In the mid-1990s, the ringspot virus wiped out papaya orchards across Hawaii, nearly destroying the industry altogether and leaving large plots of land infected []. Using existing research, a new ringspot-resistant papaya was developed and distributed to farmers free of charge []. Even though many farmers planted the seeds in their diseased orchards, the plants flourished and, currently, almost all papayas grown in Hawaii are GM [].

F ut ur e I m p l i c a t i o ns Although there is an inherent benefit from the environmental benefits of insectresistance and herbicide tolerance, these traits also help increase farmland productivity [2], which safeguards wildlife habitats [1]. In particular, GM corn, soy, and maize often have higher crop yields than their non-GM counterparts, with the added benefit of generally lower expenses [2].

GM crops tend to be less cost-effective than traditional crops on very highquality land, due to the greater initial investment [5]. However, as land quality diminishes, GM crops quickly surpass non-GM crops in cost-effectiveness, since the modifications result in a much higher yield and fewer required chemical pesticides and herbicides [5]. As a result, GM crops are profitable in areas that are so pest-ridden that traditional crops would not even turn a profit [5], allowing more land to be considered arable.

In short, “in spite of environmental risks posed by agricultural biotechnology, theory and empirical evidence suggest genetically engineered crops deliver environmental benefits by saving land and agrochemicals and by maintaining rather than diminishing agricultural biodiversity” [5]. It is true that GM crops are not the sole solution for land and water shortages, nor can they single handedly minimize the negative effects of agriculture on the environment. However, higher yields, better environmental outcomes, and good economics leave no doubt that they are a strong partial solution.

REFE RE NCES [1] N.V. Fedoroff and N.M. Brown, Mendel in the Kitchen: A Scientist’s View of Genetically Modified Foods. Washington, D.C.: Joseph Henry Press, 2004.

[2] O.V. Singh, S. Ghai, D. Paul, R.K. Jain, “Genetically modified crops: success, safety assessment, and public concern,” Applied microbiology and biotechnology, vol. 71, no. 5, pp. 598-607, 2006. doi: 10.1007/s00253-0060449-8 [3] P. Byrne, “Genetically Modified (GM) Crops: Techniques and Applications,” Colorado State University Extension, 2014. [Online]. Available: https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/agriculture/genetically-modifiedgm-crops-techniques-and-applications-0710/#:~:text=GM%20crops%20were%20first%20introduced,beet%2C%20soybea ns%2C%20and%20canola.

[4] R.H. Coupe and P.D. Capel, “Trends in pesticide use on soybean, corn and cotton since the introduction of major genetically modified crops in the United States,” Pest Management Science, vol. 72, no. 5, pp. 1013-1022, 2015. doi: 10.1002/ps.4082 [5] G. Barrows. S. Sexton, D. Zilberman, “Agricultural Biotechnology: The Promise and Prospects of Genetically Modified Crops,” The Journal of Economic Perspectives, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 99-120, 2014. doi: 10.1257/jep.28.1.99 [6] A.M.A. Johnson, D.V.R.S. Gopal, C. Sudhakar, “GM Crops for Plant Virus Resistance,” in Genetically Modified Crops, vol. 2, P.B.K. Kishor, M.V. Rajam, T. Pullaiah, Eds., Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd., 2021, pp. 257–337. doi: 10.1007/978-981-15-5932-7 [7] P. Voosen, “Crop Savior Blazes Biotech Trail, but Few Scientists or Companies Are Willing to Follow,” The New York Times, Sept. 21, 2011.

[Online]. Available: https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/09/21/21greenwirecrop-savior-blazes-biotech-trail-but-few-scien-88379.html?pagewanted=all.

B y . C a ssa n d ra Pi a zza

MEAT ALTERNATIVES: IS IT SAFE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT OR IS IT A LIE? Even if you haven’t eaten fake meat, you have most certainly heard of it. Beyond Meat has been a huge craze within the food industry the past several years, causing many to switch to plant-based meat alternatives compared to eating meats such as beef, chicken, and pork. Plant-based meat alternatives have been incredibly vital and popular amongst the vegetarian and vegan communities, but now due to such a spotlight being shined upon it, meat lovers are stepping into the realm of plant-based meals and trying something new. Many fast-food chains have created their own plant-based alternatives on their menus as a means of attracting new consumers and providing more options to those who do not eat meat, such as Burger King and their “Impossible Whopper”, McDonalds’ “McPlant Burger”, and A&W’s “Beyond Burger” [3].

Now many of you may wonder, what exactly is Beyond Meat? Well, it is “designed to have the same taste and texture as animal-based meats” [1] and is often made out of natural ingredients such as “peas, beans, potatoes, and brown rice” [1]. Many individuals and even corporations have become more conscious of the environment and the health of their bodies, prompting them to opt for healthier and environmentally friendly alternatives in their diets.

The goal for plant-based meat alternatives, such as Beyond Meat, is to better several global factors that need improvement, such as climate change, the safety of animals and the insurance of moral animal meat production, the limitation of resources, and overall, the health of the human population [1]. The practice of less meat consumption is not new to many across the world, as high protein food options such as tofu and tempeh have been used for over hundreds of years [4].

In terms of the environment, meat production “contributes around 15 percent of global greenhouse emissions” [2], therefore having a huge carbon impact on the environment.

However, it is crucial to understand that for meat alternative foods to be better for the environment in comparison to real meat production, there is still some work to be done. Damage is still being done to the earth’s atmosphere during its production. We know that meat production uses an immense amount of water and disperses tons of emissions into the atmosphere, but plant-based meats and meat alternatives do the same.

Compared to the emissions certain vegetables let out into the atmosphere, these meat alternatives produce the same number of emissions into the air as another popular meat many consume, which is chicken! [5] Even when grocery shopping, the cost of plant-based meats and meat substitutes tend to be significantly higher than meats such as beef [5], making it harder for many to easily transition away from meat consumption. There are even plenty of plant-based options that consist of processed ingredients and are genetically modified [6], something these meat-alternatives lead people on to believe to be untrue.

Compared to traditional animal meats, plant-based meat production uses less agricultural space, water, and facilities when being created [2]. Meat production uses thousands of gallons of water for the smallest amount of meat, something that heavily increases greenhouse emissions into the atmosphere. It is also significant to know that meat production is not only harmful to the natural earth, but those working in the industry as well. Such a workforce has been deemed one of the most “exploitative and dangerous” places to work in [4].

Although there are some cons to meat-alternative food production, it is safe to say that it is ultimately better for the environment compared to animal meat food productions, specifically pork and beef. Every day, we are learning something new about our environment and how to properly sustain it, so it is best to keep in mind what foods are beneficial for our health and our environment.

RE FERENCE S [1] “Frequently Asked Questions,” beyondmeat.com. [Online]. Available: https://www.beyondmeat.com/en-CA/faqs.

[2] D. Rivera, “All The Best Plant-Based Fast-Food Burgers, Ranked,” uproxx.com, Apr. 8, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://uproxx.com/life/bestplant-based-fast-food-burgers/.

[3] M. Hayek and J. Dutkiewicz, “Yes, plant-based meat is better for the planet,” vox.com, Nov. 18, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.vox.com/22787178/beyond-impossible-plant-based-vegetarianmeat-climate-environmental-impact-sustainability.

[4] “The FoodPrint of Fake Meat,” foodprint.org, Nov. 9, 2021. [Online].

Available: https://foodprint.org/reports/the-foodprint-of-fake-meat/#maincontent.

[5] O. Roos, “Is fake meat better for you, or the environment?,” nbcnews.com, Oct. 13, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/usnews/fake-meat-better-you-or-environment-n1065231.

[6] D. Ewing-Chow, “Not All ‘Meatless Meats’ Are Good For Your Health Or The Environment,” forbes.com, Jun. 28, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.forbes.com/sites/daphneewingchow/2020/06/28/not-all-meatlessmeats-are-good-for-your-health-or-the-environment/?sh=2f8f7c012482.

DISMANTLING DIET CULTURE I n t er v i ew b y. J a c q ueli ne Chang

In the winter semester, there is one collaboration event that is always a little different from our usual fun and games, and that’s the Dismantling Diet Culture event. This year we partnered up with York Women’s Mental Health Talks and invited three professional speakers to spend an evening giving insight on diet culture in their respective industries.

N a t a li e R o se Alle n

Our first speaker of the evening was Natalie Rose Allen, a Toronto-based Registered Psychotherapist who specialises in treating eating disorders and body image issues. Additionally, she provides intuitive eating and emotion coaching to people worldwide.

Natalie started off her presentation with defining diet culture as, “A system of beliefs and social behaviour that values body weight and appearance more than health and well-being.”

She then further detailed how it can be identified by looking for characteristics such as restrictive eating and constant advertisement of “wellness” products and supplements. She then further explained how those characteristics make diet culture harmful because it does not teach us to respect our bodies nor establish a healthy relationship with food, which can result in eating disorders.

Natalie introduced some eating disorders that could potentially develop due to diet culture and concluded with resources for those recovering from eating disorders.

Our second speaker of the evening was Olivia Cupido, an anti-diet and HAES informed registered dietitian and cook in Toronto. She works with clients to foster healthy relationships with food, whether they are navigating chronic health conditions, juggling gut health triggers, or recovering from disordered eating.

O l i v i a Cupi do

Olivia’s presentation shined light on the differences between what diet culture portrays as healthy and what science actually says. She debunked three diet culture myths with science: Food Chemicals with “Don’t Eat Anything Your Grandmother Wouldn’t Recognize as Food” Sugar Addiction and Food Addictions Programs with “Food Must Be Controlled” IgG Intolerance Testing with “You’re One Intolerance Away From Optimal Wellness” Olivia also gave a little science lesson on food combining and how digestion actually works.

Laur a J a n e Arse n e a u lt

If you are interested in seeing the presentations, please visit CAFE’s YouTube Channel to watch the recordings!

Laura Jane Arseneault received her bachelors in Psychology at York University where she also served as the former President of Women’s Mental Health Talks. Today, she is a Francophone Case Manager with LOFT Community Services, as part of a government initiative to bring French Services to Toronto’s Francophone residents.

Laura’s presentation started with how diet culture stems from weight bias and discrimination, and gave an example of how it could even lead to health misdiagnoseses. She then furthered how because of these misdiagnoses from weight bias, there are gaps in treatment for those that struggle with their weight. But she also stressed that not only your physical health is affected, but also your mental health when it comes to diet culture. Laura detailed how to set boundaries and why it is important to limit your interaction with the negative impacts of diet culture.

THE EFFECT OF COVID-19 ON FOOD WASTE By . Jahnav i Upre t i

Food waste is incredibly common in the food industry. In Canada alone, 35.5 million tonnes of food and 4.5 billion tonnes of freshwater are wasted. The pandemic has exacerbated this, causing disruptions in the supply chain at the producer, processor, foodservice, retail and household level. The role of the pandemic in food waste is immense - and it brings up the important issue of our society’s relationship with food.

When you enter a typical grocery store in Canada, you’re greeted with rows upon rows of packaged and canned goods, piles of fruit and vegetables, and freezers stocked with frozen food. However, there’s a shocking fact hidden in that abundance: 58% of all food produced in Canada, which equates to around 35.5 million tonnes, is wasted [1].

The total value of this food waste amounts to $49 billion, and it is enough to feed every Canadian for five months [1]. Along with the massive economic loss, food waste has a significant environmental impact.

There are multiple causes for food waste.

Some food waste is classified as unavoidable, which happens with food byproducts that are inedible are discarded. Other food waste is classified as avoidable, and is caused when food is discarded due to being deemed “ugly” or past its best-before date, acres are “plowed under” due to canceled orders, or when labor shortages and low prices prevent farmers from harvesting [1][3].

Each year, food waste in Canada creates 56.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxideequivalent emissions, and uses up 4.5 billion tonnes of freshwater [2].

These days, a prevalent contribution to food waste is the Covid-19 pandemic.

The pandemic has caused massive disruptions to the food supply chain, creating an unpredictable environment that makes it difficult for producers, retailers and consumers to adapt to.

Five different factors can explain how Covid-19 impacted the supply chain, and how it influenced supply chain disruptions and food waste.

They are as follows [4]:

1.

Producer-Level Food Waste Producers of perishable products like meat, milk, fruits and vegetables will often grow their crops for grocery retail or foodservice. For field crops, planting is done ahead of harvest, meaning that producers do not have the ability to adjust production if they encounter disruptions. In the case of livestock operations, animals cannot stop producing byproducts. This makes it difficult to decrease production in the face of disruption.

In both cases, the result is food waste. During the pandemic, notable examples of field crop and livestock waste are onions and milk. 40% of onions in the US are destined for restaurants. However, since restaurants are reduced in capacity, regular consumers are unable to consume the surplus.

Milk is a more infamous example. The pandemic resulted in major buyers of dairy, like schools or coffee shops, to temporarily close. Cows could not stop producing milk, so farmers were forced to dump huge quantities of their excess milk. Additionally, milk could not be quickly repurposed into products with longer shelf lives, such as cheese.

2.

Processor-Level Food Waste 02.

When it comes to reducing food waste, food processing facilities are the most efficient node in the supply chain. However, the pandemic has caused outbreaks in many of the workers working at processing plants. This has resulted in temporary closures and reduced production.

Since processors are unable to operate, the strain is placed on producers, who have a surplus of food to process and have no means of doing so. This can be exemplified by chicken byproducts during the pandemic. Many meat packing firms were unable to operate due to outbreaks, resulting in slower production.

Chicken farmers realized it was too expensive to raise their surplus of chickens, resulting in some farmers euthanizing their birds.

3.

Foodservice-Level Food Waste Foodservice waste comes from restaurants, and is typically generated in the form of kitchen waste and consumer leftovers. However, with the pandemic and the shutdown of foodservice locations, many restaurants were unable to use their existing food stocks. This resulted in short term food waste.

Retail-Level Food Waste Most retail-level waste comes from overstocking, aesthetic imperfections or bypassing the best-before dates. With the pandemic, the demand for household essentials such as toilet paper, eggs and flour dramatically increased. This led to shortages in the retail level, as consumers were stockpiling supplies. Wastage was encountered primarily for more expensive products, such as cuts of meat. This was because of the economic instability that many households faced.

5.

Household-Level Food Waste Before the pandemic, household waste was the largest source of food waste along the supply chain, especially amongst developed countries like the US. Reasons for household-level food waste were typically poor planning, reading best-before dates incorrectly, and bulk purchasing. Due to the pandemic, the stockpiling of resources increased dramatically, leaving families with a surplus of food they did not need in reality.

To combat the food waste related to the pandemic, the supply chain factors above and policymakers have identified “pandemic pivots” to mitigate food waste. Farmers have donated or sold their products to food banks, governmental programs have been made to support food banks and people in need, and products were redirected from the food service sector to the retail sector [4].

The pandemic has made us aware of our lack of education when it comes to food waste [5]. Improvements must be made for each factor of the supply chain summarized above; for example, retailers should have proper handling, storage facilities, and predictions regarding consumer purchasing patterns, and consumers should be more educated on how to minimize food waste [5]. As a society, we are finally aware of the harmful effects of food waste - and we should try to reduce them as much as we can in the future.

4.

RE FERENCE S [1] A. Janus, “More than half of all food produced in Canada is lost or wasted, report says,” cbc.ca. [Online]. Available: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/foodwaste-report-second-harvest-1.4981728. [Accessed: Mar. 26, 2022].

[2] S. Milbrath, “A Drop’s Worth: The Value of Water on Food Security,” blog.secondharvest.com. [Online]. Available: https://blog.secondharvest.ca/2021/08/04/the-value-of-water-on-foodsecurity/. [Accessed: Mar. 26, 2022].

[3] “The Environmental Impact of Food Waste,” moveforhunger.org. [Online].

Available: https://moveforhunger.org/the-environmental-impact-of-food-waste.

[Accessed: Mar. 26, 2022].

[4] B. Ellison, M. Maria Kalaitzandonakes, “Food Waste and Covid-19: Impacts along the Supply Chain,” Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois, Sept. 10, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://farmdocdaily.illinois.edu/2020/09/food-waste-and-covid-19-impactsalong-the-supply-chain.html. [Accessed: Mar. 26, 2022].

[5] A. Wakefield, S. Axon, ““I’m a bit of a waster”: Identifying the enablers of, and barriers to sustainable food waste practices,” ScienceDirect, Dec. 1, 2020. [Online].

Available: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652620328481? casa_token=JJjh1ohpQQ0AAAAA:kerS_RybqtqnG3HgxlIK1Q3BqNadzU60fUWr pmHYurPWWo93g5Cnz772uPot22XncZd4YNUMtQ#bib91. [Accessed: Mar. 26, 2022].

B y . M e li nd a Sza ri c s

ADVANCES IN FOOD PACKAGING

Food packaging is often overlooked by the average person as getting in the way of their snack or meal, but there’s so much more to be considered than meets the eye. Of course, the primary function of any kind of packaging is straightforward: to protect the contents of the package from the surroundings.

But for food, packaging can do so much more.

So-called “active packagings” can have specialized functions such as “delayed oxidation and controlled respiration rate, microbial growth, moisture migration and solute transport” [1].

These packagings can keep foods fresh for longer, cutting down on food waste [1].

Additionally, some recent developments in food packaging are less reliant on traditional plastics, which are based on a non-renewable resource and contribute to global warming [2].

Edible packaging is made of edible compounds from renewable sources. They are often applied to the surfaces of hard food items, such as fruits, in the form of a film or coating [1]. Edible films and coatings are safe, and newer edible packagings have been developed with antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, which can greatly improve the shelf lives of foods [1].

Additionally, some edible packaging has a controlled release of bioactive compounds which act as preservatives [1]. Some newer advances include colour-changing sensors to detect foodborne bacteria or pH changes in real time, allowing consumers to easily determine whether food is suitable forr eating [3]. However, as with many other types of food packaging, a single gle film or coating layer isn’t enough to meet all objectives, so a layer of plastic is generally needed [4].

Nanomaterials can also be used in food packaging. Nanomaterials can help overcome the necessity of using multiple layers of films or coatings, usually in the case of plastics [2, 4]. Similar to edible packaging, nanomaterials can be used for “the introduction of the active components that can deliver additional functional attributes compared to the conventional active packaging, and the sensing and indication of relevant information” [2]. Nanomaterials have been developed which have microbial properties or can detect pathogens and other contaminants in food [4].

Often, for food to remain fresh, oxygen amounts are desired that are lower than the atmospheric concentrations [2]. Some biopolymer and clay nanocomposites are quite suited to preventing oxygen from permeating the packaging, with the added benefit of being biodegradable [2]. Bioplastics, with or without nanoparticle coatings or films, are a promising alternative to traditional plastics [5].

As mentioned earlier, it’s no secret that petroleum-based plastics have many adverse effects on the environment. However, plastics are incredibly versatile and, therefore, widespread in food packaging [2].

This is why bioplastics are often used. Bioplastics combine the convenience and durability of plastic with the biodegradability of edible packagings.

These biopolymers can be made from biomass, synthesized in a lab, or be produced by various microorganisms [2].

There is a concerted effort being made to move the food packaging industry in the direction of sustainability. From reducing food waste to developing alternative plastics, so many advances have been made in food packaging that show promising trends, and research is continuously being done to improve packaging further.

RE FERENCE S [1] M. A. Masuelli, Biopackaging, CRC Press, 2018, ch. 1. [Online]. Available: https://books-scholarsportal-info.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/en/read? id=/ebooks/ebooks6/taylorandfrancis6/2020-1021/1/9781315152349#page=22.

[2] K. Fatyeyeva, C. Chappey, and S. Marais, “13 - Biopolymer/clay nanocomposites as the high barrier packaging material: recent advances,” Food Packaging, Academic Press, 2017, pp. 425-463. [Online]. Available: https://www-sciencedirectcom.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/science/article/pii/B9780128043028000133.

[3] M. A. Masuelli, Biopackaging, CRC Press, 2018, ch. 2. [Online]. Available: https://books-scholarsportal-info.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/en/read? id=/ebooks/ebooks6/taylorandfrancis6/2020-1021/1/9781315152349#page=48.

[4] J. Parameswaranpillai, R. E. Krishnankutty, A. Jayakumar, S. M. Rangappa, and S. Siengchin, NanotechnologyછEnhanced Food Packaging, WileyછVCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://booksscholarsportal-info.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/en/read? id=/ebooks/ebooks7/wiley7/2021-12-02/1/9783527827718#page=20.

[5] P. Jariyasakoolroj, P. Leelaphiwat, and N. Harnkarnsujarit, “Advances in research and development of bioplastic for food packaging,” Journal of the science of food and agriculutre, vol. 100, is. 14, pp. 5032-5045, 2020. [Online].

Available: https://www-proquestcom.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/docview/2135636855?accountid=14771.

THE TRAJECTORY OF A FOOD INDUSTRY LEADER,

IAN CHOWN I n t er v i ew b y. Helen T ra n

Ian Chown was first introduced to the food manufacturing business as an undergraduate chemical engineering student who just landed a PEY job (Professional Experience Year, or Co-Op).

From his first manufacturing job at Labatt Brewing Company, he joined PepsiCo and 19 years later, he is now the Vice President of Manufacturing for Gatorade.! At CAFE’s Coffee Chat on April 7, 2022, he detailed even more about his past and core principles in a Q&A session with our guests, including what he’s learned while working and travelling amongst numerous leadership positions.

Figure 1. Ian Chown [1]

Ia n’s P E Y E x p er i enc e at Labatt Bre w ing Company - Engaging w it h t h e E n v ir o n m e nt, Making Mistake s, and A ccountability For PEY, most people in Chemical Engineering went into oil, gas, business, and finance; Ian went to the food industry to help produce beer.! An interview session at the plant led to an excellent impression, and him getting hired at his first manufacturing job. He noted that it was a great experience overall, but that there was never a clear idea of what he was supposed to do. From this place of uncertainty where he wasn’t sure how to help people with 30 more years of experience than him, he had to figure out a lot on his own. Eventually, he realised his ability to add value to the environment he was in through engaging himself in it. There was one situation in particular - a machine that cleaned bottles was tipping them over slightly, leading to manual intervention just to “untip” them. Ian mapped out where in the machine the bottles were tipping, and with the machine operators, they discovered that someone had shortened the mechanical fingers whichto prevented proper alignment. Thus, the mystery of the bottle tipping was solved, and Ian had learned that even if he didn’t have the right answer right away, in order to eventually obtain a right answer, he had to engage the right people, focus on the problem, and work toward it.

However, learning also came with making mistakes. He described a situation where he pulled together a small team to work quickly on a network strategy for investment in Texas, despite PepsiCo’s typical consensus-driven decision making.

As a result, he was bombarded with questions from people from all over the organisation, ultimately slowing down productivity. He summed up the lesson with “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,” with a tidbit about accountability. Ian brought out an accountability pyramid that built up as such:

Amidst people that tend to completely deny when things go wrong, blame other people, or react with disbelief, Ian ultimately encourages operating among acknowledgement, ownership, solution-making, and taking action he stated,

“You can always work to make things better, and the little things build up.”

Ian’s Job Experience - From Summe r Jobs to Peps iC o Ian explained that in the food industry, there was the engineering career path and the leadership career path. Although not explicitly engineering, he explains that his choice to engage with leadership and management overlapped with the skills of an engineer, where you simplify complicated data and develop fortitude when taking on difficult tasks. Furthermore, his first jobs were working at an RV rental and as a customs officer in his 1st and 2nd year, respectively. Overall, his technical engineering skills didn’t stand out, but he distinctly admires the development of skills in an indirect way, where people can shepherd a process, manage people, and articulate how skills are developed in the littlest situations, especially frontline work.

He also emphasised the importance of newfound experience; the best thing you can get out of working in PEY is knowing whether you like it or not. It worked in his favour when he greatly enjoyed manufacturing at Labatt and joined PepsiCo’s leadership development program.

Starting out as a maintenance supervisor, he was surrounded by agreeable superiors who supported his development by assigning him relatively large responsibilities.

Among other positions within PepsiCo, he eventually became an engineering manager for Canada, then a senior plant manager, and manufacturing director.

When his wife graduated with a PhD, they moved to Chicago where he worked in multiple senior director roles. He explained that being open to relocation was a huge career accelerator for him his opportunities increased tenfold and he was able to find more roles that better suited him.

Ia n’s T h o u g h t s o n the Food Ind us t r y Within his 19+ years of experience, he noted three distinct changes within the food industry: CONSUMERS HAVE AN APPETITE FOR VARIETY - PEOPLE WANT INNOVATION! He explained that new food combinations came with a lot of complexity in regard to regulations, allergies, and manufacturing. As such, they tend to launch a portion of these innovative flavours as a limited time product, or a line extension, where new products earn 5-10% of total annual revenue. This might sound small but it’s significant when you consider that the PepsiCo Beverage business in North America is worth $25 billion!

REGULATORY COMPLEXITY IS ACCELERATING. Just one example is the Food Safety Modernization Act that was signed into law in 2011. This was the first piece of federal legislation addressing food safety since 1938! Similar advances in regulatory rigour and complexity have taken place across quality, health, safety and environmental requirements.

CONSUMER DEMANDS WERE GREATLY AFFECTED BY THE PANDEMIC. Before the pandemic, the soda market was stable and declining slightly within fractions of a percent; the industry had optimised itself around a very stable demand with limited surge capacity. However, when the pandemic hit, demand went up 20%! Thus, they had to implement a global supply chain solution to meet this increase, where Pepsi would import empty cans from all over the world (and still do!).

Overall, Ian Chown’s experience with the food industry began with uncertainty regarding his usefulness in an unknown environment.

Over time, he learned to communicate with others, take accountability, and engage with his career, leading to being a Vice President of Manufacturing, and some incredible advice for our CAFE audience.! We thank him for his time, and hope that everyone can feel a little more inspired!

W H I C H P L A N T- B A S E D F O O D S H O U L D Y O U T RY ?

Salty

FAVORITE MEAL?

Breakfast

Dinner

WESTERN OR EAST ASIAN FOOD?

CARBS OR PROTEIN?

Western

Asian

Carbs

BEYOND MEAT

KING’S BBQ BUNS JUST EGG VEGAN CARBONARA

Protein

start here YOU PREFER

Sweet

HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR DESSERTS?

Cold

Warm

DO YOU LIKE NUTS?

FRUIT OR CHOCOLATE?

Yes

No

Fruit

WATERMELON FLOAT

Chocolate

DAIYA PEACH COBBLER

SO DELICIOUS

W H I C H P L A N T- B A S E D F O O D S H O U L D Y O U T RY ?

RECIPIES

JUST EGG VEGAN EGG REPLACEMENT

KING’S HONG KONG BBQ BUNS ( L O C A L T O R O N T O C O M PA N Y ! )

”No cholesterol. No industrial chicken IDUPV 1R DUWLƓFLDO ŴDYRUV -XVW UHDOO\ delicious eggs made from plants.”

”Gently snipping open the top of the bun before steaming allows an appetizing SHHS LQWR LWV JORVV\ VDYRU\ %%4 ƓOOLQJ Ő

https://www.ju.st/eat

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SO DELICIOUS (DANONE) CASHEW BASED FROZEN T R EAT S ”Oh-so-creamy cashew-based frozen desserts blended with oh-so-indulgent ŴDYRXUV Ő https://www.sodeliciousdairyfree.ca/en/ products/frozen-desserts/cashew-base/

FROM MY BOWL VEGAN GRILLED PEACH COBBLER ”This Grilled Peach Cobbler is a VXPPHUWLPH GUHDPŋD MXLF\ SHDFK ƓOOLQJ WRSSHG ZLWK ŴXII\ EXWWHU\ ELVFXLWV DQG baked to bubbly peach perfection!” https://frommybowl.com/grilled-peach-c REEOHU YHJDQ

B E YO N D M EAT B U R G E R ”The Beyond Burger is a plant-based EXUJHU WKDW ORRNV FRRNV DQG VDWLVƓHV OLNH beef. It has all the juicy, meaty deliciousness of a traditional burger, but comes with the upsides of a plant-based meal.” https://www.beyondmeat.com/en-CA/pr oducts/the-beyond-burger

HOT FOR FOOD FIZZY WAT E R M E LO N F LOAT S Ő7KHUHōV D QHZ LFH FUHDP ŴRDW LQ WRZQ &RRO RII ZLWK WKLV Ɠ]]\ FRPELQDWLRQ RI ZDWHUPHORQ DQG YHJDQ FRFRQXW LFH cream.” https://www.hotforfoodblog.com/recipe V Ɠ]]\ ZDWHUPHORQ ŴRDWV

D A I YA C H O C O L AT E CHEEZECAKE ”Our Chocolate Cheezecake is decadent.

Indulgent. Rich, Creamy and Smooth.

Each delicious bite hosts a signature blend of cocoa and carob powders, WXUQLQJ RXU FODVVLF ƓOOLQJ LQWR D FKRFRODWH delight.” https://daiyafoods.com/our-foods/cheez ecake/chocolate/

HOW BIG IS YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT? HOW OFTEN DO YOU EAT ANIMAL PRODUCTS? a. Never- Vegan b. Rarely - Vegetarian c. Occasionally - Omnivore to the core d. Very Often - Meat lover

HOW MUCH PACKAGED OR PROCESSED FOOD DO YOU CONSUME ON AVERAGE? a. Hardly Ever - Home garden and cooks from scratch b. Rarely - Cooks mostly from scratch c. Occasionally - A balance of home cooked and store bought d. Very Often - Convenience is key

HOW MUCH OF THE FOOD THAT YOU EAT IS LOCALLY GROWN/PRODUCED? a. Majority - Farmers market fan b. Mostly - You’re attracted to the locally grown section in the supermarket c. Some - You pick up what fits your grocery list d. None - It’s just not convenient

MOSTLY A'S Very Small: You do whatever possible to shrink your Food Carbon Footprint. I’m sure the planet and your local food vendors appreciate it! Keep up the good work!

MOSTLY B'S Small: You try to reduce your food footprint whenever is reasonable. You don’t stress yourself out by going overboard but you have high standards for yourself and our planet!

MOSTLY C'S Medium: You have a good balance of eco-friendly practices and are easy-going with your Food Carbon Footprint. If you want to shrink your footprint a bit more try buying more locally grown fruits and veggies.

MOSTLY D'S

Large: It’s not always easy (or practical!) to go to the farmers market instead of the grocery store and some of us don’t have time to cook from scratch every night, that’s okay! Try to cut back where you can, maybe start with “meatless Mondays” or if you are buying lots of packaged food, look out for recyclable and reusable packaging.

T H A N K YO U On behalf of CAFE, thank you for taking the time to read and check out The Engineer’s Bite! This latest edition of The Engineer’s Bite was made with love, dedication and effort and we are more than excited to have presented the fourth edition as Sustainable Engineering.

A special thank you to the Magazine Team, their talent and dedication that put together the latest edition in a few short months is greatly appreciated and we recognize them for all their hard work.

M a r y Ishaq Editor in Chief