Omnivore
Advances in food science and technology are key to solving one of the world’s greatest modern challenges: How to sustainably and safely feed and nourish a global population expected to reach 9 billion by 2050. Join the award-winning editors of Food Technology, the flagship magazine of the Institute of Food Technologists, every other Monday for Omnivore, the podcast that amplifies the voices of the international food science and technology community working to feed the world. Curated from the pages of Food Technology, each episode serves up a series of solutions-oriented content and expert viewpoints on the food industry’s most top-of-mind issues, fortified by sound, science-based analysis. Featuring lively discussion and interviews with leading food scientists and researchers, product innovators, policy makers and thought leaders from across the world of food, you’ll find the Omnivore podcast an audio smorgasbord where the business and science of food intersect.
Episodes
IFT’s Renee Leber explains how food companies successfully scale products from lab prototypes to commercial production while managing the process, equipment, and formulation challenges that emerge during plant trials. California Cultured CEO Alan Perlstein discusses how plant cell culture could transform cocoa production, offering a more sustainable, scalable, and consistent approach to meeting rising global demand for chocolate.
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Circular food systems aim to reduce waste and retain value—but scaling them is complex. In this episode of SciDish, experts explore how upcycling, new technologies, and system-level thinking are reshaping how food is designed, produced, and brought to market.
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Food Technology trend guru Dr. Liz Sloan shares her take on the defining consumer trends of 2026, which range from next-gen comfort food to snackable beverages. And John Ruff, retired senior vice president of R&D at Kraft Foods and a past president of IFT, draws on decades of product development experience to explain why alternative meat is a long game—one that will likely be defined by hybrids, mycoproteins, incremental improv...
In this episode of SciDish, we sit down with Bruce Friedrich, founder and president of the Good Food Institute, to unpack his new book MEAT: How the Next Agricultural Revolution Will Transform Humanity’s Favorite Food—and Our Future, recently named one of Publishers Weekly’s Top Ten New Releases in Science. Rather than arguing against meat consumption, Friedrich explores a pragmatic question: if global demand for meat continues to ...
With an insider’s view of how national guidance gets made, nutrition policy expert Robert Post breaks down the newly released U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, highlighting what’s truly new, what echoes past advice, and why the shifts matter. James Petrie, founder of Nourish Ingredients, explains how his company is creating animal-free fats that will allow product developers to formulate next-generation plant-based foods with ...
As GLP-1 use reshapes appetite, taste perception, and eating patterns, food companies face new challenges—and opportunities—in how they design and deliver nutrition. In this episode of SciDish, experts explore what post-GLP-1 eating really looks like and how food can better support consumers across a changing nutritional journey.
Plus: This episode of Omnivore is brought to you by Almond Board of California.
Circana’s Sally Lyons Wyatt walks us through new research from the global consulting firm’s that reveals just how dramatically GLP-1 medications are shifting U.S. consumer eating and purchasing behavior—and how CPG brands and retailers can get ahead of increasing consumer demand. Nutrition and metabolism researcher Kevin Hall unpacks the latest science on ultra-processed foods, explaining why debates over definitions often miss the...
Consumer trend trackers Jenny Zegler of Mintel and Michael Howard of Nichefire set the stage for the year ahead, sharing their takes on the trends that will have the greatest impact on product development and food innovation.
Plus: This episode of Omnivore is brought to you by IFT Membership. It’s where you belong. As a member, you’ll enjoy a global community united by purpose and driven by science ready to make a lasting impact on...
In this “Best of 2025” episode of Omnivore, Food Technology revisits the top food science and thought leader interviews of the year. The AI era is unquestionably here, and it’s advancing at lightning speed. In this episode, AI “futurist” and IFT FIRST keynote speaker Steve Brown discusses the unprecedented opportunities that AI offers, its benefits for the global food system, and why it’s important to embrace its new technologies w...
In this “Best of 2025” episode of Omnivore Presents: SciDish, Food Technology revisits the top food science and thought leader interviews of the year. In 2025, the industry experienced a sharp uptick in food recalls—affecting everything from leafy greens to frozen meals. And it was not just one culprit—Listeria, Salmonella, E. coli, and even viruses like norovirus and parasites like cyclospora flooded the headlines. Is this a coinc...
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