This is an archive of the program which took place on October 18, 2011
A Nutritional Odyssey: From Famine to Feast
The Role of Science and Technology in a Healthy Diet
Program Overview:
In recent years, food technology and processed foods have been the subject of growing negative perceptions in terms of their safety, nutritional value and impact on health, including a purported contribution to the obesity epidemic.
But how valid are these perceptions? Is fresh always best? And, how truly fresh is “fresh”?
Join Dr. Fergus M. Clydesdale, internationally-recognized food scientist and Distinguished University Professor and Director of the Food Science Policy Alliance, Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts Amherst, as he examines the factors currently driving negative perceptions of food technology, reviews the sometimes-overlooked advantages of food processing in providing safe, economical and nutritious foods, discusses the history and benefits of nutrient fortification and the benefits of portion-controlled processed foods as a weight management tool. (Program Length: 1 hour)
Presenter:
Fergus M. Clydesdale, PhD
Distinguished University Professor and Director of the Food Science Policy Alliance, Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Fergus M. Clydesdale, PhD, is Distinguished University Professor, Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Director of the University of Massachusetts Food Science Policy Alliance. From 1988 to 2008, he was head of the university’s Department of Food Science, which at the time of his retirement, was ranked the top department in the university in student satisfaction and recently ranked the top department in the country by the National Research Council.
He is a fellow of several premier societies in the field of food science and nutrition: the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), the American Society for Nutrition, the American College of Nutrition, the International Academy of Food Science and Technology, and the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology. He is editor of Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition and has published some 375 scientific articles and coauthored or edited 20 books.
Dr. Clydesdale also has served on or chaired numerous committees including those of IFT, the National Academy of Sciences, the Food and Drug Administration and the International Life Sciences Institute. He also served on the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences and the 2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. He is the recipient of numerous awards including IFT’s highest honor, the Nicolas Appert Award.
Dr. Clydesdale’s research involves the study of scientific policy and regulation and the use of technology to optimize nutritional bioavailability, physiological effects, food quality, food acceptability, overall health and quality of life. This interest provides a unique perspective since it combines policy, regulation, food science, nutrition, public health and consumer acceptance.