Join Us! How Research and Innovation Drive the Food Industry
The food industry moves at the speed of innovation. Every year, innovations in food processing are providing us with more food products that extend shelf life, increase nutrient density, provide greater safety for consumers, and help companies stay ahead of trends – while also creating healthier alternatives and a reduced environmental footprint.
Join our webinar to learn more about food innovation at UBC and how industry partners work with our researchers to move BC forward. Hear from UBC researchers Dr. Anubhav Pratap-Singh and Dr. Siyun Wang, along with industry partners, on how they collaborate to create innovative products. The UBC Faculty of Land and Food Systems is home to food, nutrition and health research with several clinical labs, a sensory lab, a culinary lab and a food-grade pilot plant facility, which includes equipment specifically for food engineering/processing experiments.
Presented in partnership with alumniUBC
Host and Moderator
Dr. Rickey Yada, BSc (Agr) ’77, MSc ’80, PhD ’84– Dean and Professor, UBC Faculty of Land and Food Systems
Speakers
Dr. David Kitts, BSc (Agr) ’74, MSc ’76, PhD ’81 – Associate Dean, Research & Professor, Food Science
Dr. Anubhav Pratap-Singh – Food & Beverage Innovation Professorship & Assistant Professor, Food Processing
Dr. Siyun Wang – Associate Professor, Food Safety Engineering
Paul Wong, BSc (Agr) ’79 – Vice President R&D and Operations, Daiya Foods
Carmen Wakeling – CEO & Co-Owner, Eatmore Sprouts & Greens Ltd.
Event details
Tuesday, June 22, 2021
12:00-1:00pm PDT
To RSVP: Click here
Open to everyone. Registration is required.
Questions? Please contact jane.miller@ubc.ca
Speaker Biographies
Dr. Rickey Yada, BSc (Agr) ’77, MSc ’80, PhD ’84
In 2014, Professor Rickey Yada was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia. Prior to UBC, Dr. Yada was at the University of Guelph where he held numerous leadership roles, including Chair, Department of Food Science, Assistant Vice President Research, Canada Research Chair in Food Protein Structure, and Scientific Director of the Advanced Foods and Materials Network (Networks of Centres of Excellence). He is currently one of the editors of Trends in Food Science and Technology as well as serving on the editorial board of several journals. Dr. Yada serves on several research and industry organizations, some of which include Board of Bioenterprise Inc.; Board of Trustees of the Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition; Sciences Advisory Committee Member – Arrell Food Institute; Member of the Scientific Advisory Panels – Riddet Institute (New Zealand) and AgResearch (New Zealand). He is also a Past President and Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology and the International Academy of the International Union of Food Science and Technology, and is also a Fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists. Dr. Yada has an honorary DSc from the University of Guelph and was the 2019 Harraways 1867 Visiting Professor, University of Otago, New Zealand.
Dr. David Kitts, BSc (Agr) ’74, MSc ’76, PhD ’81
Dr. David Kitts, is a professor in the Food Science group within the Food, Nutrition and Health program and Associate Dean Research in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems. Dr. Kitts teaches 3rd year undergraduate course in Food Chemistry and a course in Advances in Food Toxicology and Risk Assessment. His areas of research specialize in the disciplines of Food Chemistry, Toxicology and Nutrition, where he focuses on the production, or development, of functional food products that are safe and nutritious. His work on encapsulation strategies of liable nutrients, such as folate have been used in Human Nutrition and International Nutrition studies with colleagues in Human Nutrition at UBC. His recent research interests include characterization of antioxidant structure-functional activity of several bioactive plant and animal products and evaluation of potential physiological responses of bioactive components in foods. He is presently working in collaborations to evaluate the safety and efficacy of novel food processing technologies.
Dr. Anubhav Pratap-Singh
Dr. Anubhav Pratap-Singh is the BC Ministry of Agriculture Endowed Professor in Food and Beverage Innovation. His research group explores novel technologies for food preservation and encapsulation of food bioactives. With a strong focus on plant-based foods and food industry sustainability, Dr. Pratap-Singh’s group works with local food industries and communities for developing sustainable food systems. Dr. Pratap-Singh’s work has resulted in more than 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals and international conferences. Dr. Pratap-Singh has been a recipient of multiple awards and fellowships like IFTPS Charles Stumbo Award, Banting Fellow, IFT Feeding Tomorrow Scholar, Green College Leading Scholar etc., and serves as representative on the UBC Senate, including the UBC’s ‘Academic Policy’ and ‘Research & Scholarship’ committees. Dr. Pratap-Singh is currently leading the academic planning for setting up the proposed UBC Food and Beverage Innovation Center.
Dr. Siyun Wang
Dr. Siyun Wang is an Associate Professor of Food Safety Engineering at the Faculty of Land and Food Systems, where she conducts research on microbial safety in the Ulrich Freybe Food Safety Laboratory. She received her B.S. degree in Pharmacy from Fudan University (2005) and Ph.D. degree in Biology from the Institute for Food Safety and Health at Illinois Tech (2010). Prior to joining UBC in 2013, she was a postdoctoral associate at Cornell University.
Paul Wong, BSc (Agr) ’79
Paul is currently the CIO (Chief Innovation Officer) at Daiya Foods Inc. He has over thirty years of experience in the food business from start-ups to large CPG companies. He has worked in R&D, operations, quality management, food innovation, ingredient sales, and consulting. He has held positions with companies as Nabisco, JD Sweid, McCormick’s, Sysco, Gardein and Daiya Foods. Paul joined Daiya Foods in 2008, to join Greg Blake and Andre Kroecher. Daiya Foods was acquired by Otsuka Pharmaceutical in 2017 for CDN $405M.
Carmen Wakeling
Carmen Wakeling is CEO and Co-owner of Eatmore Sprouts & Greens Ltd. Eatmore is a Certified Organic Farm producing a variety of sprouts, greens and vegetables on 3.75 acres near Courtenay, BC. Our products are sold through restaurants, grocery stores and wholesale distributors throughout Western Canada. We produce about 10,000 pounds of sprouts and greens weekly, year-round. In the last 31 years Carmen has been involved in learning about and developing systems to support a successful business while maintaining as small a footprint as possible and feeding our community and those throughout Western Canada. Eatmore Sprouts mission is to produce organic sprouts & greens year-round for a happier, healthier planet. Carmen has served in numerous positions on an array of boards related to industry, advocacy and community. She is currently involved at a board level with the Scale Food Processors Association (SSFPA), Intrisk Training Solutions, International Sprout Growers Association (ISGA), Sprouts Canada, Certified Organic Associations of British Columbia (COABC), the Agrarian Foundation, and the Pacific Agricultural Certification Society (PACS).