Food in the Hood

Amanda and Ben reacted to the recent food business news of brand sales and strategies of global consumer package goods companies. The hosts also introduced the concept of a CPG octant to map out the complex relations among profit margin, purchasing frequency, and manufacturing complexity of food products.

Amanda and Ben returned to the air to discuss Ben's new job as an assistant professor in food science. Amanda interviewed Ben about his journey to a faculty position, and they discussed the differences between being a professor in applied and fundamental research fields. Check out the episode to hear more details!

Ben and Amanda mark a major milestone with their first in-person recording, a full six years after launching the podcast! In this special episode, we explore the vibrant aisles of a Dutch grocery store, uncovering the rich flavors and cultural significance behind local favorites—from spiced cookies to instant soups. Along the way, we dive into thought-provoking observations about Dutch food culture and the unique setup of grocery stores in the Netherlands. #GroceryAdventures #TasteTheNetherlands #PodcastMilestone

Dive into our latest episode where we uncover the incredible transformation of lobsters. Once so plentiful they were fed to prisoners and used as fertilizer, these crustaceans have risen to become a symbol of luxury. Discover how canning, railroads, and culinary creativity turned the humble lobster into a gourmet sensation. We'll also explore the fascinating challenges of lobster farming. Don't miss this mouthwatering tale of evolution from sea to plate! Tune in now for a tasty adventure!

Amanda and Ben are back with another episode of Food in the Hood! It took 4.5 years for the hosts to get to the topic of nutrition as impacted by processed foods. The hosts discussed how processed foods are engineered to promote consumption, the long-term effects of alternative food ingredients, and the health sacrifice for protecting environment. The news about consuming microplastics https://edition.cnn.com/2022/10/31/us/microplastic-credit-card-per-week/index.html Check out previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood You can contact us at fihpodcast[at]gmail.com Subscribe & Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben returned back on air to discuss once again, food packaging! The hosts shared pictures of their groceries and talked about the packages that came with them. The episode then drifted into a discussion about personalization and its impact on food packaging and consumer good innovations. Give it a listen to find out more about the details. Picture of the groceries Check out previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood You can contact us at fihpodcast[at]gmail.com Subscribe & Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben came back on air to discuss food packages. Amanda proposed the triangle rule of food packaging to connect cost, environmental impact, and convenience. The hosts then came up with a food packaging challenge, of which they will follow up in the next episode. Read about WUR's coffee cup story: https://www.wur.nl/en/about-wur/our-values/sustainable-business-operations/from-coffee-cup..-to-toilet-paper.htm Check out previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood You can contact us at fihpodcast[at]gmail.com Subscribe & Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben dedicate the last episode of 2022 to beverages! Amanda shared the beverage trends of ready-to-drink cocktails and her recent conference experience at BevNet Live. The host then turned to ChatGPT and asked the AI to formulate some drinks. https://www.bevnet.com/ Gamer drinks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzkl-KfKxwU&ab_channel=ShortCircuit Check out previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood You can contact us at fihpodcast[at]gmail.com Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben return on air to discuss food price increases around the world. The hosts shared their experiences of food inflations in the US and the Netherlands. They also talked about the in-house brands from grocery stores, eating habit changes due to food inflation, and the Napa cabbage index! Check out previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood You can contact us at fihpodcast[at]gmail.com Give us a 5-star!

In this episode, Amanda and Ben talked about mushrooms from many aspects. They discussed the role of fungi in nature, mushroom in meat analogues, mushroom as adaptogens, and their favorite mushroom dishes! Fantastic Fungi: https://fantasticfungi.com/ The CRISPR mushroom: https://www.nifa.usda.gov/crispr-mushrooms-coming-soon Fried enoki: https://www.oetker.com.my/my-en/our-recipes/r/crispy-fried-enoki 香菇脚 (mushroom leg): https://www.douguo.com/cookbook/1485910.html Check out previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood You can contact us at fihpodcast[at]gmail.com Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben celebrated the 50th episode milestone! Amanda gave a big update of her career, and the hosts chatted about Amanda's recent tradeshow experience at the IFT Expo. They also discussed the different types of food tradeshows and conferences in the industry. The Fancy Food Show: https://www.specialtyfood.com/shows-events/winter-fancy-food-show/ The Anuga Food Fair: https://www.anuga.com/ Check out previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Give us a 5-star!

Here is the second half of the interview that we featured Abbey the food scientist on FIH! In this episode, Abbey and the hosts discussed differences of post-graduate studying experiences in the Netherlands and the US. They also shared stories and tips about doing research as food science graduate students. Abbey's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AbbeytheFoodScientist Check out previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben interviewed Abbey the food scientist on the show! Abbey has a food science PhD degree and is an expert on ice cream microstructure. She also runs the "Abbey the food scientist" YouTube channel, which creates informative and educational videos about "food science for everyone". Abbey and the hosts discussed her journey as a YouTuber and how Abbey communicated food science to her everyday viewers. Abbey also shared details about her ice cream preferences, the fascinating Oreo soggy theory, and her recent episode about food crimes. Abbey's videos: Food Crimes Part 1: Cakes, Milk and Spices Why don't Oreos get soggy when dunked in chocolate milk? Check out previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Give us a 5-star!

What do soldiers eat during war? Is it really true they get steak at every meal? In our latest podcast episode, Amanda and Ben invited Mike Hufana, a US Army veteran who was deployed to Afghanistan in 2014, to give us the insider's scope. Be it the power of food in bringing normalcy during the time of war, or the importance of breaking bread across ranks in building camaraderie - Join us to learn more from the perspectives of a war veteran. At FIH, we advocate for peace and condemn violence and wars. We pray for peace and safety of the people who are currently suffering from wars in the world. Check out previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Give us a 5-star!

Following the terrifying news in Ukraine, Amanda and Ben reflected how wars can impact our food systems. In the episode, the hosts talked about food rations, war-time food inventions, and the origin of HACCP. At FIH, we advocate for peace and condemn violence and wars. We pray for peace and safety of the people who are currently suffering from wars in the world. Check out previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben returned on air to talk about convenient and speedy foods (aka processed foods). They discussed how processed foods and food services have improved based on consumer needs. Processed foods are now less compromised on tastes thanks to innovations in food technology! The host bilaterally agreed that processed foods are here to stay and they can be innovated based on consumer's demands of being healthy, sustainable, and delicious. Check out previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben shared their dark thoughts about cultured meat technology to produce unconventional foods. The hosts really dove into the potentials of cultured meats in the future, as it is one of the most disruptive technologies... The Ouroboros Steak Cultured human casein (BIOMILQ) Check out previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben welcomed Dr. Pam Ismail as a guest on the show! Pam leads the Plant Protein Innovation Center at University of Minnesota. She is a professor and researcher with extensive expertise on food proteins! The hosts discussed various questions with Pam about the current and past plant protein research. Unfortunately, the recording ran into a bit difficulty during the interview, but Amanda and Ben did a quick recap in the end of the episode to sum up the takeaways. Plant Protein Innovation Center - https://ppic.cfans.umn.edu/ About Pam - https://ppic.cfans.umn.edu/expertise/researchers Check out previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben are back with an in-depth discussion about teaching food science to children and teenagers. Food can be both a subject to teach STEM and a medium to stimulate STEM interests. The hosts offered a few examples to teach food science as a STEM subject to youngsters and even brought up the possibility of writing a kid's book about foods. Joe Dombrowski's lollipop video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDQRrUNu5eU&ab_channel=JoeDombrowski Red cabbage as a pH indicator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMXMlWybv8A&ab_channel=YuckyScience Teach food science: https://www.teachfoodscience.org/ Check out previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Give us a 5-star!

Hi everyone! Amanda and Ben recorded a quick update for all the FIH listeners. We will be back to a monthly release schedule for the rest of 2021. Stay tuned for future episodes towards the end of each month!

Amanda and Ben came back with a 1.5 month break! This time, the hosts discussed food complaints and lawsuits. Amanda shared a recent experience of submitting a food complaint. The hosts talked about different types of complaints and lawsuits related to food products. They'd like to encourage everyone to speak up about quality defects, potential foodborne illnesses, and mislabeling of food. It can protect others and make our food supply chain safer! Contact the FDA for complaints Contact the EFSA for complaints Check out previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben reflected on their graduate school times 1.5 years after getting their master's degrees. They discussed some misunderstandings about graduate degrees and shared how the master's degree helps their current day-to-day work. Read a list of food science grad programs Check out previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben finally discussed the topic of GMO! The hosts talked about recombinant proteins as food ingredients. From Impossible burgers to sugars, recombinant organisms have produced ingredients in our current food products. Read more about Perfect Day and Impossible Foods Check out previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben brainstormed ways to reformulate a fortune cookie, an iconic treat served after American Chinese meals. The hosts also shared some interesting food products that they recently tried. See how a fortune cookie is made Check out previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben looked back to the FIH episodes of 2020. It's been a productive year for FIH, publishing 19 episodes about all aspects of food. The hosts shared new thoughts and anecdotes about some previous topics, and they wish you happy holidays! Check out previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben talked about how politics and pandemic have impacted the US dairy farmers. The dairy industry is transforming from simply producing milk to making a portfolio of dairy-based products. Meanwhile, in the EU, the non-dairy industry is now restricted to use "milk", "cheese", and other dairy descriptors for its products. The dairy ban in the EU could result in a change of landscape in the plant-based food industry. The EU Dairy Ban: https://plantbasednews.org/culture/dairy-ban-voted-in-veggie-burger-ban-rejected/ You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Listen to previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben shared thoughts about automation in the food industry and how it might interact with future food jobs. Automation may take over some jobs in the future, but the hosts suggested that it'll mostly replace specific tasks and assist humans. You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Listen to previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood Give us a 5-star!

In this episode, Amanda and Ben celebrated the 2-year anniversary of the Food in the Hood podcast! The hosts shared the story of canning and discussed how we might adapt to future food technologies. Many historical figures were mentioned on this pod, including Nicolas Appert, Louis Pasteur, Robert Koch, William Underwood, Sam Prescott, and Norman Borlaug. Feel free to read their stories! You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Listen to previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben followed up the last episode and talked about circularity and circular design of food systems. Product development, food packaging, portion sizes, and crop production can all be optimized for circularity. Though it'll take time to achieve the circular future, the hosts invite everyone to think about designs and initiatives in the context of circularity. You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Listen to previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben shared their thoughts about sustainability. The hosts touched on different aspects of sustainability - as corrective actions and as innovations. Oh, Ben also moved out of the US to the Netherlands. This episode marks the first transatlantic recording of FIH! You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Listen to previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood Give us a 5-star!

In this episode, Amanda and Ben invited Bryan Le, the author of "150 Food Science Questions Answered: Cook Smarter, Cook Better", onto the podcast to discuss scientific communication in food science. The hosts and Bryan discussed tailoring scientific communication to fit the right purpose and the right audience. They also touched on strategies of answering binary questions and developing engaging scientific topics for communication. Book Giveaway: win a free copy of Bryan's new book "150 Food Science Questions Answered: Cook Smarter, Cook Better" by suggesting topics for Food In the Hood. https://forms.gle/ob3Yysrwu2ZvZ7er5 Get Bryan's Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1646118332 Learn more about Bryan: http://www.bryanquocle.com/ You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Listen to previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben talked about their picks from the Spoon Food Tech 25 companies. People around the world are doing interesting things about food. Hope everyone enjoys the discussion! Food Tech 25: https://thespoon.tech/the-2020-food-tech-25/ Infarm: https://www.infarm.com/ Apeel: https://apeelsciences.com/ Tovala: www.tovala.com Perfect Day: https://www.perfectdayfoods.com/ You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Listen to previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben discussed racial issues and observations in the food and agriculture industry. This was not an easy recording for the hosts, but they pulled it off. The conversation covered the decline of Black farmers in the US, lack of diversity in food science and food R&D departments, and food insecurity in urban communities. Food Science Babe on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CBLX-obgkW3/ The Guardian article about black farmers https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/29/why-have-americas-black-farmers-disappeared

Amanda and Ben shared recent food news in this episode. Unsurprisingly, many news pieces are related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The hosts discussed about FDA's regulations on labeling, people turning to trusted brands, the spiking consumption of orange juice, etc. Also, Amanda aired a live ASMR! You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Listen to previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben discussed how learning food science can help with cooking. They also followed up on the CBD episode and shared new food products that they tried over the past weeks. Read more about food science: https://www.ift.org/career-development/learn-about-food-science You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Listen to previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben talked about CBD as an active ingredient in food product development. Various CBD products are now sold in grocery stores, and the its future depends on the regulations. This episode also featured the 7pm NYC cheering for the COVID-19 essential workers and a discussion on Amanda and Ben's home cooking experiences during quarantine. More information on CBD: https://www.fda.gov/news-events/public-health-focus/fda-regulation-cannabis-and-cannabis-derived-products-including-cannabidiol-cbd You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Listen to previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben discussed life under quarantine and the growing popularity of meal kits services. They also had brief discussions about Dalgona coffee and soft-vs-crunchy cookie preference. You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Listen to previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben came back to the topic of coronavirus while they are quarantined in the US. The hosts discussed processed food's role in the current pandemic. Jjajang Tuna Sauce: https://www.instacart.com/products/2579824-dong-won-jjajang-tuna-with-black-bean-paste-sauce-5-oz Suntory All-free: https://www.suntory.com/brands/all-free/ You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Listen to previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben discussed prevention and upcycling of food waste. The hosts agreed that planning for grocery runs can be the simplest and most effective way of preventing food waste a the consumer level. Bryan's article: https://medium.com/@bryanquocle/how-can-we-recycle-the-worlds-food-supply-it-might-involve-leftovers-ecf1aa4f0e41 Steamed chicken with mushroom recipe: https://tasteasianfood.com/steamed-chicken/ You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Listen to previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben discussed the significance of gut microbes in our body, the recent trend of food products developed for gut health, and Amanda being a water purist. Cleveland Kraut: https://www.clevelandkraut.com La Colombe: https://www.lacolombe.com Story about Mongolian diet: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/11/how-can-you-eat-dairy-if-you-lack-gene-digesting-it-fermented-milk-may-be-key-ancient You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Listen to previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben discussed the development of alternative proteins (insects, algae, cultured meats, etc.). Their conversation focused on integrating alternative proteins into the current diet, whether as a substitution of existing foods, an addition to the current diets, or both. The futuristic discussion of kitchen top bioprocessor was also part of the discussion by the hosts. You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Listen to previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben discussed the recent outbreak of Coronavirus. They reflected on previous classes that they learned from microbiology and how it changed their worldviews. Coronavirus originated from eating wildlife animals, so the hosts touched on modernize food cultures in this episode, too. You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Listen to previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben discussed personalized nutrition in the industry 4.0 era. Data collected from personal health can be used for personal nutrition. You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Listen to previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben continued discussing design thinking in food science. They looked back to the past experience and proposed changes for food science education to teach and encourage design thinking. You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Listen to previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben talked about design thinking and its applications to food science. Design thinking emphasizes on problem-defining and continuous improvement, and the hosts think design thinking can be well-used for food science professionals' day-to-day work. Design thinking by Nigel Cross: https://www.amazon.com/Design-Thinking-Understanding-Designers-Think/dp/1847886361 Design thinking explained: https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/design-thinking-explained You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Listen to previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben shared thoughts about the aftermath of successes earned from plant-based meats. The conversation ranged from examining the relationship between human diet and the environment to wondering the next big movement in the food and beverage industry. You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Listen to previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben celebrated the one-year anniversary of the podcast with a new logo! This episode focused on breaking down ingredient lists for Beyond Burger and Impossible Burger. Helpful links: The Beyond product line: https://www.beyondmeat.com/products/ The Impossible product line: https://impossiblefoods.com/food/ You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Listen to previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben discussed making presentations in class, at conferences, and in other professional settings as food science students/researchers. You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Listen to previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood Give us a 5-star!

In this episode, Amanda and Ben continued the discussion on academic research, covering setbacks and successes in research. Towards the end of the discussion, an opinionated piece was carried out by the two to highlight the true passion about research. You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Listen to previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben talked about how to research as grad students. This episode covers defining research questions, laboratory skills, and communication skills that are required for researching. You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Listen to previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood Give us a 5-star!

Amanda and Ben discussed experiences of working remotely. Ben reported back from the ASBC 2019 meeting in New Orleans last week. Amanda and Ben also recommend some formal teaching of working remotely to college students. You can contact us at fihpodcast@gmail.com Listen to previous episodes: https://anchor.fm/food-in-the-hood Give us a 5-star!