From printed phyllo pastries to peppers packing nutritional punches, transformative operations and interdisciplinary collaboration will be key ingredients to creating the future of food.

To discuss new approaches to emerging food system challenges, industry insiders and academic experts will gather for the Cornell Food Systems Global Summit at Stocking Hall on campus Dec. 8. The summit will conclude with a fun-filled, “Slim-by-Design” dinner event featuring remarks by Brian Wansink, Cornell’s John Dyson Professor of Consumer Behavior, who will discuss aspects of environmental cues, food psychology and marketing.

Panel discussions include:

• Nutrition: Jeff Boutelle, president and CEO of Beech-Nut Nutrition Company; Susan Brown, professor of horticulture; and Rui Hai Liu, professor of food science;
• Global Food Systems: Dennis Miller, professor of food science; Michael Mazourek, professor of plant breeding; Xingen Lei, professor of animal science; and Prabhu Pingali, professor of applied economics and management and director of the Tata-Cornell Agriculture and Nutrition Initiative;
• Communications: Edible Geography blogger Nicola Twilley and Bruce Lewenstein, professor of communications;
• Food Safety: Martin Wiedmann, professor of food science and director of Cornell’s 3M Food Safety Laboratory, and Elizabeth Bihn, director of the Produce Safety Alliance and coordinator of the National Good Agricultural Practices program;
• Innovation: Greg Yep, senior vice president of long-term research and development, PepsiCo, and Hod Lipson, Cornell professor of engineering and director of the Creative Machines Lab;
• Entrepreneurship: Bill Strassburg, vice president of Wegmans Food Markets, and David Hochman, founding executive director of the Business Incubator Association of New York State.

Kim Wagner ’85, senior partner and managing director of The Boston Consulting Group, will wrap up the formal sessions with a discussion about ways to enhance partnerships between the academic, government and private sectors.

For registration and information on the full range of summit activities, visit the Cornell Food Systems Global Summit website.