This event will be held in person in Rome and online via Zoom.
For in-person attendance, there is a small fee to cover lunch & refreshments.
Register to attend at the foot of this page.
Friday, 14 February 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (CET)
The Center for Food Studies of The American University of Rome is hosting a Symposium to continue to explore and showcase research initially presented at the Conference held in Rome in 2023 on “Novel Foods and Novel Food Production: A solution to food systems sustainability?” A selection of articles is being published as a Special Issue of the International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food.
Novel foods are understood here as foods created as alternatives to conventional meat, dairy, and fish products, derived from plant tissue, cellular agriculture, and microorganisms. These food product innovations, increasingly independent of their original raw materials, are being promoted by a new generation of food start-ups backed by venture capital, as well as by public investments. The central focus is on producing substitutes for the animal protein food/feed chains since these are seen as the principal source of greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity depletion. In addition, they are increasingly identified with public and private health concerns. These innovations depend heavily on the so-called disruptive technologies of big data analysis, machine learning and artificial intelligence for the identification of new molecules with precise physical and functional characteristics. They also draw on advances in biotechnology for gene editing, precision fermentation, and cellular cultivation.
Food security and food sustainability as the key global challenges of a world that combines continued population growth with accelerating urbanization and rapid depletion of natural resources, are claimed as high on the list of motives of food start-ups. To these, heightened sensibilities around animal welfare and the rise of vegetarianism/veganism can be added. The dominant players in the food systems are themselves now investing and exploring these new lines of products. Initially led by U.S. firms and finance capital, the phenomenon has become global with a proliferation of high-tech food hubs, often stimulated through public policies and funding, especially in countries with abundant capital but limited natural resources.
Early expectations for an exponential growth of these alternative protein markets have been tempered as the various scale-up challenges have become more apparent. Opposition from traditional farming interests, uncertainties on consumer demand, and a mixed reception from the academic world have further nuanced appreciation of the role alternative proteins might play in the consolidation of a sustainable global food system. At the same time, these innovations have become more diffused, and public financing and enabling regulatory frameworks are ensuring continued process and product advances.
Based on the articles of the Special Issue, the Symposium speakers will explore different aspects of this more complex scenario, providing an ideal environment for refining our understanding of the position which alternative proteins might occupy in the global food system as the varied threats to traditional sources of food supply increase and as food demand shifts to regions where these resources are in scarce supply.
Themes and speakers/authors (tbc)
| The Innovation Ecosystem of Novel Foods: Sustainable Transition or Hype and Incumbent Hijacking? | John Wilkinson - Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro | |
| Beyond the Protein Hype: Balancing Nutritional Needs and Sustainable Food Innovation | Marina Mefleh - The American University of Rome | |
| Novel Foods in the EU: Exploring the Interplay Between Risk Assessment and Societal Insights for Communication |
Marcello Laganaro - European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) |
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| Food Transition as a Social Arena: Navigating Novel Foods and Cultured Meat through European Policymaking and the Italian Debate | Rita Salvatore - University of Teramo Simone Busetti - University of Teramo Emilio Chiodo - University of Teramo Maria Angela Perito - University of Teramo |
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| An analysis of the narrative and visual grammars of cultured meat in UK food and farming media | Michael Goodman - University of Reading Adele Wylie - University of Reading Alexandra Sexton - University of Sheffield Katherine Lewis - Royal Agricultural University David Rose - Harper Adams University Tom MacMillan - Royal Agricultural University Louise Manning - Lincoln University |
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| Methodological Issues in Ethical and Policy Assessment of New Technologies | Maurizio Balestreri - University of Tuscia | |
| Food that Acts Like Other Food: A History | Amy Bentley - New York University | |
| Inform, Invest, Incentivize: A Menu-Driven Approach to Reduce the Environmental Impact of Meat in the United States | Kacey LaBonte - Tulane University Adela Munson - Tulane University Donald Rose - Tulane University |
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| Food Innovations for Sustenance and Sustainability across Asia | Nancy Chen - University of California Santa Cruz | |
| Challenging high-tech solutionism in an era of polycrisis: A commentary on claims for novel foods and on building an alternative narrative | Colin Sage - Independent Researcher | |
| Wrap-up and future directions | Maria Grazia Quieti Maria Fonte John Wilkinson Colin Sage Rita Salvatore |
The American University of Rome Food Studies Team and the IJSAF Editorial Team on Novel Foods |
Organizing and Scientific Team
Maria Grazia Quieti, Director, Master's in Food Studies program, The American University of Rome
Maria Fonte, Professor, formerly at Federico II of Naples, part-time at The American University of Rome
Colin Sage, Independent Researcher
Rita Salvatore, Researcher in Sociology of Environment and territory at the University of Teramo, Part-time faculty of The American University of Rome
John Wilkinson, Professor, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro.
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