“We’re not here to simply talk about food, we’re here to reshape its future,” Lily Sarafan, incoming chair of the Stanford University Board of Trustees and a member of the Interdisciplinary Life Science Council, told more than 250 people who gathered April 24 for Stanford’s inaugural symposium on “Re-thinking Food – From Plate to Planet.”

The event marked the launch of the Food@Stanford initiative, which arrives at a critical moment, Sarafan noted. Today, food production systems are both failing to support all those who need food and driving increases in diet-related illness, water scarcity, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and climate change. “This isn’t just a challenge – it’s a generational opportunity to ask what could be, to rethink what we grow, how we grow it, and who gets to thrive; and to harness the full power of science, data, and design to build a food system that’s equitable, sustainable, and health-promoting,” she said. 

The campus-wide initiative aimed at creating more nutritious, healthful, and sustainable food systems is the brainchild of mechanical engineering Professor Ellen Kuhl, director of Stanford Bio-X, one of Stanford’s pioneering interdisciplinary institutes and its largest interdisciplinary life sciences program. 

“We are excited to follow the tradition of Stanford Bio-X and embrace an integrative approach that brings together biological problem solving, engineering, medicine, and data science to understand how food affects our bodies, from metabolism to the microbiome to healthy aging,” said Kuhl in welcoming participants to the symposium. “Breakthrough innovations in materials, systems thinking, machine learning, and artificial intelligence are unlocking powerful new tools that allow us to reimagine the food system as one that is not only sustainable, but also personalized, predictive, and equitable.”

Change at the global level

The symposium featured distinguished researchers from Stanford, UC Davis, and Harvard, along with leaders from commercial and non-profit organizations working to reinvent our global food systems. The day began with a focus on the health of the planet and large-scale agricultural interventions. Vipula Shukla, senior program officer for the Gates Foundation, described the foundation’s efforts to ensure that breakthrough plant research benefits farmers in the world’s most impoverished regions, while other speakers explored the challenge of reducing the impact of food production on climate change, and how rapid advances in genetic engineering are opening up new possibilities for developing climate-resilient crops. 

In a set of “fast food” rapid updates, Stanford undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs shared details of their ongoing food-related research. Their investigations included efforts to develop alternative proteins and improve their taste, upcycle waste from food manufacturing, explore new techniques for understanding the role of bacteria in human health and plant growth, and better understand the healing potential of fermented foods. 

“It’s so good to see people not only doing the research in the lab, but taking it out there in the field,” observed Arun Majumdar, dean of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, in closing the session. The Doerr School of Sustainability was launched three years ago with a vision to create a future where humanity and nature can thrive together. In light of the impact of climate on food production and, conversely, of food production on climate, he said. “This is one of the most important things that our school needs to focus on.” 

Advancing science and technology for nutrition 

Following a sustainably sourced lunch, the focus shifted to food and human health, with presentations exploring evidence-based research on optimal diets, how advances in understanding the chemistry of food can enhance food quality, and how innovations in food production can drive a new food paradigm that’s healthier for both people and the planet. 

Nutritionist Christopher Gardner, the Rehnborg Farquhar Professor in the School of Medicine, and featured on the Netflix series You Are What You Eat, described his vision for a new diet paradigm with four key qualities: promoting health and nutrition, focusing on deliciousness, embodying environmental sustainability, and advancing social justice. Gardner noted that Food@Stanford fits perfectly within the broader context of historical and current food-related research at Stanford. “This is a great time to be at Stanford; the topic of food is just sprouting up everywhere,” he said.

After a brief break to try samples from startup food companies using new technologies and ingredients to create healthier, more sustainable, and better-tasting snacks, a final session explored how technology influences the food we eat. 

A panel of academics, technologists, and non-profit leaders including Patrick Brown, professor emeritus of biochemistry and founder of Impossible Foods, and David Lobell, professor of Earth system science, and moderated by Alfred Spormann, professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering, looked ahead to the near- and long-term changes we might expect in the ways food is grown and consumed. Thanks to innovations made possible by machine learning and AI, there are new opportunities for producing sustainable food that is both delicious and nutritious. This opportunity was further emphasized by author Harold McGee, who traced the evolution of food preparation technologies from the first modern ovens to the atomic-level experiments of contemporary gastronomy. 

Collaborative change through research and education 

Food@Stanford continues Bio-X’s “long and successful tradition of identifying confluences of research interest across campus and finding ways to elevate them,” stated Vice Provost and Dean of Research David Studdert in closing the conference. It exemplifies “Stanford’s commitment to looking out into the world for collaboration and influences and ideas,” he said.

“With our seven leading schools, including medicine, engineering, natural science and humanities, law, business, education, and now also sustainability, Stanford brings together the full spectrum of expertise to solve complex challenges like those associated with global food systems, from metabolic health, to climate resilience, to policy reform,” added Bio-X director Kuhl after the event. “We envision that this inaugural symposium will inspire people both at Stanford and beyond to develop new research collaborations, broaden existing connections, and use our initiative as a starting point to build new communities around this bold new initiative.” 

Kuhl and her Bio-X colleagues are already looking forward to a second symposium next year and are organizing a series of smaller on-campus events to encourage conversations and innovation around the topic of food. The program is also offering graduate and undergraduate student fellowships to maximize the chances that Food@Stanford will positively reshape the future of what and how we eat.