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 cultur...

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 mi...

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://edi...

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 epi...

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-cu...

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: h...

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 fihpodca...

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-f...

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...

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 pr...

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 ev...

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...

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:...

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...

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 Gi...

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...

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...

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...

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 Gi...

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...

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!