News & Events

Nov. 15, 2021: FST Associate Professor Ned Spang was featured in the first Red To Green podcast of Season 4, which focuses on Food Waste. 

Food that ends up in the landfill is a waste of money and creates an abundance of greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found almost 41 million tons of food waste was generated in the country in 2017. 

Edward “Ned” Spang, a UC Davis associate professor of food science and technology, is joining researchers from American University and 13 other institutions for a $15 million, 5-year project funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation to gather data and create solutions to reduce food waste across the country.

Have you ever eaten a banana-peel sandwich?  FST Assistant Professor Ned Spang has, and he uses what he describes as a "pleasantly surprising...palate-expanding experience" in an invited opinion piece in The Hill, April 22, 2021, "Upcycled food: A sustainable second chance for food loss and waste", in which he details how upcycling food can tackle the problems of food waste, the supply chain and, ultimately, the environment - all while keeping

California produces nearly 4 million tons of world-class wine each year, but with that comes thousands of tons of residue like grape skins, seeds, stems and pulp. What if scientists could harness that viticultural waste to help promote human health?

The mission of the multi-university NSF INFEWS-ER (Innovation at the Nexus of Food, Energy, and Water Systems - Educational Resources) is to teach students systematic processes for analyzing problems and approaching collaboration with the transdisciplinary skills necessary to tackle global grand challenges. This year's student cohort focused on Food Loss and Waste and has designed a 7-day social media campaign centered on raising awareness around food waste prevention and reduction. Namely, the “7 Day Food Waste Reduction Challenge.”