FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Mission myths and alt-meat momentum
Sue Klapholz: We were trained as scientists to be very rigorous thinkers and to be very critical of evidence. I think especially in the nutrition area, there’s a lot of misinformation floating around, a lot of mythology.
MARY ELLEN KUHN: Sue Klapholz is ready for the revolution. More than ready, really. The Impossible Foods vice president of nutrition, health, and food safety has been working to effect food system change for over a decade. And although her career trajectory has been unexpected, it’s equipped her to handle the demands of her diet- and nutrition-focused role, which includes some serious myth busting about processed foods.
Like her husband, Pat Brown, who founded the groundbreaking alternative meat company in 2011, Klapholz has both MD and PhD degrees. The rigor of her training as a physician and a geneticist, coupled with early professional experience in biotechnology, fortifies her commitment to an evidence-based approach to nutritional analysis.
“We were trained as scientists to be very rigorous thinkers and to be very critical of evidence,” Klapholz reflects. “And I think as MDs we know about the connection between diet and health”. “I think especially in the nutrition area, there’s a lot of misinformation floating around, a lot of mythology,” continues Klapholz, who worked with Brown to help get both Impossible Foods and plant-based yogurt and cheese maker Kite Hill, which Brown co-founded, up and running”…
Along with Brown’s often-stated mission of addressing climate change via a move away from animal agriculture—are implicit in the corporate DNA of Impossible Foods. Personal, planetary, and public health are intertwined, Klapholz emphasizes.
Friendly and unassuming, Klapholz spoke candidly with Food Technology about what’s ahead for Impossible Foods, why she’s not a fan of the NOVA approach to food classification, and her vision for the food system in 2035. SOURCE…
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