How little do we really know about our food?  Dr. John de la Parra, Director of the Food Initiative at The Rockefeller Foundation, will present the Periodic Table of Food Initiative (PTFI) where he will describe cutting-edge advancements in foodomics tools and the transformative potential of a global commons for food composition. His talk will cover the need for standardization in food composition analysis, the development of new multi-omics platforms, and how PTFI is democratizing data collection around the world to build the most comprehensive database of food composition and food biodiversity. He will also describe how AI is being leveraged to integrate data for decision-making from sustainable agriculture, to alternative proteins, to school feeding, and the vision for enabling data-driven solutions across food systems. This session is essential for anyone interested in the future of food science, nutrition, and sustainable agriculture.

Our current global food system cannot sustainably nourish the growing population. New dietary patterns, along with novel technologies, are needed to reduce the footprint of our food system. Of promise is the concept of microbial foods, where microorganisms are used to produce new foods that can substitute for climate-heavy foods. Dr. Morten Sommer,, Scientific Director of DTU Biosustain, will describe current issues of the food system, including new efforts focused on developing sustainability models that describe the impacts of our food value chain. Additionally, he will discuss the prospects of microbial foods to address sustainability issues, including a concrete example of a new microbial food.

Bio: Morten Sommer

Morten Sommer is Professor of Microbiology and Scientific Director at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). Morten Sommer is leading the Microbial Foods application area at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainabilty. The Microbial foods application area combines microbiology, data science, synthetic biology, microbial ecology, metabolomics, gastronomy and absolute sustainability assessments to develop technology, knowledge and products that contribute to a sustainable food system. In addition to Microbial Foods, Morten Sommer’s research revolves around the microbiome as a target for interventions to improve human health. Using synthetic biology and microbial ecology, the lab modulates the microbiome to deliver therapeutic activities, to create dynamic cell therapies. Morten Sommer is a co-inventor on more than 50 patents and patent applications licensed to a wide range of businesses in the life science area. In addition to his academic research Morten Sommer has co-founded several companies.

Short description of DTU BioSustain

The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability is a research center at the Technical University of Denmark working on the development of sustainable biosolutions. The center develops methods and technologies for large scale production of natural products, microbial foods and sustainable bio-chemicals.

Bio: John de la Parra

Dr. John de la Parra is an ethnobotanist and the Director of the Food Initiative at The Rockefeller Foundation. He leads efforts to advance a more nourishing, regenerative, and just food system, including the creation of The Periodic Table of Food Initiative. With over 20 years of experience and a PhD in ethnobotany and plant chemistry, John focuses on how food crops and medicinal plants affect human health, culture, and the environment. He is passionate about working with frontline and indigenous communities to address major global challenges, emphasizing capacity strengthening through the equitable exchange of knowledge and technology. His career includes roles as Associate of the Harvard University Herbaria, Research Scientist at the MIT Media Lab, and Lecturer at Tufts and Northeastern Universities, as well as President of the Society for Ethnobotany.

PTFI short description

The Periodic Table of Food Initiative (PTFI) aims to revolutionize our understanding of food composition and its impact on human and planetary health. By leveraging advanced multi-omics tools and global collaboration, PTFI seeks to create a comprehensive database of food biomolecules, encompassing macronutrients, micronutrients, and specialized metabolites. This initiative addresses critical food system challenges such as biodiversity loss, climate change, and malnutrition by providing standardized tools, data, and training. PTFI’s mission is to map the quality of the world’s edible biodiversity, empowering stakeholders with data-driven solutions. The initiative is developing a global ecosystem of partners, including Centers of Excellence and National Lab Hubs, to apply these tools and data in locally relevant research. PTFI also emphasizes education and capacity building through its Food EDU program, training future leaders in food, agriculture, health, and nutrition. Ultimately, PTFI envisions a future where better knowledge of food composition leads to improved health outcomes and sustainable agricultural practices, fostering a healthier planet and population