Chemical Engineers are Enhancing Food Production

Every day we can choose from a broad variety of fresh, safe, wholesome, good-tasting foods to make our meals. We expect our foods to be ready to eat or easy to prepare.

For much of this bounty we can credit chemical engineers. Their contributions include:

• The discovery of fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides that protect and enhance fruit and vegetable growth;
• Innovations in food processing and packaging that help improve taste, appearance, and nutritional value while increasing safety, convenience, and shelf life; and
• New sterilization techniques that protect food against spoilage and people against food-borne illnesses.

Achievements

No longer do we have to be satisfied with locally grown foods purchased and cooked within a short time span. Thanks to chemical engineers, great strides have been made in the growing, packaging, convenience, taste, and appeal of our food products. Bon appétit! More

Innovations

Dan Farkas or Ted Labuza may not be household names, but they and many others have had an impact on how we dine at home. They are all pioneers in developing innovative strategies to improve the manufacture, packaging, and transportation of safe, appealing foods. More

Frontiers

While the U.S. food supply is among the safest in the world, risk still exists here, and even more so in developing countries. Chemical engineers are continuing to pioneer advanced purification and sterilization techniques, as well as to enhance foods through genetic modification. More