Essential Ingredients Podcast 004: Modern Technology and Innovation: Molecular Biology Meets Consumer Demand for Natural Sweeteners with Todd Rands
“What we needed was the diversity of what nature provides, we needed to get better nutrition to more people… not in the big corporate way, but doing something different than anything that we've done before.” —Todd Rands
With sugar consumption linked to health issues like obesity and diabetes, consumers are looking for healthier options that allow for moderation without compromise. Innovation in natural low-calorie sweeteners holds promise for addressing this need and empowering personal choices.
Led by CEO Todd Rands, ELO Life Systems is developing sustainable, natural ingredients by engineering plant biofactories. With decades of experience in molecular biology, agriculture, and venture capital, Todd's vision is for ELO to make healthier, plant-based products accessible to all through agricultural innovation.
Join in as Justine and Todd explore ELO's research process, partnerships with major brands, goals of making plant-based ingredients widely accessible, and leveraging molecular farming to revolutionize global agriculture and food production.
Meet Todd:
A seasoned life-sciences executive, Todd Rands has more than 25 years of scientific, legal, and business leadership at Fortune 500 companies, venture capital-backed startups, and top-tier law firms. With Elo’s advanced technology and a world-class team of innovators, Todd brings a singular focus to making everyday foods consumers love more nutritious and better for the planet.
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Episode Highlights:
02:10 Reimagining the Food System with Cutting-Edge Tech
06:58 A Natural Alternative to Sugar
13:13 Molecular Farming for a Healthier, More Sustainable, and More Affordable Food
19:22 Sugar Alternatives and Their Health Impacts