Ep. 128 - [The Good Food Institute Series] The Big Food Questions That Need to Be Solved with Erin Rees Clayton, Scientific Foundation Liaison at the GFI

Erin Rees Clayton holds a diverse scientific background. A PhD in Genetics, a Masters of Public Health, and is in food. With this skill set, she has a very broad and insightful ability to connect the dots, which helps her a ton in her current job in the Good Food Institute.

Erin and I spend a lot of time talking about questioning. I think it’s a really important skill to ask good questions and we go into how to do so. There are so many questions we still don’t know how to answer in food and Erin will share them with you, so you can be inspired to answer them.

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Show Notes

Did you know: Copper is an essential micronutrient When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you tell them in a sentence or less?: I work with scientists and entrepreneurs to make healthy and affordable meat alternatives The GFI works as more of a consulting role. They will analyze the scope, and mobilize the resources What kind of people do you get who come talk to you?: A variety, academia, entrepreneurs, and big companies. We also want other industries to get involves such as the tissue engineering company. Are there any educational hubs that are forming for these industries?: Not really. We’re trying to change it. Tufts, Harvard, and Berkeley have labs and innovation centers are going through this. Allison Burke Everyone is pretty much doing this. Washington and Texas A+M are both universities that are getting involved, probably more. Describe the steps it took to get to where you are today: Not a linear or planned path. Science is really about asking questions Dennis Thiele at Duke University. Copper Metabolism Then got a masters of public health at Michigan to get a more holistic view of scientific impact How did you get interested in GFI?: I stumbled upon it. I loved their mission and I wanted to see what it would be like so I wanted to go into it because I would always wonder if I didn’t What skills were they looking for?: I’m a Scientific Liason. At the time, it was grant writing in which I wrote a lot of during my time working.

What are some big questions the GFI is trying to answer?: Plant-Based Meat Questions: The sources of protein. For example, pea protein. We really haven’t explored the vast majority of plants out there. Also, what are we trying to do with plant protein? Can we find healthier ways to create the product?

Clean Meat Questions: Clean meat can rely on biomedical to get our questions answered. Yet the price of making Clean Meat has to be drastically lower than biomedical. A big point is to find a media to create clean meat. Media recycling systems or remove waste or add in is also a big questions

Do you have any tips for asking good questions?: Not being afraid to admit being wrong. We always want to be right, but with cutting edge technology, we don’t know the answer. No one does but we are all working to solve these answers. Ask questions that don’t have answers and enjoy the process.

My Food Job Rocks: 1. I get to learn new things and be challenged on a daily basis 2. I can make a difference in a very positive and big way. I’m one small part of that, but the potential is impactful 3. The people that I get to interact with. My colleagues are super cool.

What would be your dream job title?: Similar to what I’m doing now. Food Systems Strategist maybe? Can you name one specific gap that’s stumping you?: I tend to think about what does it look like to develop plant based meats in other countries? Extruders are huge, expensive pieces of equipment and a lot of nations can’t afford it. What companies that don’t get much love are innovating in this space?: American Pulse Association, USA dry pea and lentil council. These are not for profit entities. Pulse protein innovation summit in Oakland: We brough farmers, breeders, food scientists, and plant based meat companies to discuss innovation of plants. Will that summit be there again, next year?: Maybe, not sure. We are actually having our own Good Food Institute Conference Who inspired you to get into food?: It’s more of a what, than a who. I saw GFI as the potential to really change something and this will make an impact. Should Scientists be Idealistic?: Some should be, most have a touch of pessimism. Favorite book: Fiction: Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. Non-Fiction: Long Walk to Freedom. For the books applicable to my career: Living Down Stream by Dr. Sandra Stiengraber and Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. Made an impact on thinking about health from not just inside our bodies, but outside as well. Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to get into your industry?: There is a lot of space that needs to be accomplished. People are struggling to find technical talent just because there’s not really a degree for that right now. Don’t be afraid to try something new. If a class sparks your interest, or you find a seminar that’s interesting, go and do it. Talk to people. You never know what you’re going to learn and making connections are crucial. A lot of scientists are introverted. How do you convince them to talk?: Us being scientists and talking is really important. Scientists can talk to other scientists and feel comfortable. What should colleges teach you to be more prepared?: Exposing students to broad applications to their knowledge. Not “If you major in X, you can’t work in Y”. Interdisciplinary collaboration: GFI is not just science and technology. We have innovation, policy, corporate engagement,

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