From Lunchbox to Lab: The Science Behind Processed Foods

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Thursday, October 16, 2025 - 07:00 to 08:30

GMT+2

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Why is food processing essential to feeding the world? Join us on World Food Day for a global webinar that explains how science turns raw ingredients into foods that are safe, nutritious, tasty, and sustainable.

Discover how food processing improves food safety, reduces waste, and makes healthy choices more accessible - while addressing common myths about “processed foods.”

An international team of experts will share how new food classification systems are helping both consumers and policymakers worldwide, from high-income to low- and middle-income countries. We’ll also spotlight global collaborations that are shaping the future of food.

Learn how food science is working to ensure safe, sustainable, and healthy food for all!

Speakers:

Ali Badarneh

Ali Badarneh is the Chief of the Food Security and Food Systems Division at UNIDO, where he leads global eWorts to strengthen food security and food systems through addressing structural challenges of food industry and agriculture. With a background in food engineering from the University of Birmingham and extensive experience as a food safety auditor prior to UNIDO, Ali brings a strategic visionary approach to his work—driving innovation, sustainability, and resilience in food systems based on the actual needs of industry. He also led the development of multiple global and organizational strategies in close collaboration with the industry. He is known for cultivating a robust global partnership network, collaborating with key institutions like FAO, WFP, and WPO to amplify impact and foster inclusive development in areas like food safety, packaging and food processing. His leadership has earned him multiple recognitions within and outside UNIDO, including the Role Model Award from the Director General.

Jeyakumar Henry

Jeyakumar Henry is Currently Consultant, Global Centre for Asian women’s health, National University of Singapore. Professor Henry was founding Directo of the Clinical Nutrition research Centre, A Star, Singapore (2011-2023), and the Functional Food Centre in Oxford, UK. He has made a substantial contribution in melting Food science and nutrition in this region and globally. Trained initially as a Food Scientist, he obtained his MSc and PhD in Human Nutrition from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He was the Editor- in chief of the International Journal of Food Science of Nutrition and Advances in Food and Nutrition Research.
He was a Board member of UK Food Standards Agency, and served as a consultant to UNICEF, FAO, WHO on International Nutrition.

Prof. Henry is on the Board of Directors of International Life Science Institute Southeast Asia (ILSI-SEA), Board of Governors, International Medical College (Malaysia) and Advisory Board member of Monell Chemical Centre, USA. In 2010 he was awarded the British Nutrition Foundation prize for his outstanding contribution to Food and Nutrition. He was made a Fellow of the International Academy of Food Science and Technology (IAFoST) (2012). Prof. Henry was recipient of the Institute of Food Technologists (USA) -W.K. Kellogg International Food Security Award & Lectureship 2019, prestigious Niigata International Food Award 2018 known as “Asian World Food Prize”. in 2024, he was made a Fellow of the American Society for Nutrition - the highest award in Human Nutritional Science.

Susana Socolovsky

Susana Socolovsky is Doctor in Chemical Sciences from the University of Buenos Aires -UBA, she dedicated 20 years to scientific research and teaching Organic Chemistry and Food Science at the UBA. Awarded the Argentine National Biennial Prize for Organic Chemistry in 1985. Fellow of the International Academy of Food Science and Technology - IAFoST and Certified Food Scientist by the IFT Certification Institute. Past President of the Argentine Association of Food Technologists and President Elect of ALACCTA - the Latin American and the Caribbean Association of Food Science and Technology. International Technical Consultant in Regulatory and Scientific AWairs. More than 30 years of experience in approvals of ingredients and food additives in Latin American countries. Expert in Technological Innovation with emphasis on the development of sugar-free foods for the last 35 years. Non-governmental representative in regulatory meetings of Mercosur and Codex.
Renowned international speaker at more than 250 conferences and seminars in 20 countries and author of technical publications.

Erich Windhab

Erich Windhab received his university education in Chemical Engineering at the Technical University of Karlsruhe in Germany where he also received his doctorate. During his doctoral thesis he founded his first own engineering company. From 1985 to 1992 Erich Windhab played a leading role in establishing the German Institute for Food Technology as its Research Director. He also taught at the Technical University of Munich from 1988 to 1993. In 1992 he was appointed full professor in Food Process Engineering at ETH Zurich, where he headed the Laboratory of Food Process Engineering. Erich Windhab has received several international awards, including: 2003, Blaise Pascal Medal (European Academy of Sciences); 2014, Int. Food Engineering Award (ASABE); 2015/2021, Lifetime Achievement Awards (IAEF & EFFoST); 2018, Distinguished Lecturer Award (IUFoST); 2022 Outstanding Achievement Award (Swiss Academy of Technical Sciences, SATW). He published more than 630 scientific papers and ca. 90 patent applications. His research fields include Food Process Engineering with focus on multiscale functional structuring in flow processes, Fluid Mechanics, Rheology, Soft Matter Physics, Process Control/Automation and food product/process/factory design. He is the Chair of the IUFoST Task Force on Food Processing for Diet, Nutrition and Health.

Barbara Schneeman

Barbara O. Schneeman, Ph.D. is Emeritus Professor of Nutrition at the University of California, Davis, USA. From 2004 to 2013 she was the Director of the Office of Nutrition, Labeling, and Dietary Supplements at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). She chaired the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee and served on the 1990 and 1995 Committees. She has served on 2 nutrition advisory committees for WHO and on the NASEM Food and Nutrition Board. Over her career she has received several awards and has been recognized for her work on dietary fiber, gastro-intestinal function, development and use of food-based dietary guidelines, and policy development in food and nutrition. She is a Fellow of ASN and AAAS.

Chairs & Facilitators:

Hongda Chen

Dr. Hongda Chen has been a National Program Leader at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), USDA since 2000. He was a tenured professor of food engineering at the University of Vermont conducting research, teaching, and outreach before he joined USDA. He is Fellow of Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), International Academy of Food Science and Technology (IAFoST), and American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association for Engineering and Food (IAEF).

Hyun Sook Kim

Hyun Sook Kim, President Elect of International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS), becoming President in August 2025, and has been an IUNS Council member since 2017. She is a professor at the Department of Food and Nutrition at Sookmyung Women’s University in Seoul, Korea. She achieved her PhD degree in Nutritional Biochemistry the Ohio State University, USA. She finished her Post-Doc Fellowships at the College of Medicine at Ohio State University and Medical College of Pennsylvania. Among many awards she has received The Sookmyung Women’s University Best Professor of the Year in recognition of her excellence in teaching and Minister of Health and Welfare South Korea Award in return for outstanding social service in Nutrition.
Professor Kim has held leadership positions in The Korean Nutrition Society, The Korean Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics; experience as an Executive Director/Chairman of the academic committee/Editor-in-chief/Public committee of The Korean Dietetic Association; Former Dean of Students Affairs College of Human Ecology, and School of Continuing Education at Sookmyung Women’s University.
Prof. Hyun-Sook Kim has research interests in Nutritional Immunology and Nutrition in Aging. She has published more than 150 research paper publications and presentations. Recently, she has conducted the application-based nutrition intervention studies to implement the diet modulation to prevent chronic diseases. She is also interested in the capacity building program for young scientists to improve the health of populations by securing the adequately healthy and safe nutrition.

Samuel Godefroy

Professor Samuel Godefroy, President of IUFoST, is the former Director General of Health Canada's Food Directorate, Canada's Food Standard Setting body and a former Vice Chair of the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission. Professor Godefroy assumed senior food regulatory positions at the executive level with Health Canada for over 15 years. Prof. Godefroy is the founder of the Global Food Regulatory Science Society, (GFoRSS) a non-for- profit organization, aiming to promote food regulatory science disciplines at the international level. Samuel is Full Professor of Food Risk Analysis and Regulatory Policies in the Department of Food Science, Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada and is leading the development of a Food Risk Analysis and Regulatory Excellence Platform (PARERA), hosted by the Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF) of Université Laval. Prof. Godefroy serves as a senior food science and regulatory expert on a number of advisory bodies and committees domestically and internationally, including on the International Advisory Committee of the China Centre for Food Safety Risk Assessment (CFSA). Prof. Godefroy also serves as a strategic and operational advisor to international food safety capacity building initiatives focused on regulatory enhancement, implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). He is a Fellow of IAFoST and co-chair of the IUFoST Codex Committee.

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