The Next Big Things

Seventy two people, mainly students, attended the Panel Discussion organised by South Eastern Branch and held immediately after its Annual Branch Meeting at London Metropolitan University on 16 November 2016. Out of all topics chosen by students, three were discussed by well qualified experts in their fields: Food Waste - How can industry help?, Plant Based Diets - Any key benefits?, and The CRISPR Craze. John Bassett chairing the meeting, introduced the talks by pointing out they were all linked together on the basis of providing a sustainable future for the food sector.

Keston Williams, Technical Director at Barfoots, discussed the main sources and causes of waste in the UK food sector. Marco Springmann from the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford, discussed the health and environmental consequences of moving from a meat based diet to a completely vegetarian/vegan diet. Wendy Harwood from the John Innes Centre, discussed the potential of CRISPR technology in improving plant genetics.