Adapting to Change in Food Engineering and Navigating Industry Shifts with Associate Professor Seamus Higgins | Ep. 97
Release Date: 09/27/2024
Balancing Function, Regulation, and Scale in Meat Product Development with Leslie Herbas at Ascona Foods (#119)
That's a Food Job!
Leslie Herbas is a Product Development Specialist at Ascona Food Group a global supplier of specialty food products. Leslie shares insights into her role, emphasizing that product development is not just about flavor but also about functional ingredients and navigating complex regulatory requirements, especially in the meat industry. She discusses the importance of customization in creating dry blends and edible films, which enhance the flavor and shelf life of meat products. Leslie also highlights the significance of documentation in ensuring that products meet regulatory standards and...
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From Mechanical Design to Project Engineer Building Food Safety Equipment with Mohammad Kathawala, Senior Project Engineer at Agri-Neo (#118)
That's a Food Job!
Mohammad Kathawala, a senior project engineer at Agri-Neo, explains what it takes to work in food safety engineering. He describes how project engineers translate technology into systems that work in real food processing environments, often across global operations. Mohammad shares how his engineering background led him into the food industry, what his role looks like day to day, and why communication and continuous improvement matter as much as technical skill. The conversation also covers how food safety technology is changing and what students and early-career engineers should know before...
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Skills Every Food Industry Job Seeker Needs with Jayana Kaiprath, Talent Acquisition Manager, Give & Go Prepared Foods (#117)
That's a Food Job!
Explore food industry careers with CareersNOW!: https://careersnow.ca/ Jayana Kaiprath is the Talent Acquisition Manager at Give & Go Prepared Foods, helping students and professionals land their next opportunity in the food industry. Give & Go Prepared Foods, part of the Mondelēz family of brands, makes iconic treats like two-bite® brownies and supports employee growth at every stage of their career. --- --- 🧠 : 📙 : 💭 --- CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST 💼 🌐 💼 📸 CONNECT WITH US 🐦 📸 🎵 💼 :
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Mastering Stage-Gate and Beyond with Lara Tiro and Christine Farkas, Food Industry Consultants and Podcast Hosts (#116)
That's a Food Job!
Lara Tiro is the founder of Rebel CPG, where she helps food entrepreneurs take products from kitchen concepts to retail shelves. She brings deep experience in product development and project management, guiding clients through every stage of innovation to ensure ideas become market-ready products. Christine Farkas is the founder of IHeartFood and co-host of the podcast Munching on Molecules. With a background in culinary science and strategic consulting, she helps food innovators solve complex challenges and create products that resonate with consumers. In this episode, we talk about how food...
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Scaling Chef Craft into Food Products with Kaylah Farina, Product Development Manager at Sigma US (#115)
That's a Food Job!
Kaylah Farina is the Product Development Manager at Sigma US, where she leads innovation projects for Bar-S Foods Co. She develops a wide range of meat products for retail and foodservice, including high-protein snacks and bold new concepts like a chili cheese dog burrito, which she describes as a mess-free chili dog on the go. Before moving into product development, Kaylah trained and worked as a chef. That experience continues to shape how she approaches recipe formulation and testing. She is also Chair of the Cactus Section of the Institute of Food Technologists, where she supports...
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Bridging Academia and Industry with Nataly Lopez Baron, Manager of the Guelph Food Innovation Centre (GFIC) (#114)
That's a Food Job!
Nataly Lopez Baron is the Manager of the Guelph Food Innovation Centre (GFIC), an applied research centre that partners with food businesses to transform challenges into practical solutions through research, product development, and pilot plant testing. Originally from Colombia, Nataly earned her undergraduate and master’s degrees before moving to Canada to complete a PhD in Food Science and Technology at the University of Alberta. She has since worked in food research and product development across the dairy, cereals, and supplement industries, bringing that expertise and international...
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Delving into the Craft of Beer Making with Santiago Ampudia Vasquez, Brewer at Blackburn Brewhouse and Assistant Professor at Niagara College (#113)
That's a Food Job!
Santiago Ampudia Vasquez is a brewer at Blackburn Brewhouse and Assistant Professor at Niagara College. Blackburn Brewhouse, based in Niagara Falls, produces a wide range of craft beers—from lagers and pale ales to specialty brews, seltzers, and ciders. Santiago holds a Master of Science and previously taught at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. After immigrating to Canada, he changed paths by enrolling in Niagara College’s Brewmaster program. Since then, he has helped the college secure first place at the 2023 U.S. Open College Beer Championship and earned a Silver medal for...
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Exploring Opportunities in Food Science with Prairva (Summer) Plepalakon, UC Davis Food Science and Technology Graduate (#112)
That's a Food Job!
Prairva Plepalakon, also known as “Summer,” is a recent Food Science and Technology graduate from the University of California, Davis, one of the most respected food science programs in the world. UC Davis has a big reputation in food science, pairing strong academic programs with deep industry and research networks. In this episode of That’s a Food Job!, Summer shares what it’s like to study food science at UC Davis and reflects on the co-op positions she’s taken on (including one with a company making protein from air). We talk about her advice for students who want to...
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Supporting People and Culture in Ag with Leslie Nienkark, HR Business Partner at KWS Group (#111)
That's a Food Job!
Leslie Nienkark is an HR Business Partner at KWS Group, one of the world’s leading plant breeding companies. KWS specializes in breeding and selling seed for crops like corn, sugar beet, cereals, rapeseed, sunflowers, and vegetables. Although Leslie hasn’t spent her entire career in agriculture, her HR experience spans a variety of industries including media, software, architecture, and retail. This gives her a broad and insightful perspective on workplace culture. In this episode of That’s a Food Job!, Leslie shares what it’s like to work in human resources within the agricultural...
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Inside Food Product Development with Louisa Bachman, Food Scientist at KIND Snacks (#110)
That's a Food Job!
Louisa Bachman is a Food Scientist at KIND Snacks. KIND offers a range of products, including nut and fruit bars, breakfast bars, granola clusters, and refrigerated nut butter bars. Before joining KIND however, Louisa earned her Food Science degree at UMass Amherst, where she both led their school’s Food Science Club and Alpine Skiing club. In this episode of That’s a Food Job!, Louisa shares what it’s really like to work in product development, walking us through how a concept turns into a product on the shelf. She breaks down the role of flavor iteration, sensory testing,...
info_outlineWhat does it take to shape the future of food production and drive sustainability in the industry? Seamus Higgins, Associate Professor and Course Director for Food Process Engineering at the University of Nottingham, shares his journey from electrical engineer to food process expert—and how he’s inspiring the next generation of engineers.
Seamus began his career as an electrical engineer in the food industry and has worked with leading international food companies including Tongaat Hewlett, Nestle, and Premier Foods. He has held lead project and senior management roles in factory development, food process engineering, and new product development, and has also consulted for global food and UK companies as well as entrepreneur development and new company start-ups.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
- What it means to understand the concept of food and why it’s crucial to innovation
- How the food system is evolving and what that means for future food production
- The challenges of change management in an industry that’s always evolving
- The critical role of a food engineer in creating sustainable solutions for the food industry
Seamus's / LinkedIn / Research Gate
TIMESTAMPS
(0:00) Introduction
(1:40) What is the food?
(4:50) Seamus’s food job
(9:30) What is a food engineer
(13:20) How Seamus got into engineering
(19:00) Evolution of the food system
(26:05) How food technologies have changed
(30:00) Learning how to manage change
(40:21) What is exciting Seamus about the industry
(51:40) Seamus’s new book
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