Food Innovation: Bioengineered Foods and Ingredients (BFI)

The expanding use of advanced preparatory methods and distinct genomic compositions in the production of food is rapidly creating a new age of consumer choices. Simultaneously, these changes are defining a new era in food innovation that is influencing major decisions made by stakeholders throughout the food supply system, domestically and internationally. BFI conferences seek to identify the opportunities, challenges, and priorities of the scientific, technological, private sector, governmental, and public advocacy stakeholders engaged in the production, manufacturing, distribution, marketing, and retailing of bioengineered plant- and microbial-derived foods and ingredients. Collectively, these stakeholders are responsible for providing commercially viable food choices, overseeing the safety of the food system, and creating narratives and messaging that accurately inform consumers. BFI conferences focus on bioengineered foods and ingredients while specifically excluding those derived from cultured mammalian cells and genetically engineered animals and are convened in a not-for-attribution environment defined by the Chatham House Rule. The debate/caucus format pioneered by the ISGP is used to link scientifically-credible understanding with commercially realistic decisions concerning how bioengineered plant- and microbial-derived foods and ingredients can be safely integrated into the food supply under regulatory frameworks. Recent history strongly suggests that consumer acceptance of genetic technology in the food supply directly depends on balancing private sector priorities, regulatory structures, and consumer questions into narratives that accurately describe food choices. The first BFI conference is planned for June 23-27, 2019, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. BFI Program Structure The initial two days of the invitation-only BFI conference uses 90-minute debates of eight, concise position papers, prepared and defended by internationally recognized, subject-matter experts, to examine the current realities, opportunities, challenges, and recommendations. The second two days focus small-group and plenary sessions of moderated caucuses on identifying areas of consensus and actionable next steps to be considered by all stakeholders in future decisions. The area of consensus, actionable next steps, position papers, and not-for-attribution summaries of all debates are prepared by the ISGP and published for free public distribution. To learn more about the ISGP conferences and for more information about how invitations to the conference are being extended, contact Jennifer Boice at (520) 343-8181, or at (jboice@scienceforglobalpolicy.org) or NiCole Bice at (704) 682-3052, or at (nbice@scienceforglobalpolicy.org).