Message from the Vice-President, Research & Innovation
Our relationship with food – individually, collectively in the communities we live in, and globally – is being challenged and reimagined. At one end of the spectrum, it is about choice and alternative options. At the other end of the spectrum, it is a crisis where issues of food security, nutrition and sustainability present significant challenges.
Ryerson researchers are studying the topic of food through new lenses and leading the way to address sustainability and the socio-economic and environmental aspects of putting healthy food on tables. Focusing on communities, from urban centres, to Canada’s North, Vietnam and sub-Saharan Africa, Ryerson teams are working across a range of disciplines and perspectives to investigate emerging and innovative approaches to improve food security and ensure there is equitable access to nutritious food for all.
As global climates continue to change, so too does the farm-to-table trajectory. Our researchers have responded and are taking a multi-sector approach to addressing the transition toward local sourcing, vertical farming, green roofs, urban agriculture and the transformation of food waste into useful products. In addition to this attention on food systems, we are zooming in to look at food on the molecular level, from food-borne illnesses to foods adapted for improved nutrition and satiation. Ryerson researchers are illuminating the journey from then to now, revealing food’s relation to history and working at the forefront of new trends in food packaging, preferences and pricing.
Alongside partners and collaborators, Ryerson teams are innovating. They are asking critical questions about the solutions society, businesses and scholars will need in the years ahead, and developing ways to provide nutrition and food security while reducing the environmental impact of food production.
Ryerson research is oriented toward nourishing the health and well-being of the world’s citizens. We hope you savour this edition of Innovation.
Steven N. Liss, PhD
Vice-President, Research and Innovation