06 Oct 2025 The beauty of food science

‘When was the last time you thought about the science behind your meal? Food is more than nutrition! It’s memory, culture, and connection. Behind every bite are food scientists shaping safer, smarter, more sustainable food systems…” Enjoy this provocative essay….

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I had several serendipitous moments at SAAFoST Congress 2025 in late August, one of which was meeting Yolande Schulz, R&D director of McCormick SA, local arm of the global flavour giant, and the new SAAFoST Vice President.

She gave an excellent presentation on mentorship, and is generally a very impressive scientist and human. She recently posted this “says-it-all” essay, and I am republishing it here, with her permission….

We eat to celebrate, to comfort, to mourn, to connect. Food is deeply human and behind every bite lies the hands, the labs, the experiments… the discipline of food science.

Food unites us

• Think of a funeral in your community: the guests, the sharing of dishes, the quiet conversation over tea.
• Or a wedding, where food is central to the ritual, the joy, the gathering.
• Or even a regular family dinner. Weeks pass and the table remains a place of memory and belonging.

Food is more than nutrition. It is a language that speaks of culture, identity and history. The joy of a familiar taste, the comfort in a childhood dish… these are the moments food science helps preserve and refine.

The power and the need

Because everyone needs to eat, the work of food scientists and technologists is essential. Here are a few facts that help us see the weight of this calling:

1. Global food production is responsible for around 26% of greenhouse gas emissions and uses half of all habitable land.
2. Up to 40% of food produced globally is lost or wasted along the value chain, from post-harvest, transport, storage, processing to retail.
3. By 2050, with population growth and rising incomes, demand for food might need to increase by 70% to 100%.
4. The global food technology market was valued at $172.66 billion in 2022 and is projected to almost double by 2030.

These numbers are not just statistics. They are signals: we must remake how we make, preserve, distribute and enjoy food.

Why work in food science?

Here are some honest, real reasons people stay in this field:

1. You marry creativity and rigour. You get to imagine new products, textures, flavours; then test them, tweak them, scale them. It’s art grounded in chemistry and biology.
2. You serve everyone. Whether rich or poor, young or old — all of us rely on safe, nutritious food. To be part of that system is to serve wide communities.
3. You meet the grand challenges. Hunger, climate change, food waste, malnutrition — many of the planet’s biggest problems sit at the food table. We are frontline problem solvers.
4. It’s global yet local. A method developed in a lab might travel the world; but you also adapt it to local crops, local tastes, local constraints. You get to make global science relevant to your community.
5. You touch lives. From ensuring a baby formula is safe, to helping smallholder farmers process crops, to preserving cultural foodways — food science has everyday impact.

SAAFoST & the role of Congresses like ours

In South Africa, SAAFoST (SA Association for Food Science and Technology) is the body that brings professionals, industry, academia and government together to steer the future of our food systems.

Every two years, we gather in the SAAFoST Congress to share research, to debate solutions, to connect across disciplines. This years 26th Congress in 2025 (CSIR, Pretoria) was no exception; a space for innovation, collaboration and hope.

These gatherings are more than lectures. They are incubators where ideas formed in silence become real interventions in communities.

“We are not just serving food; we are serving futures.”

“Taste binds memory; science preserves it.”

“A nation that cares for its food cares for its people.”

My invitation to you

If you operate in the FMCG space, sign up as a SAAFoST member (student or professional). Companies can sign up as custodian members!

If you are in food science, or curious about it, I’d love to hear from you.

What drew you into food and flavour, or kept you there? What’s one adversity in your context (heat, cold chain, regulation, consumer trust) that forced you to innovate? What part of your work feels most meaningful?

Let’s build a community that sees the beauty in the science, the duty in the work and the hope in every new product, every solved problem, every safer meal.

Source: Authored by Yolande Schulz, you can contact her here: [email protected]