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In a matter of days countless biotechnology companies will descend on Boston for the 2018 BIO International Convention. We’ve highlighted some of the programming you can look forward to at “Food, Health and Environmental Future Day” on Tuesday, June 5, including the “Biotech In Our Backyard” panel and the keynote address, featuring Trace Sheehan, writer and producer of the film Food Evolution.

At Food, Health and Environmental Future Day, BIO will also be hosting a two-part panel discussion looking at new food innovation tools and how retailers and food companies are managing the wave of innovation taking place in the industry.

“Cutting -Edge Food, Health, & Environmental Products and Tools… Coming to a Grocery Store Near You(?)” will take place from 1 – 2:45 pm, following the keynote address by Trace Sheehan. The discussion will be moderated by Natalie DiNicola, President of DiNicola LLC. Here’s a rundown what to expect and who you’ll hear from in the two-part discussion:

Part I: The Landscape of Innovation Now and On the Horizon

A range of cutting-edge new tools are providing researchers, companies, and investors with new prospects for solving diverse challenges. Part One of the Food Innovation Dialogue looks at the landscape of innovation now and on the horizon, including applications of gene editing in animals and plants, microbes for soil health, and more…

• Tammy Lee, President and CEO, Recombinetics
• Kevin Diehl, Director, Global Regulatory Seed Platform, Corteva Agriscience
• Jason Garbell, Senior Director, New Business and Alliance Management, Novozymes

Part II: Addressing Food Innovation Across the Entire Value Chain

In Part One, you’ll hear about the new tools that will change the reality of food production and animal health, but we also know that pressures in the grocery and retail sector reverberate up and down the value chain. What do food manufacturers and retailers need? How do consumer preferences impact food companies’ sustainability goals? Part Two of the Food Innovation Dialogue brings the value chain together as we work to answer these and other critical questions that will shape the innovations to come.

• Jane Andrews, Corporate Nutrition Manager, Wegmans
• Tony Freytag, Executive Vice President, Crunch Pak
• Doug Cole, Senior Manager of Marketing and Biotech Affairs, Simplot Plant Sciences

Here’s a full rundown of all the programming at Food, Health and Environmental Future Day:

Noon – 12:15 pm || Food, Health and Environmental Future Day Opening Remarks by Greg Ibach, USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs

12:15 – 12:45 pm || Food Innovation Keynote by Trace Sheehan, writer and producer of Food Evolution

1 – 2:45 pm || Two-Part Food Innovation Dialogue: Cutting-Edge Food, Health, & Environmental Products and Tools… Coming to a Grocery Store Near You(?)

3 – 4 pm || Biotech in our Backyard: New England’s Booming Food and AgTech Innovation Ecosystem

4 – 5 pm || AgTech Investment: Opportunities for Plants, Animals, Microbes, and Beyond…

5 – 5:30 pm || Governor’s Fireside Chat with South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard: Growing the Bioeconomy across the U.S.

5:30 – 6 pm || Food, Health, and Environmental Future Day Reception

Be sure to check out the Food and Agriculture blog throughout the convention for highlights from Food, Health and Environmental Future Day, as well as highlights from the entire 2018 BIO International Convention. And for those attending, see you in Boston!