Skonberg to educate media about foods of the future

Denise Skonberg will participate in a media briefing about emerging research driving the development of consumable algae, insects and cultured meat — and how factors such as taste, nutrition, public perception, and environmental impact may influence their acceptance as foods. 

The American Association for the Advancement of Science briefing, titled “Fit to Eat? Algae, Insects, and Cultured Meat,” will be held Thursday, Jan. 16.

Skonberg, an associate professor of food science at the University of Maine, is one of three panelists who will discuss what foods will be on our dinner plates in the future.

Restaurants and grocery stores already stock plant-based “meat” products, and advances in cellular agriculture promise to further enhance the quality of actual, lab-grown meat. Scientists also are studying ways to better tap Earth’s abundant resources of protein-rich insects and conjuring new approaches to sustainably farm nutritious seaweed.