No matter our background or belief systems, every human being deserves to have access to healthy and adequate food. This is one of the key Grand Challenges UC Davis is undertaking to create a healthier tomorrow. These are among the global “wicked problems” for which we seek solutions through a cross-disciplinary approach.

At every one of our schools and colleges, we’re addressing the universal need for nutritious food and sustainable food systems, particularly in the face of climate change.

We’re also educating the next generations of leaders in agriculture and the food industry. One course in the Department of Food Science and Technology, FST 160, guides students as they develop a new food product. FST 160 allows students to apply their skills in food safety, microbial safety and sensory science to create new products based on the theme of “healthy, sustainable, delicious.”

This focus on food and agriculture has defined UC Davis from the very beginning.

Our campus roots are in the University Farm, which was established in 1905 and tasked with educating a new generation of farmers and agricultural students. The University Farm conducted research on crops, irrigation and livestock. In those early days, the University Farm was also home to studies on California soils and developing plants resistant to phylloxera, a pest known for devastating vineyards.

Over the decades, UC Davis has emerged as a powerhouse of agricultural innovation, food science, and environmental sustainability. Nationally, UC Davis is ranked No. 1 for agriculture and No. 1 for campus sustainability — an honor we’ve held for eight straight years. Our university has also pioneered work in food sensory sciences and is acclaimed for its breakthroughs in food safety.

UC Davis is the ideal place for a hub of food and agricultural innovations. We are located among the richest agricultural regions in the world, with a $59 billion agricultural industry that also generates at least $100 billion in related economic activity, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.

The Robert Mondavi Institute for Food and Wine Science, established in 2001, is one site on campus where we take this heritage of food and agricultural innovation to new heights.

The Robert Mondavi Institute houses our world-renowned departments of Viticulture and Enology and Food Science and Technology. The Institute’s Teaching & Research Winery was the first in the world to earn a LEED Platinum rating, the highest level of certification for a building’s sustainability and environmental design. This complex also includes a state-of-the-art Milk Processing Laboratory, the UC Davis Brewing Program, which is among the oldest and most acclaimed of its kind in the country, the UC Davis Olive Center and much more.

UC Davis is home to the only food science and technology program in the entire UC system, and also to the country's largest undergraduate food science and technology program. When it comes to building a better tomorrow in terms of plentiful, healthy foods, there’s no doubt UC Davis is the place to be.

On the frontiers of food science

The future of healthy and sustainable foods is being forged across UC Davis, often with cutting-edge technologies. The AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems, or AIFS, leverages AI to find solutions related to molecular breeding, agricultural production, food processing, consumer health and nutrition.

Lead researcher Christine Diepenbrock focuses on using AI to breed crops with better nutritional quality and climate resilience. For consumer health, AIFS is part of a network of institutes and foundations working to decode what is in our food — the thousands of proteins and chemicals — and what they do for our health. This research has the potential to develop superior products that safeguard our health from chronic conditions, such as inflammation and hypertension.

UC Davis is also home to the Integrative Center for Alternative Meat and Protein, or iCAMP. It launched in January and is the world’s first comprehensive center of its kind. Think of “tuna” that’s actually made of cultivated proteins or “steak” made from Rhiza mycoprotein, a protein made from fungus.

Whether it’s developing more sustainable conventional meat production or developing alternatives, we must find answers as the world grapples with climate change. As Professor David Block said in January, over the next 25 years, the global demand for meat is expected to grow 50 to 100 percent. This rapid growth is coupled with meat production as a significant source of global greenhouse gas emissions. Researchers in the Department of Animal Science are investigating innovative solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from animal agriculture.

Our global impact

Many campus organizations are dedicated to critical global research. Among those hosted in our College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Markets, Risk and Resilience. This lab is driven to empower rural families, communities and markets to share in inclusive agricultural growth.

In sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, UC Davis’ Resilience and Innovation Facility is working to transform agriculture among small-scale farmers. The extreme weather in these parts of the world makes this mission challenging, but our researchers remain diligent in empowering these farmers to sustain their livelihoods and support food security.

We are also hard at work in South America. At the UC Davis Chile Life Sciences Innovation Center, we’re leveraging the strengths of UC Davis’ groundbreaking research and technology to stimulate economic growth within the agriculture industry in Chile and California.

UC Davis is deeply connected to the advanced food and agricultural expertise and innovation needed to meet global challenges now and in the future.

Sustainability focus

Addressing the challenges of sustainability and climate change is at the heart of our food science research.

In the Department of Viticulture and Enology, researchers are on the leading edge of studying the effects of climate change on the wine industry, including measuring and managing smoke taint during wildfires and discovering drought-resistant grape varieties.

Researchers in the department are also developing vineyard cultivation techniques to help grape growers and winemakers address climate change. Those techniques include sustainability practices such as measuring how much water a vine needs, determining the impacts of heatwaves on vine health and determining whether certain cover crops help to provide moisture and nutrients to grapevines. This research helps grape growers and wineries use less water, which is critical as droughts become more common in California.

UC Davis researchers are also exploring the effects of long-term smoke exposure on orchards and nut production. One team found that megafire smoke contributed to nut yield decreases from 15 percent to 50 percent in some orchards. We also have a long history of improving a variety of other crops, like our work to make strawberries more resistant to disease.

We’re also on the cusp of transforming cold storage. Researchers in the Department of Food Science and Technology have developed “jelly ice cubes.” These are reusable, plastic-free and biodegradable alternatives to ice that don’t melt, offering a sustainable way to store and transport food.

Ongoing impact

We’re especially busy during this fall harvest season, with crops coming out of the ground and our academic year well underway. I recently visited with students, staff and faculty at our world-renowned Department of Viticulture and Enology to learn more about their research and sustainability practices. Our Teaching and Research Winery was bustling with activity as students crushed freshly picked grapes to make wine that will be studied in a variety of ways. The department’s expertise was also highlighted at this week’s UC Regents meeting.

The UC Davis Coffee Center in the College of Engineering is also getting national attention. Last month, the Today Show aired a segment on the center, reaching millions of viewers. It’s the first multi-disciplinary university research facility that addresses the challenges and needs of the coffee industry through a holistic approach to science and education. It further establishes UC Davis as the place where companies turn to hire the best and brightest minds in the coffee industry.

Our campus is also committed to making food accessible for students. The ASUCD Pantry moved recently to a larger space that marks a new chapter in our fight to ensure food security for every Aggie. Students can also access the Aggie Eats food truck, which offers nutritious foods on a pay-what-you-want pricing structure or visit the Aggie Compass Basic Needs Center for additional resources.

This is just a taste of the food and agriculture research underway at UC Davis. This work will continue to grow in the days and years to come. When building a better tomorrow in terms of plentiful, nutritious foods, UC Davis will always be committed to impactful food research to serve a changing world.

Sincerely,

Gary S. May
Chancellor