Plant-Based Foods: Critical analysis of production methods, sustainability, nutrition, and health

This free course is intended for anyone that wants to know how the new generation of plant-based foods are made (meat, milk, butter, etc.), and how healthy and sustainable they are (or not). You will gain skills to assess what is true (or not) with the industry narrative that everything plant-based is healthier, more sustainable and will save-the-world.

Evidence from independent scientific studies does not always support these over-optimistic views. This will help you decide which ones you will eat, and which ones, for the time being, you might prefer to pass on.

There will be critical discussion of the following plant-based analogs: ground beef, milk/butter, cheese, as well as a brief discussion of upcoming trends like fungi-based foods, cell-cultured meat and precision fermentation.

Three 2-hour sessions will be delivered as a webinar by zoom.

Dates: November 14, 16 and 21 at 5 pm PST.

Instructor: Ricardo San Martin, co-founder and director of the Alt:Meat lab at the University of California, Berkeley Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology (College of Engineering). This program started in 2017, as a space where students explore innovation and entrepreneurial opportunities around plant-based foods and ingredients. The program has been successful, with 5 funded start-ups and over 50 former students working in different plant-based foods companies.