MONTEREY, CA - Perspective is everything. We hear this often in life, and in the case of the fresh produce industry’s changing landscape, it is certainly true. Attendees of this year’s Organic Produce Summit (OPS) will have the chance to hear a new perspective, as investigative journalist and author of Technically Food: Inside Silicon Valley’s Mission to Change What We Eat Larissa Zimberoff has been confirmed as keynote presenter.

Zimberoff will deliver a talk on how “new food” is disrupting the industry and what the organic sector in particular can learn as technology gains greater influence across the supply chain. According to a press release, her background in tech as well as her love of food and the science behind it prompted her to investigate food startups and their solutions for preventing food waste. She is a frequent contributor to Bloomberg/Businessweek, and has written for The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Time magazine, and more.

Technically Food explores the growth of highly capitalized plant and cell-based food companies that are working to change what we eat and the way we eat it. As technology continues to transform the way food is produced, Zimberoff will discuss the impact and consequences of our changing production systems and its impact on consumers’ health and the environment.

“Technology is changing what we are eating and the way our food is produced, with companies like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat becoming more popular in grocery stores and restaurants,” said Susan Canales, President of Organic Produce Summit. “OPS attendees will hear about Zimberoff’s extensive research into these high-tech ‘new foods’ and how companies are looking for new uses for products previously thought of as waste, like algae and fungi.”

In addition to the keynotes and educational sessions focused on CEA, a session looking at the organic industry in a post-COVID environment, and a keynote presentation by Jim Donald, Co-Chairman of Albertsons, have also been announced.

The fifth annual OPS features a trade show floor exhibition that will showcase over 160 of North America’s organic fresh produce growers, shippers, and processors presenting their products to hundreds of retailers and buyers. Tours at several of the nation’s leading organic producers are also available for qualified retailers and wholesalers at OPS.

Retailer and general registration for OPS 2021 is available here.

For Zimberoff’s perspective and more, be sure to sign up.

Organic Produce Summit