IAB Tech Lab Invites Industry to Weigh in on Vertical Inversion Axis

#IABTechLab has been cooking up something very exciting! With the release of the Food Item Classification Framework (FICF) 4.1 for public comment until May 15, we’re bringing structure to something we all love, food data! FICF makes it easier to classify and organize culinary information across the ecosystem, because even Hot Dogs deserve a standardized taxonomy! Dig into the delicious details here: https://bit.ly/3NCmd9p

Today we dropped FICF 4.1 — because nothing says 'we solved the internet' like finally classifying whether a hot dog is a sandwich using the Hinge Integrity Index and physics-based bun encapsulation models. The Ketchup Paradox has been defeated. Programmatic hot dog bidding can finally begin. Happy April 1st. Please send help (and mustard). 🌭

After years of industry fragmentation, ambiguous classification logic, and unacceptable hot-dog governance gaps, we’re proud to introduce a long-overdue standard: the Food Item Classification Framework. FICF brings much-needed structure, consistency, and technical rigor to culinary data infrastructure, including clearer guidance on bun topology, hinge integrity, and the proper classification of structurally misunderstood food objects. This is a serious step forward for food interoperability. Because a hot dog is not a sandwich, and it is time our standards reflected that. Huge thanks to the Culinary Standards & Protocols Working Group and outstanding contributions from Lori Goode at Index Exchange, Paul Bannister at Raptive and Ken Weiner at GumGum for helping us bring frank closure and closing the bun on this debate.

We're deepening our commitment to our Raise the Tray campaign by partnering with the Chef Ann Foundation in a three-year commitment to push for systemic change in school meals. A few weeks ago, we sent an open letter to the USDA calling for quality standards in school lunch programs and we're making progress with the agency to move our ask forward. Right now, there are no national quality standards for the meat and seafood served to nearly 30 million kids daily. This partnership combines Chef Ann Foundation's expertise in school food transformation with our decade of work proving that transparency and quality standards create better outcomes. Better meat and seafood belongs on every table, including cafeteria tables. Learn more about how we're working together to Raise the Tray ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/e3ZXagFT

“People think food scientists are chefs.” It sounds funny but it comes up more often than you’d expect 😅. In fact, many food scientists have had to explain their job more times than they can count. And it says a lot about how little visibility there is around what food scientists actually do. Because while some food scientists work in kitchens, what they do there is very different from what most people imagine. The work happens in: – labs – factories – quality systems – product development – food safety checks Food scientists are involved in making sure the food you eat is: - Safe. - Stable. - Consistent. But most of that work happens behind the scenes. So the assumptions fill the gap. And over time, those assumptions turn into beliefs. This was one of the lighter moments from Episode 1 of Science On Your Plate, but it points to something deeper: There’s a growing disconnect between how food is made and how people think it’s made. If you’re curious about what food science actually looks like in practice, we unpack this (and more) in Episode 1: https://lnkd.in/dcSrV5bc TechPalate Insights #ScienceOnYourPlate #FoodScience #FoodSafety #FoodEducation #FoodMyths #BehindTheScenes #TechPalateInsights

Every meal is an opportunity to nourish our bodies, our communities, and the wider web of life.  Taking time to consciously engage with what we eat - by learning, cooking, shopping, and consuming in ways that align with our values - helps us to reclaim our agency within the maze of the modern food system. 🔗 Read the full Substack article from Mike Lee's The Future Market here: https://lnkd.in/ervU-PCa

Inconsistent fruit performance was costing one bakery time, waste, and product quality - until they switched to BerryFusions® Dried Fruits from Ocean Spray Ingredients. With support from our Culinary Team, they replaced bleeding blueberries with a dependable, high‑performing ingredient that delivered the consistency their process demanded. 🫐 Download the full case study to learn how BerryFusions® made the difference. 

This is what strong technical talent looks like in action: Air Products experts sharing real-world insights on the Freshline® IQ Freezer at Seafood Expo North America. 🧊 Explore more in the Cold Zone Virtual Content Hall: https://lnkd.in/eQaYW_Fh #LifeAtAirProducts #TalentInAction #TechnicalExperts

Our Food Security class covered Food systems and sustainability topic this week. I learned so much from the literature while preparing to teach. Achieving food security for all is a MUST- But we have a long way to go!

Digesting Food Studies—Episode 118: Reading Menus as History  https://lnkd.in/ejmY-2iS What’s on the menu? A lot, it turns out, and we’re not just talking about hors d’oeuvres and tasting combos. From gravy stains to hand-written notes, menus are an important source of information about cultural histories, social patterns, and human migration. This episode considers menus as historical records. Alexia Moyer, Ph.D. shares excerpts of meal planning from Northern Cookbook, and guest Koby Song-Nichols explains his 4-part methodology for menu analysis, discussed in “Can Historians Order off the Menu?” from Canadian Food Studies. (https://lnkd.in/esjZQCrA). And, serving up a scoopful of DFS afters, Anson Hunt weighs in with his perspective on Koby’s article and the ways that menus bridge conversations between front, back, and middle of house. #DigestingFoodStudies #FoodPodcast #Menus #FoodHistory #Restaurants #Cooks #Kitchens #CanadianNorth #FoodStudies #Academia