UFF Upcycled Food Symposium III - Day 1

Join us for Day One of an engaging virtual symposium with global participants. An inspiring and informative two days of learning, a global scientific convening on upcycled food innovation! Day Two information can be found here. Session schedule to be announced!

Day One Speakers

(Speaker bios and session details below)

• Dr. Lara Ramdin, UFF Board Member/Scientific Committee Chair, USA
• Dr. Lee Oon Ling, Doctoral Researcher, Singapore Management University, Singapore
• DeAndra Forde, MPH, PhD Nutrition Student, Drexel University, USA
• Elliott Notrica, CEO, Symbio Bioculinary, USA
• Dr. Simona Grasso, Ad Astra Fellow & Assistant Professor, School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Ireland
• Molly Reiff, Certification Manager, CPG Division, Where Food Comes From, USA
• Caroline Duivenvoorden, Programme manager Circular Agrifood, FoodValley, Netherlands
• Liz Weaver, Director of Marketing & Business Development, GTF Technologies, USA
• Carissa Campetto, Founder, FoodRevolution, Canada

Dr. Lara Ramdin, UFF Board Member/Scientific Committee Chair

Dr. Lara Ramdin is a systems and design thinking leader at the forefront of innovation and sustainability. With executive experience spanning Unilever, Estée Lauder, Molson Coors, Dole Sunshine Company, and Upcycled Foods Inc., she brings a unique perspective to transforming complex food systems. A passionate advocate for shifting from extractive to circular models, Lara focuses her work at the intersection of food, climate, and consumer empowerment. She champions access to nutritious, sustainable foods that promote longer, healthier lives—advancing the food-as-medicine movement with purpose and precision. As Chief Scientist and Ambassador for FoodxClimate, and a board member of the Upcycled Food Foundation, Lara drives scientific progress in upcycling through her leadership of the Research Fellows Program and as Co-Chair of the Scientific Committee. She also serves as Chair of the IFT Trends Group and Chair-Elect of the IFT Sustainable Food Systems Division. Often called the “Upcycling Queen,” Lara is known for transforming overlooked by-products into nutrient-dense, high-quality ingredients—cutting food waste while tackling food insecurity head-on. Her work lives at the nexus of science, sustainability, and social impact, making her a recognized thought leader shaping the future of food. Lara is also an Emeritus Board Member of the Upcycled Food Association, where her visionary leadership continues to influence food system innovation that nourishes both people and the planet.

Amanda Oenbring, CEO, Upcycled Food Association

As CEO of Upcycled Food Association Amanda Oenbring brings experience in community collaboration, climate philanthropy, and global growth with a passion for movement building, previously scaling international membership at 1% for the Planet and leading environmental nonprofit network expansion at EarthShare. She found the perfect blend of study across business, sustainability and food via an MBA in Sustainable Systems and a Sustainable Food and Agricultural Systems Certificate from Bainbridge Graduate Institute (now Presidio Center at University of Redlands).

Dr. Lee Oon Ling, Doctoral Researcher, Singapore Management University, Singapore

Keynote:  AI-Assisted Thematic Analysis on Consumer Acceptance of Upcycled Food in Asia

Dr. Lee Oon Ling is a technopreneur, digital growth strategist, and innovation researcher specializing in consumer acceptance of upcycled food, circular economies, and AI-driven market insights. Backed by doctoral research funded by the ASEAN Business Research Initiative (ABRI), Dr Lee pioneers a cutting-edge AI-Human collaborative methodology for thematic analysis. Her work focuses specifically on mapping consumer perceptions of upcycled food and identifying the commercialization enablers necessary to scale sustainable food innovation across complex global markets. An SG Women in Tech honoree, Dr Lee bridges advanced technology with sustainable marketplace realities. She is an ACLP/DDDLP-certified Specialist Adult Educator and strategic advisor who designs AI-driven frameworks to help enterprises navigate digital transformation. In addition to her advisory work, she serves as an adjunct lecturer at Nanyang Business School and Nanyang Technological University (NTU), where she teaches digital strategy and champions data-driven paths to a more sustainable, zero-waste food future.

DeAndra Forde, MPH, PhD Nutrition Student, Drexel University, USA

Lightning Talk: Culinary Home Empowerment for Food Waste Prevention and Minimization: Culturally Tailored Intervention for Caribbean and Latin Americans in the United States (CHEF – WPM: C/LA)

DeAndra Forde, MPH (she/her), known as D by her colleagues, family, and friends, is a passionate and purpose-driven public health professional currently pursuing her Doctorate at Drexel University as a second-year student. Her research focuses on minimizing food waste, aligning with her academic interests and her commitment to sustainability and community well-being. D is dedicated to creating a more equitable and sustainable food system. She has a background in dietetics and is Registered Dietitian Eligible. Her journey into the realm of food and nutrition is deeply personal, rooted in her love for cooking, entertaining, and sharing her cultural heritage through food. She believes that food is more than just nourishment; it serves as a tool for connection, education, and change.

Eliott Notrica, CEO, Symbio Bioculinary, USA

Lightning Talk: The infrastructure Gap: Dynamic sensing systems and real-time optimization for on-site upcycling systems 

Dr. Simona Grasso, Ad Astra Fellow & Assistant Professor, School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Ireland

Panel: Upcycling Challenges and Opportunities

Dr Simona Grasso is an Assistant Professor and Ad Astra Fellow in Food Science & Nutrition at University College Dublin. A food scientist by background, she has a first class honours BSc and MSc in Food Science from the University of Catania in Italy and a PhD from University College Dublin in Ireland. Her research interests span the development and characterisation of new foods that are both nutritious and sustainable, covering every step of the product development journey, from recipe development and prototype manufacturing to food characterization, sensory analyses and consumer studies. She has been researching upcycled foods since 2019.

Molly Reiff, Certification Manager, CPG Division, Where Food Comes From

Panel: Upcycling Challenges and Opportunities

Molly Reiff serves as the Certification Manager for the Consumer Packaged Goods Division at Where Food Comes From. She holds a degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Iowa. She has worked in the food certification industry for 13 years and leads the team providing services for several certification programs, including Upcycled Certified. Molly is passionate about consumer choice when it comes to what goes on our plates and enjoys checking out the farmers’ market anywhere she travels. 

Liz Weaver, Director of Marketing & Business Development, GTF Technologies, USA

Lightning Talk: From Waste Stream to Revenue Stream: What It Takes to Scale Food Upcycling

Liz Weaver is a strategic business leader who drives growth at the intersection of marketing, business development, and operational excellence. With a background in progressive marketing leadership roles, she brings experience in brand strategy, customer engagement, and organizational effectiveness. At GTF, Liz leads initiatives that strengthen market presence, foster meaningful customer relationships, and align business objectives with execution. Known for translating complex challenges into clear, actionable strategies, she helps organizations build efficient processes, drive collaboration, and achieve sustainable growth. Liz is passionate about connecting people, ideas, and opportunities to create lasting impact for businesses and the communities they serve.

Carissa Campetto, Founder, FoodRevolution, Canada

Keynote: Connecting Upcycled Food Innovation with Capital and Community

Carissa Campeotto is the Founder of FoodRevolution, an innovation studio working with producers, brands, corporations, investors, and governments to unlock value from surplus and underutilized resources, develop sustainable products, and design infrastructure that feeds more people using fewer resources. Her work has spanned North America, Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Africa, supporting food innovation initiatives ranging from humanitarian food development for UNHCR to large-scale agro-processing ventures. As Co-Founder and former CMO of Trendi, she led investor relations and helped secure over CAD $14 million in capital while co-inventing two transformative technologies focused on farm-level food recovery, waste prevention, and resource utilization. She has also helped accelerate the commercialization of upcycled food ingredients by connecting industry partners, supply chains, and buyers to unlock scale and meet market demand.