In Jared Diamond’s fascinating book Guns, Germs and Steel, an unexpected theme resonates loud and clear: The evolution of mankind was and is, in large part, built on the ability to feed ourselves. Sounds kind of simple doesn’t it? But in the end, the ability to cultivate nutritious foodstuffs, grow enough to sustain populations and then store what isn’t being immediately used, is the reason that modern civilizations have advanced far beyond the hunter-gatherer foraging habits of our ancient ancestors.
In this issue, we’re going to take a look at the art, science and business of food—and drink—as well as how Institute faculty, students and alumni are making a difference in this most vital of human needs.
Of course, these are not new subjects to this campus. Georgia Tech’s Research Institute houses the Food Processing Technology Division that focuses on the development and commercialization of “innovative technology systems to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of Georgia’s food processing industry.” In addition, Tech researchers are working on a wide range of food-related projects, including helping Atlanta-based foragers monitor the ripeness of fruit on untended trees or the World Food Programme with the logistics of feeding hungry people all over the globe.
As you’ll read in this issue—and as you’ve probably read in stories that we’ve published in the Alumni Magazine previously—many Tech alumni have built extremely successful careers in the food and beverage industry. They range from CEOs of top national consumer brands such as Arby’s and Waffle House, to super-creative chefs based in Atlanta and beyond, to budding beer makers, to innovators such as the leaders behind Coca-Cola’s revolutionary Freestyle machine.
The art, science and business of food is undoubtedly a big topic, and as such we’ll only be able to scratch the surface of Tech’s impact on the sector. The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides a lot of interesting data about how important food production and distribution is in our economy. Agricultural and related industries contributed almost 5 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product in 2012, totaling $776 billion—but the impact is actually much greater. In 2013, U.S. households spent 13 percent of their income on food, third behind only housing (34 percent) and transportation (18 percent). More than 16 million U.S. jobs are related to agriculture and its related industries. That’s 9 percent of total employment. Of this number, 11 million jobs are related to food service and 1.5 million are in food manufacturing. And that’s not even taking into account food’s importance on a global scale.
It’s not surprising that with Tech’s science, technological and business expertise that our staff and alumni are very engaged in virtually every aspect of this critical element of our lives.
Joseph P. Irwin, IM 80
President & CEO
Georgia Tech Alumni Association
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