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Jonathan Deutsch

Professor and Director, Drexel Food Lab Drexel University

Jonathan Deutsch, PhD, is a professor at Drexel University with expertise in Food and Hospitality Management and Nutrition Sciences. He founded the Drexel Food Lab, which focuses on culinary innovation and addressing food system challenges. Deutsch has been recognized as a Food Waste Warrior by Foodtank and was the James Beard Foundation Impact Fellow, emphasizing food waste reduction. He has authored eight books on food and culture and is a classically trained chef with a background in food product development and restaurant management.

Ph.D., Food Studies and Food Management 1999 - 2003
image-2023-10-05T063035.409 Food Product Design
image-2023-10-05T063149.784 Food and Sustainability
image-2023-10-05T063420.375 Food Supply Chain
image-2023-10-05T063545.604 Food Culture & Sociology
image-2023-10-05T063705.700 Culinary Education

Recent Posts

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Articles

From Lab to Table: Perfecting Plant-Based Meats for the Meat-Eaters' World

Jonathan Deutsch - November 17, 2023

With hopes of targeting traditional meat eaters and vegans alike, Kellogg's MorningStar Farms has introduced a new plant-based burger that claims to combine the taste and texture of traditional meat with nutritional advantages. Notably, a recent study showed that taste was a key factor in attracting and retaining plant-based product consumers.

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Articles

Restaurant Businesses That Want to Attract and Retain Talent Must Offer Competitive Wages and Innovative Programming to Employees

Jonathan Deutsch - August 2, 2023

The landscape of restaurant businesses is in the balance of a major shift, grappling with a scarcity of skilled labor even as it strives to rebound from the pandemic. According to the National Restaurant Association, the year 2023 has proved monumental for the restaurant industry with sales expected to reach $997 billion.

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Research

Consumers’ Willingness to Pay for Upcycled Foods

Jonathan Deutsch - July 27, 2020

Research on food waste reduction suggests that solutions aimed at reducing waste early in the consumption cycle are the most impactful. Based on this premise, food research labs and food manufacturers have started creating and selling foods made from food ingredients that are generally discarded. Such foods, termed upcycled foods, are safe for human consumption and provide a promising solution to reduce food waste. However, the commercial success of this new category of foods will depend on consumers’ acceptance. This research examines a key indicator of acceptance – consumers’ willingness to pay. We find that although consumers are willing to pay less for upcycled foods compared to conventional alternatives, messaging increases consumers’ willingness to pay. Specifically, we find that rational messaging is more effective than emotional messaging. Overall, our findings suggest that upcycled foods may command good acceptance among consumers.

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Research

Addressing Food Waste: How to Position Upcycled Foods to Different Generations

Jonathan Deutsch - July 1, 2020

Food waste is a global crisis that paradoxically exists alongside food scarcity. A promising solution to these connected problems of food insecurity and food waste is upcycled foods. Upcycled foods are made from ingredients that are usable but generally discarded. While upcycled foods can help reduce food waste, little is known about the best market strategy for these foods. This research investigates how consumers from different generations perceive upcycled foods. Our findings show that Gen Z, Gen Y, and Baby Boomers have higher intentions to purchase upcycled foods while Gen X shows lower intentions to purchase because of quality concerns. The present research also explores lifestyle patterns of each generation. Based on lifestyle analyses, positioning strategies for upcycled foods are proposed.

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Research

Culinary Scientists Collaborating with City Health Department and Manufacturers to Improve Public Heath: A Case from Philadelphia’s Sodium Reduction in Communities Program

Jonathan Deutsch - September 27, 2019

Philadelphia has high rates of chronic disease, including hypertension and diabetes, which can be mitigated through reduction of dietary sodium intake. To address this, the City of Philadelphia instituted nutrition standards to reduce sodium in meals served by city departments. Noting some compliant foods were hard to find, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) partnered with the Drexel Food Lab (DFL) to reformulate popular foods to contain less sodium. This paper details the process of sodium reduction in a Philadelphia staple, the hoagie roll, and shares the success of its implementation in over 1.6 million rolls purchased annually by the public school system.

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