Paul and Diane Manning Center for the Future of Food

Food sits at the center of our health, our economy, social interaction and family life, and our planet’s future. As climate change, food insecurity, and global supply disruptions reshape how we grow, process, and consume food; bold solutions are urgently needed. 

The Paul and Diane Manning Center for the Future of Food (CFF) is an interdisciplinary research, education, and public engagement branch of the Institute for Applied Life Sciences at UMass Amherst. As one of the world's top-ranked universities for food science, agriculture, nutrition, and dining services, we’re uniting our top talent to solve the challenges our modern food system faces. 

By collecting this expertise into a coordinated, collaborative force, we’re accelerating technology development, expanding experiential learning, and building partnerships with industry and communities.

Our research areas respond to major shifts in the food ecosystem, including climate pressures, AI and robotics enabled production, precision and personalized nutrition, and increased demand for novel proteins and food-as-medicine solutions. 

CFF research is organized around four interconnected themes: 

• Sustainable Food Systems
• Food Innovation
• Smart Choices
• Healthy Lifespan