Description: A key part of pursuing sustainability goals in food systems is communicating the sustainability properties of marketplace options to all stakeholders. A key tool for this is the use of labels. Our panel will discuss the evolving trends in environmental and social sustainability practices in the food industry, how companies are communicating these attributes to consumers and how these developments interact with the interests of investors, governments, and industry.Speakers: Sean Cash, Kathy Fuller, & Shijun Gao (Tufts)Dr. Cash is an economist who conducts research both internationally and domestically on food, nutrition, agriculture and the environment. He is interested in the environmental impacts in food and beverage production, including projects on crop quality and climate change, consumer interest in production attributes of tea and coffee, and invasive species management. He also focuses on how food, nutrition, and environmental policies affect food consumption and choice, with specific interest in children's nutrition and consumer interest in environmental and nutritional attributes of food. He teaches courses in statistics, agricultural and environmental economics, and consumer behavior around food. His research has been funded by the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Science Foundation, NIH, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, and Newman's Own Foundation, among other agencies. He is currently Chief Editor of the Food Policy and Economics Section of Frontiers in Nutrition and on the editorial board of Agribusiness, and has served as the Chair of the Food Safety and Nutrition Section of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.Dr. Katherine Fuller is a Postdoctoral Scholar at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. Her research analyzes consumers’ acceptance and willingness to pay for food labels and novel food products. Her research interests focus on the efficacy of food labels and their impact on farmers’ livelihoods, consumer interest in cellular agriculture, and food labeling for ethical and environmental purposes. She also analyzes sociodemographic factors that influence consumers’ decisions to purchase sustainable products. Dr. Fuller earned her PhD in Agribusiness at Arizona State University and an MS in Agricultural Economics at Louisiana State University. While pursuing her doctorate, she obtained a certificate in Environmental and Sustainability Economics from the School of Sustainability at ASU.Dr. Shijun Gao is a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. Dr. Gao’s research interests include social network analysis, and consumer food choice, especially the impact of food labeling. At Tufts University, he works with two inter-related teams, one is supported by the United States Department of Agriculture on the use of cellular agriculture (Cellular Ag Project), and another transdisciplinary effort focused on addressing major gaps in sustainable diets research and policy (Lasting Project). Prior to joining Tufts University, Dr. Gao earned his Ph.D. in Agribusiness from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. In addition, he got his master’s degree in economics from Vanderbilt University and a bachelor’s degree in management from China Agricultural University.Moderator: Kelly CaraKelly Copeland Cara is a doctoral candidate in Nutrition Epidemiology and Data Science at Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy in Boston, MA. Previously, she served in Bangladesh as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer, earned a master's in experimental psychology from Missouri State University (MSU), and received culinary training in health-supportive dietary patterns from the Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts in Austin, Texas. Through service, research, and culinary work, Cara desires to empower people to improve their health and well-being through modifiable lifestyle behavior changes rooted in empirical evidence. To achieve this, her early research focused on motivation through the lens of Self-Determination Theory and the practice of mindfulness. This work led to an Assessment Research Coordinator position at MSU where she conducted research related to subtle changes in teaching and administrative practices to foster student engagement, improve learning outcomes, and increase student retention. Applying this approach to health topics, Cara’s current research aim is to further the evidence surrounding plant-based dietary patterns by investigating their effects on health and disease outcomes and to uncover practical and simple dietary and food preparation choices people can make to foster improved and sustained health across the lifespan.