David Feder, Executive Editor-Technical for Prepared Foods, interviews Allison Rittman, research chef and expert on the art and craft of creating organic foods and beverages.

Ms. Rittman is one of the first women to become a Certified Research Chef, and has more than 30 years of experience in product and menu development, national account presentations, and culinary trends. Leveraging her degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Iowa and second degree in Culinary Arts from The Culinary Institute of America, Chef Allison established the Austin, Texas-based Culinary Culture company, in which she specializes in culinary focused product development.

In her interview, Ms. Rittman provides an in-depth analysis of the challenges facing developers and processors formulating or reformulating for organic certification and the tools they need to overcome those challenges. She also looks at the differences between organic, natural, clean-label, and sustainable designations in product development and how these are changing the face of food product development today.