For decades, Mars and the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) have partnered to generate new science insights that enable impactful innovations in food and health, exemplifying the transformative potential of industry-academic partnerships. At the heart of this longstanding alliance is the Innovation Institute for Food and Health (IIFH), where we are proud to serve as a nexus, bridging academic research with practical industry applications, accelerating solutions that benefit humans, pets and our planet.
Dr. Abigail Stevenson (Abi), Chief Science Officer at Mars, highlights the enduring impact of the collaboration: ‘A decade ago, we co-founded the IIFH with a shared vision rooted in Uncommon Collaboration — a principle that continues to guide the Institute today. Over the past ten years, IIFH has helped to catalyze a strategic shift in food systems, evident in its many achievements. We collaborate closely with the IIFH to bring together divergent mindsets that can collectively form impactful paths forward through innovations in food and ingredient technologies, nutrition, enzyme discoveries, sustainability, and more.”
Abi shared that the transformation begins with real-world problem statements that call for creative, science-based solutions. Strategic partnerships with universities, like UC Davis, bring together academic expertise and the applied research knowledge within Mars to explore new approaches in food, health and sustainability. Whether investigating emerging ingredients, production methods, or food safety, these collaborations combine rigorous scientific inquiry with a future-focused industry perspective. “By bringing together diverse expertise and applying it to real challenges through an iterative, test-and-learn process, we can uncover fresh insights that lead to impactful solutions,” Abi explained.
Success for Mars is unlocking new insights that have the potential to both add value and drive a transformational shift within food systems globally. Abi added that these solutions must also ensure we continue to deliver the experience and quality that consumers expect as well as offering additional benefits – health, efficiency, nutrition, accessibility, affordability. The symbiotic relationship between UC Davis and Mars has facilitated groundbreaking advancements that help Mars stay at the forefront of evolving market dynamics and consumer preferences.
Joel Harris, senior director of science commercialization at Mars Corporate Science & Technology, captures the essence of this partnership, “Our partnership with UC Davis IIFH exemplifies how science, innovation and an aligned purpose can unlock breakthrough solutions for a more sustainable and resilient food system. When Mars combines its deep scientific expertise and consumer insights with the bold thinking of academic partners, we accelerate progress that benefits both people and the planet.”
A compelling example of this longstanding collaboration is highlighted in UC Davis’s recent article, “A Half-Century Partnership.” The piece underscores how foundational research at UC Davis, combined with the applied scientific expertise of Mars, led to the discovery of a novel and potentially more cost-effective method for producing lower-calorie rare sugars such as allulose, tagatose and allose. This work, among other shared scientific advancements, reflects the power of sustained partnership to unlock innovative approaches that address critical challenges in food, health and sustainability.
Bethany Wolf, global external partnerships manager at Mars Corporate Science & Technology, underscores the broader strategic significance of these collaborations, “Working with UC Davis IIFH allows us to co-create with some of the brightest minds in food and health innovation. This partnership enables us to tackle real-world challenges, from advancing food safety to rethinking sustainable ingredient systems, by combining the scientific capabilities of Mars with the entrepreneurial energy and interdisciplinary insight that IIFH fosters.”
Bethany recently highlighted these insights at the University-Industry Demonstration Partnership (UIDP) conference, emphasizing the critical role partnerships play in navigating the rapidly evolving landscape of science-sparked food innovation (LinkedIn).
This industry-academic partnership not only fosters scientific breakthroughs but also ensures these innovations are commercially viable, scalable and responsive to shifting global trends. Through close collaboration with IIFH, Mars continues to anticipate and meet consumer expectations, positioning the company for sustained growth and long-term competitive advantage.
The partnership between Mars and IIFH is a testament to the power of collaborative, science-led discovery, providing a model for how academic institutions and industry leaders can work together to drive impactful, sustainable and science-based solutions. As consumers increasingly seek food choices that are healthy, sustainable, and tasty collaborations such as this are vital for building a resilient, future-ready food system.
