The CFST On the Road: Recapping October Events on Transforming Food Systems
October was a busy month of conference travel and presentations for the Center for Food Systems Transformation. CFST’s Director Aaron Gross, PhD, and Associate Director Katie Gillespie, PhD, shared with diverse audiences the work on food systems transformation unfolding at USD. Inspiring audience feedback and in-depth conversations about sustainability, ethics and food highlighted the urgency of addressing the environmental impacts of global food systems and transformations in campus food procurement. Below are the highlights of each of these events.
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Annual Meeting
Oct. 23, 2025
At this year’s AASHE conference, Dr. Katie Gillespie and Better Food Foundation’s Executive Director Jennifer Channin, led an interactive networking session focused on transforming campus food systems to reduce Scope 3 emissions and advance climate goals.
The session brought together sustainability professionals, faculty and advocates to build coalitions, exchange strategies and connect with organizations working to make campus dining more sustainable and impactful. According to Dr. Gillespie, it was “inspiring to see so many passionate professionals advocating more sustainable campus food procurement as a way to address the harms of our global food system, aligning with the commitments of the CFST’s efforts to improve the sustainability of USD’s dining services.”
Reducetarian Summit
Oct. 24-26, 2025
At this year’s Reducetarian Summit in Atlanta, Dr. Aaron Gross presented to an audience of academics, students, journalists, entrepreneurs, investors, philanthropists, environmentalists, CEOs, animal advocates, nutritionists, effective altruists and nonprofit leaders gathered to address the harms of industrial animal agriculture and advance strategies for reducing society’s reliance on animal products.
Dr. Gross describes the summit as an “important opportunity to speak to entrepreneurs, food activists and fellow academics about how food studies can inform attempts to transform our food system for the better. It was a great personal experience and I feel the CFST had much to contribute to discussions.”
Compassion for Animals in the Age of the Anthropocene
Emory University | Oct. 27, 2025
Dr. Gross engaged in a public conversation on centering compassion in legal and policy protections for the well-being of animals at Emory University’s Center for Ethics. The event highlighted that the diverse impacts of the Anthropocenic era for humans, animals and the environment necessitates thoughtful engagements with ethical theory and action. “The theme of compassion for animals proved rich for discussion and dialogue not only about animals, but about food systems.” Dr. Gross explains, “I was heartened to find that many in the audience already were working in various ways towards a food system that was more compassionate to animals and just more compassionate full stop.”
Food and Animals Conference: Celebrating the Work of Lori Gruen
Oct. 16, 2025
Dr. Gillespie presented at a one-day conference at Wesleyan University celebrating Lori Gruen’s influential work on human–animal relations, especially her feminist analysis of the lives of animals bred, raised and slaughtered within industrial food systems. “The conference drew important links between the ethical and political dimensions of food systems, animal welfare and social justice and brought the work of the CFST to an multidisciplinary audience of scholars and activists,” Dr. Gillespie recalls, “It was a beautiful tribute to the contributions Professor Gruen has made to these fields and a rare opportunity to engage in conversation with a scholar about what her life’s work has meant for transforming human-animal relations and food systems.”