A professor at Purdue University, who revolutionized the way food is packed and shipped around the globe, is this year’s winner of the Iowa-based World Food Prize. WFP spokesperson Justin Cremer says Dr. Philip Nelson’s work has made it possible to provide produce to developing countries in a safe and cost-effective manner. Cremer explains, "What Dr. Nelson basically did was found ways to store and transport large quantities of produce without losing their nutritional value or taste."
Nelson started his work with processed foods using a 100-gallon tank and eventually moved on to much bigger tanks. Cremer says Nelson helped develop huge tanker ships that can take up to 8 million gallons of orange juice between continents.
Most consumers can appreciate at least one of Dr. Nelson’s achievements. He’s primarily responsible for eliminating the need for frozen orange juice. "When you sit down for your morning orange juice and see that ‘not from concentrate’ on your carton," Cremer says, "Dr. Nelson had a lot to do with getting away from having to ship orange juice as the frozen concentrate."
The 72-year old Nelson still conducts research at Purdue. He will be presented with the $250,000 World Food Prize at the Iowa Capitol on October 18th.