Charlotte Biltekoff is Associate Professor and Chair of American Studies and Associate Professor of Food Science and Technology at University of California Davis. She holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from Brown University and also has a background as a chef.
Biltekoff's research focuses on the cultural politics of dietary health and the values and beliefs that shape American eating habits. At UC Davis, Biltekoff works at the intersection of the humanities / social sciences and the sciences, building bridges between scientific and cultural approaches to questions about food and health.
She is author of Eating Right in America: The Cultural Politics of Food and Health (Duke University Press, 2013), an exploration of the social and cultural dimensions of dietary advice and the changing meaning of “eating right” over the course of the last century.
Her current work looks at the tensions between scientific / industry and consumer perspectives on “processed” or “industrial” food, and how they are related to broader debates about the role of science and scientific authority in food politics, the future of food, and contemporary America life
Biltekoff teaches many courses on food and culture, as well as innovation in the food system, including “Food in American Culture," a large enrollment introductory American Studies class, “New Product Ideas,” in which students develop and pitch concepts for new food products, and "Design Thinking for Food," in which students work in multi-disciplinary teams to learn and apply the tools of both design thinking and Food Studies toward solving food system challenges.
Biltekoff's research focuses on the cultural politics of dietary health and the values and beliefs that shape American eating habits. At UC Davis, Biltekoff works at the intersection of the humanities / social sciences and the sciences, building bridges between scientific and cultural approaches to questions about food and health.
She is author of Eating Right in America: The Cultural Politics of Food and Health (Duke University Press, 2013), an exploration of the social and cultural dimensions of dietary advice and the changing meaning of “eating right” over the course of the last century.
Her current work looks at the tensions between scientific / industry and consumer perspectives on “processed” or “industrial” food, and how they are related to broader debates about the role of science and scientific authority in food politics, the future of food, and contemporary America life
Biltekoff teaches many courses on food and culture, as well as innovation in the food system, including “Food in American Culture," a large enrollment introductory American Studies class, “New Product Ideas,” in which students develop and pitch concepts for new food products, and "Design Thinking for Food," in which students work in multi-disciplinary teams to learn and apply the tools of both design thinking and Food Studies toward solving food system challenges.