Food Lab Talk (Michiel Bakker)
Explore every episode of Food Lab Talk
| Pub. Date | Title | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02 May 2023 | 04. Matt Rogers, Mill | 00:31:28 | |
Matt Rogers is the Founder and CEO of Mill, a startup that helps customers turn their food scraps into farm feed. As a former engineer at Apple and cofounder of Nest, Matt understands how to create products that drive lasting change. He believes technology, coupled with deep empathy for the user experience, has the opportunity to solve a problem like food waste in a way that is impactful for both people and the planet. On this episode of “Food Lab Talk,” Michiel speaks with Matt to hear what inspired him to found Mill, how Mill is making food waste reduction at home more convenient, and his advice for other entrepreneurs passionate about transforming the future of food.
Matt Rogers: “Oh, man, if I could dare to dream, I would love to say that we could stop sending things to landfill. Now, obviously we're starting with food and food waste is a huge issue, but what if we could end waste? No one likes waste, but we've kinda accepted that it has to exist. And what if it didn't? That would be the dream one day.”
01:01 Intro to Matt 04:23 Inspiration for Mill and advice for starting a company 07:40 Addressing a systemic problem through behavior change 09:13 Mill’s new food waste reduction system 11:30 Designing hardware to inspire adoption 12:27 The “toothbrush test” for scalable consumer solutions 13:30 Articulating personal benefits to win over skeptics 14:31 Aligning your economic model with your company ethos 15:54 Business considerations for scaling a consumer goods company 18:24 Balancing opportunity cost, team structure, and other considerations when starting a business 20:57 Incentivizing customer engagement 22:38 Raising awareness and changing habits through storytelling 24:40 Navigating the ups and downs of entrepreneurship 26:17 Using individual action to catalyze systems change 28:18 Learning from other companies, countries, and stakeholders
Links
Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com
*The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer. | |||
| 27 Apr 2023 | 02. A-dae Romero-Briones, First Nations Development Institute | 00:36:32 | |
A-dae Romero-Briones is the Director of Programs at the First Nations Development Institute, an organization committed to strengthening tribal assets and helping Native Communities restore and retain their culture. First Nations supports tribes and Native communities as they build sustainable food systems that improve health, strengthen food security and increase their control over Native agriculture and food systems. On this episode of “Food Lab Talk,” Michiel speaks with A-dae about the role of community in addressing complex systems change, why the term “food system” is not a monolith, and how food systems can take radically different forms depending on their historical, cultural and societal context.
A-dae Romero-Briones: “When you think of yourself as an individual in a very complex system, it becomes very overwhelming very fast. But if you think of yourself as an individual in the community that has relationships, that has to deal with a complex system it becomes a little easier.”
01:01 Intro to A-dae and First Nations Development Institute 04:09 Comparison of mainstream and Indigenous food systems 10:25 Transferrable learnings from Indigenous food systems 14:36 How Indigenous food sovereignty can reduce food waste 18:17 What sparked A-dae’s passion for food system change 22:49 The role of a change leader vs. first follower 24:34 How to consider and address systems change 31:15 A-dae’s vision for the future
Links
Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com
*The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer.
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| 30 May 2023 | 08. Anna Hammond, Matriark Foods | 00:31:31 | |
Anna Hammond is the Founder and CEO of Matriark Foods whose mission is to divert surplus food headed to the landfill and create healthy products for food service, retail and emergency food supplies. What many home cooks have done at home for centuries, Matriark is doing at scale. The company upcycles farm surplus and fresh-cut remnants into flavor-packed pantry staples like slow-cooked pasta sauces and low-sodium broth concentrates. On this episode of Food Lab Talk, you’ll hear about how Anna and the team at Matriark developed a new supply chain to support upcycling, why she decided to start a packaged food company after an already impressive career in public service, and her advice for growing a team at a purpose-driven organization.
Anna Hammond: “The whole consumer package goods industry is very slow, and I'm very impatient. I was quite naive when I went into that thinking that, okay, well food service is big. Items are bought in pallets, not in units… and it just seemed like if our main goal was to divert, wasted food from landfill, feed large numbers of people, healthy food, and create more revenue streams for farmers, we should go for the big sales and the big impact.”
01:06 Intro to Anna 03:14 Matriark Foods’s mission and impact 04:28 The “why” that catalyzed Anna to found Matriark Foods 07:20 Anna’s first major roadblock: finding a copacker for her products 09:14 How ingenuity led to the launch of Matriark 11:48 Focusing on foodservice channels to maximize impact 15:30 Pivoting the business while staying true to the value proposition 17:31 Lessons learned while developing an upcycled product 19:14 The traits Anna seeks when building purpose-driven teams 20:19 What changemakers can learn from free climbers 21:48 Balancing the business to accelerate systems change 25:36 Anna’s advice for the next generation of changemakers 26:27 ATX Free Fridge Project and Matriark 29:38 Matriark’s newest product
Links ● Learn more about Matriark Foods ● Shop for Matriark Foods online ● The New York Times: Eliminating Food Waste One Sauce at a Time ● Thrillist: Matriark Turns Wasted Vegetables into Climate-Friendly Pantry Staples
Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com
*The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer. | |||
| 07 Nov 2023 | 20. Bernhard Kowatsch, UN World Food Programme | 00:33:33 | |
Bernhard Kowatsch is founder and head of the Innovation Accelerator at the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the world's largest social impact incubator dedicated to ending hunger worldwide. The Innovation Accelerator offers 15 annual programs to the broader ecosystem on multiple social impact and sustainability issues, such as hunger, climate change, primary healthcare, gender equality, and emergency response. On this episode of Food Lab Talk, Michiel speaks with Bernhard about how tech solutions can support shifting diets, the importance of centering lived experiences in the change-making journey, and how to balance risk-taking and acute needs to fulfill a long-term vision. Bernhard Kowatsch: “What I would advise my younger self is to really embrace risk taking and not worry as much. There's inherent risk in so many aspects of entrepreneurial or intrapreneurial decision making. And sometimes, that may mean that you're taking risks that are really, really feeling uncomfortable. However, if you're working hard, if you're smart, if you're working with the right people, if you have the right partners, if you're looking for advice... I think there's so much impact that you can make. Just try it out. Make experiments if you don't know what the right solution is. Take one step at a time.” 00:46 Intro to Bernhard 02:30 Overview of the WFP and Innovation Accelerator 03:59 How the WFP helps close the impact-making gap 06:05 Co-benefits of the WFP Innovation Accelerator 08:04 Using blockchain technology in times of crisis 10:33 An open innovation approach to solve hunger 13:30 Why technology can support sustainable food systems 14:41 Balancing the tension between risk, rapid innovation and known solutions 16:54 Investing in a combination of solutions to support long-term strategy and acute needs 19:09 Ancestral Markets: preserving knowledge and heritage of food 21:17 Fenik Cool Box: extending shelf life of fresh produce 22:44 H2Grow: growing food in impossible places 25:05 Adapting known solutions through community-driven problem-solving 26:50 Do we need another accelerator? 29:17 Embrace risk-taking and worry less 31:18 Takeaways for changemakers Links
Keep in Touch Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com Follow Food Lab talk on YouTube and LinkedIn *The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer. | |||
| 10 Oct 2023 | 16. Stephen Ritz, Educator and Founder, Green Bronx Machine | 00:32:31 | |
Stephen Ritz is an educator and the founder of Green Bronx Machine, a non-profit that builds healthy, equitable, and resilient communities. Using a school-based model, the Green Bronx Machine is inspiring healthy students and healthy schools through inspired education, local food systems, and 21st Century workforce development. On this episode of Food Lab Talk, Michiel speaks with Stephen about the importance of listening, how passion and authenticity can inspire change, and the power of a supportive community to push you in the right direction. Stephen Ritz: “This work is hard and it requires a lot of courage, to be sure. But the opposite of courage isn't cowardice. The opposite of courage is conformity, because even a dead fish can go with the flow. And I am no dead fish. I'm gonna swim. You're gonna swim. We're gonna keep getting upstream until we spawn. And I find those amazing people and those amazing opportunities that just give me one more hop. That's what it's all about. For far too long, people have gotten fat off the dysfunction of communities like mine. Many people are well intended. But they are thriving while our community is barely surviving. And we need to flip that script and flip that ownership.” 0:43 Intro to Stephen 1:33 What a cheese hat has to do with the fight for equity 2:49 How onions inspired the start of Green Bronx Machine 10:01 Green Bronx Machine’s mission: equity and access 11:03 Food as the most important school supply 12:31 Fighting for the underdog: the students 14:01 Courage and swimming upstream 14:47 Get started, show up, and be consistent 16:03 Building courage by finding your community 17:25 Inspiring long-term habits through early exposure 19:35 Secret ingredients for win-win partnerships 21:38 Sparking real change through policy and grassroots engagement 23:25 Examples of purpose-driven companies 25:02 Nail it before you scale it 27:48 Creating the next generation of heroes 28:48 Advice: don’t settle, don’t compromise 30:46 Takeaways for changemakers Links Keep in Touch Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com Follow Food Lab talk on YouTube and LinkedIn *The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer. | |||
| 21 Dec 2023 | A Special Message from Michiel Bakker | 00:01:52 | |
Michiel Bakker: “Over the course of this season, we’ve explored why we need to shift diets, the many ways of doing that, and identified some of the things that need to happen on a systems level to make these changes sustainable and inclusive. This time of year is often one of reflection and gratitude. As I reflect on all the incredible conversations from Season 2, I must admit I am truly inspired by all the changemakers who are stepping up and getting things done. This is what it takes to make a tangible, positive impact. I also want to express my gratitude to you, for listening to the first year of Food Lab Talk. I truly appreciate your support of the show and its community of changemakers. Thank you. We’ll be back in the new year with more episodes of Food Lab Talk. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and follow us on LinkedIn and YouTube for updates on our next season, which is all about enabling individuals to make informed, and personally relevant food choices. For now, I invite you to keep pursuing your own bold vision for food systems transformation. Imagine what that would look like. Believe in yourself, because you can make a difference. And, most importantly of all, Act! I hope that you have a joyful holiday season and a bright new year.” Keep in Touch Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com Follow Food Lab talk on YouTube and LinkedIn *The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer. | |||
| 03 Oct 2023 | 15. Paul Newnham, SDG2 Advocacy Hub | 00:32:45 | |
Paul Newnham is the Executive Director of SDG2 Advocacy Hub, which coordinates global campaigns and advocacy to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2: To end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030. To help transform food systems, Paul and his team are leading projects such as the “Beans is How” campaign, which promotes the nutritional, environmental, and economic benefits of beans. On this episode of Food Lab Talk, Michiel speaks with Paul about leading with empathy, investing in relationships, and intentionally communicating your theory of change. Paul Newnham: “I think we often think that ideas are the thing that drive, but ideas are only as good as the people and the networks that carry them. And so I think investing in networks, investing in relationships is really critical. Within that, an insight that I've learned is to diversify that. Sometimes we go deep within a particular sector, but we don't look across. It's really important to look across both horizontally and vertically within your given field. And I think it's about building those kinds of webs so you can succeed in getting a message out there or a cause to gather momentum.” 00:40 Intro to Paul 01:28 How culture and development led Paul to SDG2 Advocacy Hub 03:28 Chefs bridge the gap between food systems and hunger 05:20 Equity and leading with empathy 07:07 Joy and celebration as a catalyst for change 08:13 Optimism, tenacity, and “getting to the next hill” 10:17 Overview of SDG2 Advocacy Hub 11:33 Sustainable food systems are diverse, responsive, and giving 12:27 A food system is like a mixing table 14:57 Shifting diets through supply and demand 18:05 Convenience, cost, and taste as food purchase drivers 19:47 Beans as a way to drive systemic change 23:03 “Beans is How” - Theory of Change 24:00 Using policy levers 25:08 Building the model to accelerate food systems change 25:53 Why an explicit framework builds lasting momentum 28:16 Importance of investing in diverse networks 30:26 Takeaways for changemakers Links
Keep in Touch Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com Follow Food Lab talk on YouTube and LinkedIn *The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer. | |||
| 14 Nov 2023 | 21. Joseph Yoon, Brooklyn Bugs | 00:31:55 | |
Chef Joseph Yoon is an Edible Insect Ambassador, a world renowned thought leader in entomophagy, the practice of eating insects. He founded Brooklyn Bugs in 2017 to normalize edible insects through delicious, creative, and educational programming. From kitchens and classrooms to stages around the world, Chef Yoon shares the incredible potential of not only edible insects, but the burgeoning innovation in Insect Agriculture to create resilient solutions for our global food systems. Joseph Yoon: “One of the ways is not to take it from a theoretical dogmatic approach of... ‘We have a sustainable nutrient dense food. It will solve the climate crisis. All we have to do is eat some bugs, friends.’ That would not work. And I think that that's what a lot of the scientists were actually doing. My approach was entirely from the opposite side. ‘We have this delicious, incredible food source that happens to also be sustainable, incredibly nutrient dense, and we can prepare any single dish you can possibly imagine with it.’ The only limitations with insect protein lie with our imagination.” 00:23 Intro to Joseph 01:10 Bugs and sustainable nutrition 02:13 Metamorphosis from fine dining to food justice 04:42 Exploring the wide variety of flavors and functions of edible insects 06:10 Shifting negative thoughts to acceptance and celebration 08:10 Changing our food system is like interdisciplinary calculus 10:42 Regenerative circular nature of insect agriculture 13:18 Following the data to find scalable solutions 15:37 “Bugifying” familiar foods to connect with people 19:28 Balancing marketing, education, and regulations 23:06 Importance of regulatory frameworks, policies, and incentives 24:57 Insect agriculture to improve livelihood 26:16 Elevating the deliciousness of edible insects 29:38 Takeaways for changemakers Links
Keep in Touch Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com Follow Food Lab talk on YouTube and LinkedIn *The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer. | |||
| 11 Apr 2024 | 30. Salaam Bhatti, Food Research and Action Center | 00:33:36 | |
Salaam Bhatti is the SNAP Director at the Food Research and Action Center, a 501(c)(3) that uses advocacy and strategic partnerships to improve the health and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States. Tune in to learn how to bring together diverse perspectives, challenge established norms, and seek innovative solutions for modern society. Salaam Bhatti: “The best way to find change is to go out and find like-minded people. Create a coalition to make that change happen. But if you want to perfect that, then you have to find people who disagree so that you can really understand why you believe what you believe. And maybe there are things that just need education, that just need more facts to help bring them to your side. Or maybe you were wrong and you can come to a compromise or an agreement. But until you get out of your comfort zone, the change you will try to make will only be fleeting and never systemic.” 00:00 Intro to Salaam 01:25 From law to public benefit activism 04:50 How sparking joy drives passion in food justice 06:09 Addressing food insecurity for an equitable food system 08:20 How zoning and economic inequalities exacerbate food insecurity 10:55 Why building strategic alliances can bridge divides to pass policy reform 14:28 Exploring the ripple effects of SNAP program changes on the economy 18:00 Overview of the Food Research and Action Center 19:14 Addressing poverty related hunger solutions and challenges 21:20 How choice and increased access improves health outcomes 26:17 Reimagining food policy for modern needs 28:22 Why getting out of your comfort zone can lead to systemic change 31:11 Takeaways for changemakers Links
Keep in Touch Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com Follow Food Lab talk on YouTube and LinkedIn *The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer. | |||
| 25 Jan 2024 | 23. Janet Ranganathan, World Resources Institute | 00:30:52 | |
Janet Ranganathan is the Managing Director and Executive Vice President for Strategy, Learning and Results at World Resources Institute (WRI), a global research organization that addresses the urgent sustainability challenges related to food, forests, water, climate, energy, cities and the ocean. She leads the development and execution of WRI’s five-year strategy and oversees WRI’s Research Integrity, Managing for Results, and Data Lab teams. Janet Ranganathan: “One of the most important lessons I've learned is you can't do anything on your own. You have to do everything together through partnerships and collaborations. You know, if you wanna go far, take many people with you, but don't expect to get there too fast. If you wanna go fast, go alone, but don't expect to get very far. So true.” 00:25 Intro to Janet 01:21 30 years of changemaking 02:02 WRI’s method for impact: Count it. Change it. Scale it. 03:48 Feeding people, addressing climate, protecting land 05:54 Produce, protect, reduce, restore 07:03 A production and consumption problem 07:52 Education to enable change 09:44 Empowering food companies 12:06 Overview of the Shift Wheel 15:32 How the Cool Food Pledge put the Shift Wheel into practice 17:50 From outputs to outcomes to impact 20:40 How WRI connects food and climate change 21:44 Establishing collaborative partnerships for long term success 23:12 Design and act for impact 25:02 Learning from the past to inform the future 27:15 Urgency as a motivator 28:22 Takeaways for changemakers Links
Keep in Touch Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com Follow Food Lab talk on YouTube and LinkedIn *The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer. | |||
| 02 May 2024 | 33. Deb Eschmeyer, Original Strategies | 00:30:45 | |
A food systems policy expert and social impact entrepreneur, Deb Eschmeyer has dedicated her career to the betterment of society. From co-founding the national nonprofit Food Corps, to serving as Executive Director of Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” initiative, and driving change in the food industry, her efforts have permanently influenced the way we think about food and health. In this episode, Deb shares her journey as a changemaker emphasizing agility and persistence, finding your “zone of genius”, and balancing perspectives and patience to achieve long-term change. Deb Eschmeyer: “Don't take no for an answer and just keep pushing and speaking up and showing up. And it’s sometimes really uncomfortable. There's so many people who don't like public speaking. There's so many people who are brilliant and just have fabulous ideas… Speak up, show up, and develop lines of empathy. To be a better change maker is to understand all the different avenues of change it takes to get things done.” 00:00 Intro to Deb 01:44 From farmhouse to the White House: be relentless, speak up, show up 06:30 How empathy and a diverse set of experiences can help you find your “zone of genius” 09:21 Why school nutrition reform can spark system-wide change 13:03 Focusing on the long view and the direction of travel 15:35 Embracing collective responsibility to drive meaningful systems change 18:20 Complexity and the impending food crisis 21:01 Why trust, accountability, and collaboration are key to impactful change 25:10 Deb’s advice: embrace uncomfortable spaces, focus on your strengths, and keep pushing forward 28:25 Takeaways for changemakers Links
Keep in Touch Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com Follow Food Lab talk on YouTube and LinkedIn *The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer. | |||
| 23 Oct 2023 | 18. Bonus Episode: Wadhwani AI | 00:24:32 | |
Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence (Wadhwani AI) has been actively building and deploying AI solutions for underserved populations in developing countries since 2021. As a Google.org recipient, they are using AI to bring the world’s agricultural expertise to every farmer, protecting critical crops and mitigating the threat of hunger for billions of people. On this special episode of Food Lab Talk, Michiel speaks with Aditya Nayan and Soma Dhavala from Wadhwani AI to discuss the importance of understanding the audience and building trust when implementing novel programs, demonstrating value before scaling, and “open sourcing” innovation to open the door for other changemakers. Wadhwani AI: “We're always inclined to think, okay, what is the specific problem statement that you're solving, how you're solving it and all that. But we're obligated to look at the larger system and see the value. So even in the case of CottonAce, there is as much value in that farmer getting the advisory as there is that the ministry can get a sense that this is the kind of infestation that's happening in these places and I can know that in real time. That's a starting point so that a year, two years down the line, I can create a predictive system which will help me prepare better. That's something that we didn't know in 2019 when we won the Google AI Impact Challenge. We didn't know this part of it. So it's this system thinking that where innovation also has to go and how things that we do maybe on the field, how they plug back in into the larger system is very important.” - Aditya Nayan 01:11 Intro to Wadhwani AI 03:36 How AI can add value in a rural environment 05:22 Why education is critical to adoption of novel technologies 06:19 How smartphones make AI and data accessible 07:17 Proof of concept with CottonAce 09:59 Scaling CottonAce principles to more crops 10:54 Building trust in technology through community engagement 12:35 Considering reliability and safety when developing new technologies 13:12 Open sourcing and “open syncing” for datasets, models, and innovation 15:20 Data is relative - how to determine impact 17:15 Measuring direct impact vs. indirect network effects 19:47 Why systems thinking is important for problem-solving 22:07 Takeaways for changemakers Links
Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com Follow Food Lab talk on YouTube and LinkedIn *The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer. | |||
| 19 Sep 2023 | 13. Greg Drescher, Culinary Institute of America | 00:30:06 | |
Greg Drescher is senior advisor for strategic initiatives at The Culinary Institute of America, where he strengthens innovation in health, sustainability, culture and culinary insight. He played an instrumental role in developing the college’s Worlds of Flavor International Conference and Festival and co-led the Menus of Change initiative. On this episode of “Food Lab Talk,” Michiel speaks with Greg about how changing a system is like peeling an onion, why deliciousness is a key ingredient to successfully shift diets and why you should work with people outside your “lane of expertise.”
Greg Drescher: “If you're asking people to shift diets, what you're asking them to shift towards has got to be at least as appealing as what they have now. There's the notion of the unapologetic elevation of deliciousness as a public health imperative. It's important for the public health community to not just say in passing that ‘healthy food needs to taste good,’ because on the other side, people are trying to make food craveable. If you're putting up merely ‘taste good’ against ‘craveable’, you're gonna lose every time.”
00:36 Intro to Greg 01:57 Why we need to reconsider whether “the system is broken” 03:10 What does it mean to shift diets? 05:48 What motivates chefs to drive change 08:16 What you shift towards has to be at least as appealing as what you have now 09:57 Multiple approaches to seed change: ownership, desire, and experience 12:38 No “one size fits all” solution - tailor for culture, traditions, and geography 16:30 Levers to inspire change 17:15 Why language matters 19:30 A case study in building consensus 22:57 Menus of Change: The business of healthy, sustainable deliciousness 24:37 Building an accelerator for change 25:25 Why early success can ignite systems change 26:39 Value of working with people outside your area of expertise 28:17 Takeaways for changemakers
Links
Keep in Touch Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com | |||
| 26 Sep 2023 | 14. Jennifer Bushman, Fed by Blue | 00:33:20 | |
Jennifer Bushman is a sustainable seafood expert, communicator, and strategist who has been championing ethical aquaculture for more than two decades. She is the co-founder of Fed by Blue and creator of the Sea Pantry initiative which educates consumers on how to make responsible seafood choices every day. On this episode of Food Lab Talk, Michiel speaks with Jennifer about the power of people, the importance of generating proof of concept, and what search engines or social media has to do with influencing change. Jennifer Bushman: “People are consuming media in a lot of different ways. Both on the plate and through YouTube... people are out there searching for information. How we utilize that for good is very important. When you ask Chat GPT what a blue food is, it goes down the blueberry path. So we have to start to make sure that information is out there, that we are sophisticated in the way in which we're reaching consumers, where they are and how they're getting information. To really create scale, it's going to have to be all the parts that create the sum. And I don't know that we know yet how the best way is to change consumptive behavior. Because to be honest with you, it hasn't been done.” 00:24 Intro to Jennifer 01:15 Jennifer’s journey from land to sea 03:18 “Blue Foods” vs. sustainable aquaculture 04:23 What show choir and activism have in common 06:40 How to stay motivated in the long arc of change 10:09 Why our food system is a complicated puzzle 13:46 The importance of a strong support system + network 18:37 What does it mean to shift diets? 22:50 The tension between supply and demand 24:11 Generating proof of concept 25:41 Building a U.S. aquaculture supply 27:56 Harnessing the power of people 29:16 Using Google Search, YouTube and other media 31:27 Takeaways for changemakers Links
Keep in Touch Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com Follow Food Lab talk on YouTube and LinkedIn *The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer. | |||
| 27 Apr 2023 | What is Food Lab Talk? | 00:07:10 | |
A better food system starts with one thing: vision. Food Lab Talk gives global food system changemakers a platform to articulate their vision for the future of food. The series features interviews with inspiring individuals who are working on the frontlines of many of our most pressing food issues: reducing food loss and waste, enhancing food system transparency, facilitating shifts toward more balanced plant-forward diets, enabling informed individual choices for sustainable lifestyles, and accelerating the transition to a circular food economy.
Join Google’s Michiel Bakker to meet the leaders taking bold action and answering what each of us can do to create a better food system for us all.
Links
Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com
Thank you to the guests featured in this episode (in order of appearance):
*The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer. | |||
| 27 Apr 2023 | 03. Neel Ghose, Robin Hood Army | 00:39:02 | |
Neel Ghose is the founder of the Robin Hood Army, a zero-funds volunteer-based organization that is using food redistribution as a medium to connect with others and solve for the problem of excess food at restaurants, grocery stores, and other foodservice settings. Through the power of people, Robin Hood Army has scaled to reach more than 400 cities in 13 countries. On this episode of “Food Lab Talk,” Michiel speaks with Neel about what inspired him to begin the Robin Hood Army, how he and his colleagues have maintained the mission of the organization as it grows to include millions of Robins around the world, and his advice for “thinking less and doing more.”
Neel Ghose: “I generally feel that food builds trust. If you’re serving someone week on week, month on month, year on year, it ceases to be charity and it becomes more about community.”
01:26 Intro on Neel and Robin Hood Army 07:26 Getting outside your comfort zone 14:04 Founding and scaling the Robin Hood Army 19:00 How to be a leader in a decentralized organization 24:38 Codifying culture, managing conflicts and setting aside your ego 29:50 The “why” and “how” behind a zero-funds organization 32:24 Power of partnerships 34:26 Building teams that drive growth and expansion
Links
Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com
*The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer. | |||
| 27 Apr 2023 | 01. Dana Gunders, ReFED | 00:32:19 | |
Dana Gunders is the Executive Director of ReFED, a national nonprofit that advances data-driven solutions to help train, inspire, and strategize around food waste reduction. By taking a holistic view of the food system, and focused, purposeful action, ReFED is working to achieve a 50% food waste reduction in accordance with the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. On this episode of “Food Lab Talk,” Michiel speaks with Dana about why tackling food waste requires a full-supply-chain view, what Dana views as the biggest barriers and opportunities, and how solving for waste will impact our global food system.
Dana Gunders: “It is just the dumbest problem out there and one that is so solvable. I think we look at climate change and it feels so big and daunting, but wasting food is not. Wasting less food is not rocket science, right? It’s something we all can do, we have control over and it feels very much within our reach and I think that helps keep me motivated.”
01:01 Intro on Dana and the food waste problem 03:34 Background on ReFED 07:55 Long-term progress on food waste reduction 09:32 How to stay motivated to fight food waste 12:08 Tools and potential solutions to stop food waste 15:55 Barriers to scaling progress 17:51 Opportunities for reducing waste across different food groups 00:21 Tracking, measurement and metrics 23:42 Motivating individuals and organizations to act 26:41 Addressing skeptics by sharing individual impact 28:14 What’s on the horizon?
Links
Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com
*The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer.
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| 15 Feb 2024 | 26. Walter Willett, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health | 00:34:04 | |
Dr. Walter Willett is a physician and Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He also co-chairs the EAT-Lancet Commission, a group of 37 world-leading scientists working to determine how to provide a healthy diet for a future population of 10 billion people while respecting planetary boundaries. Dr. Willet’s career has centered on the development of methods to study the effects of diet on the occurrence of major diseases. His research has provided unparalleled insight into the long-term health consequences of our food choices. Walter Willett: “Look at where you are and start off working there. Ultimately at a much larger scale, you'd like to have an impact. But if you don't have control of the dials and the levers at that level, your own food service and wherever you happen to be working or studying can often be improved a lot, and you learn a lot from that experience. I certainly have. Almost everybody has part of their life in a workplace or in their community that they could be making some improvements. And a lot of times that's where the biggest changes start.” 00:22 Intro to Walter 02:43 Connecting human health and the climate crisis 04:24 The Great Acceleration Theory 06:29 Three pillars for food systems transformation 08:47 Harnessing community action to catalyze systems change 10:30 The history of our food choices and related complexity of shifting diets 13:31 Levers to positively influence population diet quality 16:21 What global consumption habits tell us about public health trends 18:02 Lessons from effective grassroots movements 20:50 Building trust, providing better data, and acknowledging uncertainty 24:01 Integrating justice into food systems solutions 26:37 Generational awareness and action on sustainability 28:28 Embracing disciplinary diversity for systems transformation 29:36 Why patience is the #1 skill for change management 31:40 Takeaways for changemakers Links
Keep in Touch Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com Follow Food Lab talk on YouTube and LinkedIn *The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer. | |||
| 20 Jun 2023 | 11. Emily Broad Leib, Harvard Law School | 00:34:15 | |
Emily Broad Leib is the Founding Director at the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic where she and her students are working to simplify and sometimes modify legislation to help changemakers combat food waste. She and her team developed the Global Food Donation Policy Atlas, a tool with country-specific findings and recommendations that can help accelerate progress to overcome legal barriers to food donation and recovery. More recently, the team has been involved in developing a federal food waste policy in the U.S. On this episode of “Food Lab Talk,” Michiel speaks with Emily about how her work is enabling many of the changemakers we’ve heard from this season; staying motivated when the pace of change can feel slow; and what you can learn from lawyers about moving around roadblocks and accelerating progress in your work.
Emily Broad Leib: “I recognize lawyers have a really specific skillset, but I'm constantly conscious of the fact that our skillset only is a useful tool in combination with some of these other skillsets. So whether it's, working with people in the sciences or in public health that are collecting data on what solutions work and then we're unlocking the ability for those to go forward. Or whether it's working with the entrepreneurs who have the really good idea and we're putting the wind in their sails to say, if you change what you're doing slightly, you can comply with the laws. I think law is very much a tool that pairs really well in combination with others.”
01:03 Intro on Emily 04:11 The intersection of law and food waste reduction 05:44 An “illegal” grocery store sparks policy changes 07:02 “To a hammer, everything looks like a nail” – how to use other tools 08:40 The skills lawyers employee to move around roadblocks 10:54 Staying motivated with a long time horizon 14:09 How a lack of clarity can block change 14:35 How a lack of incentives can block change 15:00 Global areas of opportunity for changes in policy 17:15 The Global Food Donation Policy Atlas 18:50 Global system commonalities and collaborative wins 20:15 The actions moving the system to better support technical solutions 23:05 Scaling known solutions versus exploring the unknowns 25:38 Navigating partnerships to support progress in the broader ecosystem 29:00 How to demonstrate progress when the pace of change is slow 31:35 Emily’s theory of change
Links
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*The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer.
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| 09 May 2023 | 05. Amy Keister, Compass Group | 00:33:05 | |
Amy Keister is the Global Director of Sustainability at Compass Group. She leads a visionary team shaping the future of foodservice, focusing on business growth, and leveraging strategic partnerships to create positive change throughout the food system. On this episode of “Food Lab Talk,” Michiel speaks with Amy to hear about how “Stop Food Waste Day” went from an idea to a global day of action, how education plays a role in scaling food waste solutions, and Amy’s formula for influencing and building change.
Amy Keister: “At Compass we are extremely decentralized on purpose and I think that’s why we are able to be the world’s largest. We really pride ourselves on being local and having a customized approach in every single one of our offerings.”
01:02 Intro to Amy 03:01 Why Amy went “all in” on sustainability 04:43 The “purist” versus the “realist” mindset 06:22 Setting food loss and waste reduction goals 08:28 Tools and benchmarking against goals 09:21 The important first step to accelerate progress 09:57 Incentivizing individuals and leaders to advance a goal 11:38 Sharing your learnings to inspire others in your organization 12:42 Turning personal passion into systemic action 13:51 Balancing consumer demand and building trust 15:18 How Stop Food Waste Day drives awareness and scales change 17:40 Overcoming a bias for convenience 19:00 A case study in choice and consumer behavior 20:05 Breaking down silos for an integrated sustainability approach 22:20 Why its important to find people on the opposite side of an issue 25:05 Embracing the tensions in a system 27:07 Making the business case for sustainability 29:16 Amy’s formula for influencing and building change
Links
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*The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer.
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| 18 Apr 2024 | 31. Jack Bobo, University of Nottingham Food Systems Institute | 00:34:13 | |
Jack Bobo is the Director of the University of Nottingham’s Food Systems Institute which brings together transdisciplinary researchers to address some of the most pressing food systems challenges. He is also the author of the 2021 book “Why smart people make bad food choices.” In this episode, Jack shares how breaking down silos can foster collaboration, why reframing your thinking can help navigate tradeoffs, and how small shifts in language can impact people’s perceptions. Jack Bobo: “I believe less in right and wrong and good and bad, and more in thinking in terms of choices and consequences. And if you can help to lay out the consequences of actions, I think in many ways you can lead people to knowledge instead of sort of beating them up with science. Researchers and academics love to tell people what to do and they like to tell them the answer. I think it's much better to be able to help people to understand the consequences of different choices. And then you may end up getting a different outcome, but at least they understand the consequences of it and it's an informed decision.” 00:00 Intro to Jack 01:14 Overview of the University of Nottingham’s Food Systems Institute 03:44 Taking a systems approach to lead global change 05:18 Why consensus is important for problem solving 06:45 Addressing the “language barrier” in food systems solutions 08:38 How shifting from “should” to “could” focuses on opportunities and solutions 11:40 Leading people to knowledge by framing the consequences of choices 13:56 Building trust by understanding confirmation bias and the misleading nature of our brains 17:38 The paradox of improved nutrition research and rising obesity rates 20:00 How to overcome the invisible influences on food choices 23:14 Changing the food system by focusing on social norms 25:51 The importance of word choice for effective change making 27:59 Why networking and storytelling are life skills 29:39 Balancing the continuum of local vs. global sustainability 31:37 Takeaways for changemakers Links
Keep in Touch Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com Follow Food Lab talk on YouTube and LinkedIn *The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer. | |||
| 08 Feb 2024 | 25. Sara Burnett, Burnett Strategy and Communications | 00:31:03 | |
Sara Burnett has more than 18 years experience developing brand-building strategies and campaigns. As Vice President of Food Beliefs, Sustainability & Public Relations at Panera Bread, Sara was responsible for the company’s policies on food issues ranging from sustainability to food additives. She also provided menu labeling and education to inform customer choice. Throughout her career, Sara expertly blends her communication skills with a deep understanding of policy, social responsibility, and sustainability, authoring, and managing bold ESG strategies. She is currently the Principal at Burnett Strategy and Communications. Sara Burnett: “As food professionals, we can all find a way to convince ourselves that we're not part of the problem and we're not part of the solution. And we see it on both ends of the spectrum. When you're at a big food company, you're saying, oh man, it's hard to move this behemoth of an organization... [On] the small side of things, you might say, my voice isn't that big. But the reality is it is a very complicated and connected food system, and there is a role for everyone. So whether you're small or big, you're private or public, you're an NGO or a government… [we] all have an impact, and collectively we can do a lot more together.” 00:27 Intro to Sara 01:27 Sara’s career shift from health and wellness to sustainability 03:05 Collective action and impact: critical elements to a truly sustainable food system 05:15 Coolfood menu labeling to nudge better-for-you choice 07:54 How post-purchase education influences future decisions 10:25 The surprising indirect impacts of calorie menu labeling 14:06 Building trust with customers by working with credible partners 17:04 The levers to support choice: transparency, demonstrating material impact, pursuing authentic solutions 19:40 Merging emotion and science for successful change management 23:20 Why a clear business plan can support resiliency and longevity for sustainability professionals 26:56 Takeaways for changemakers Links
Keep in Touch Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com Follow Food Lab talk on YouTube and LinkedIn *The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer. | |||
| 21 Mar 2024 | 29. Christopher Gardner, Stanford School of Medicine | 00:34:55 | |
Dr. Christopher Gardner is a nutrition scientist focused on what foods to eat and what foods to avoid for optimal health, as well as the forces that can successfully motivate people to improve their food and beverage behaviors. His recent research interests include: “stealth nutrition,” which focuses on shifting diets through the integration of non-health related approaches, like the connection between food and climate change; institutional food; and the microbiome. Christopher Gardner: “I would say the biggest thing for me is humility. I am a nutrition scientist. I understand the mechanism. You should eat that. [But] there is the business aspect, the marketing aspect, the legal aspect, the policy aspect, the cultural aspect, the historical aspect, the storytelling aspect… The humility to recognize how many other disciplines and factors are tugging at people's tongues and hearts and brains, has really been the greatest learning experience for me.” 00:00 Intro to Dr. Gardner 01:03 How nutrition research becomes a Netflix documentary 04:22 Using humor to inspire retention 06:09 The road from philosophy to nutrition science 07:20 The dissonance with access to nutrition information 09:21 Food & Society: External motivators and behavior change 14:51 Why institutions have a powerful role in food systems transformation 16:55 The "instead of what" and "with what" approach to behavior change 21:26 The complex nature of food choice 25:50 How “stealth nutrition” influences choice 29:34 Embracing humility and creative storytelling in science communication 32:18 Takeaways for changemakers Links
Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com Follow Food Lab talk on YouTube and LinkedIn *The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer. | |||
| 16 May 2023 | 06. Adam Litle, Sound Agriculture | 00:29:47 | |
Adam Litle is the Chief Executive Officer at Sound Agriculture, an organization that is unlocking the natural power within plants to help agriculture adapt faster and become more resilient. Sound has partnerships with over a dozen companies to improve flavor, reduce spoilage, and increase yield in a variety of crops. On this episode of “Food Lab Talk,” Michiel speaks with Adam about Sound’s groundbreaking technology that enables rapid innovation in crops like their Summer Swell Tomato, how Adam addresses skeptics of novel technologies, and why he believes sticking to your passion and “putting one foot in front of the other” are key to make a lasting impact on food waste.
Adam Litle: “Nature often does this on its own. You do see sweeter tomatoes, berries, etc. You do see longer shelf life and skin like this, but you have to do that through random change and crossbreeding that takes ten years or more in a lot of cases. Versus, why not, find a natural way to speed that up, in a more targeted way? And most people that resonates with. If you’re showing a consumer how some of this technology can be used to decrease cost, to have less damage from fertilizer, or other traits, or less food waste, or help with their health, I think that changes the conversation drastically. I’ve seen people be a lot more open to that.”
01:06 Intro to Adam 04:15 Background on Sound Agriculture and its products 07:27 How On Demand Breeding helps reduce food loss and waste for retailers and consumers 09:39 Proving the market and setting the price for a premium product 12:41 Addressing skeptics of novel technologies 14:29 Differences between GMO and epigenetics 15:17 Why a “purist” mentality could be detrimental to future proofing our food system 16:44 The role of technology in transforming how we shop for fruits and vegetables 18:45 Sound Agriculture’s mission-driven approach to support a more resilient food system 21:43 Developing data to support proof of concept and win over the doubters 23:51 Adm’s advice for making a lasting impact on food waste 26:32 Balancing consumer education and transparency
Links
Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com
*The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer. | |||
| 25 Apr 2024 | 32. Olivia Thomas, Boston Medical Center and Rewire Health | 00:34:25 | |
Olivia Thomas is a registered dietitian, entrepreneur, and the co-founder of “Rewire Health”, a culinary medicine platform that simplifies healthy home cooking and expands access to teaching kitchens. In this episode, Olivia shares her experiences building a culinary medicine startup, including how active listening and a multidisciplinary approach can lead to impact-focused solutions. Olivia Thomas: “We need to be focusing on how resources, especially within food as medicine, can be used to reinvest into disinvested communities... I have been redefining how I work on projects based on the impacts. What foods am I marketing? Who is it benefiting? How is the data being used? And the idea of sovereignty is important and making sure that it aligns with the communities we're focusing on and working with.” 00:00 Intro to Olivia 01:09 From childhood cooking to culinary medicine 02:13 How food-based interventions help manage chronic disease 04:50 Overview of Rewire Health from pitch to startup 07:58 Cultivating a culinary medicine platform 09:49 Enabling personally relevant food choices 11:22 Investing in local communities to impact the whole food system 12:30 Embracing change and using technology to stay ahead 14:24 Why navigating complex systems requires a multidimensional approach 17:00 The role of collaboration and community building 18:14 Using culturally affirming recipes to empower choice 20:51 Accelerating behavior change with personalization, practice, and insight 23:37 Shifting perspectives on the role of food’s impact on health 25:44 Creating sustainable habits 28:15 Redefining problem-solving 29:23 How active listening builds trust and drives impact 30:13 Looking towards the future of culinary medicine 32:23 Takeaways for changemakers Links
Keep in Touch Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com Follow Food Lab talk on YouTube and LinkedIn *The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer. | |||
| 03 Mar 2023 | Introducing Food Lab Talk With Michiel Bakker! | 00:01:13 | |
Join Google's Michiel Bakker to meet the leaders who have dared to step up and take action to create a better food future for us all.
Premiering April 27, 2023 with new episodes each Tuesday. Rate, review, and subscribe at https://www.foodlabtalk.com. | |||
| 06 Jun 2023 | 09. Bill Birgen, SAVRpak | 00:27:30 | |
A former rocket scientist and lifelong inventor, Bill Birgen is the Founder and Chief Technology Officer at SAVRpak. Fed up with soggy lunches, Bill developed a pocket-size thermodynamic solution that created the perfect atmosphere inside his lunchbox, keeping his salads and sandwiches fresh and crisp. This technology evolved into SAVRpak’s Drop-In solution, which eradicates condensation - the number one cause of premature molding, wilting and spoilage of packaged produce like berries and leafy greens. On this episode of “Food Lab Talk,” Michiel hears from Bill about the tools that helped him accelerate SAVRpak’s growth; his reflections on pivoting from a “9-5” into entrepreneurship; and why validation was the key to unlocking SAVRpak’s success.
Bill Birgen: “In the U.S., people throw away almost $2,000 worth of food per family and educating the consumer is the most difficult. Selling B2B and going to an executive, saying ‘your farm can be more profitable if you’re not throwing away as much’ is an easier conversation. We’re having that adoption now, but long term there is a huge opportunity for families and a consumer solution.”
01:51 Intro to Bill Birgen 04:08 From rocket science to reducing soggy lunches 05:47 The origins of SAVRpak 07:50 The state of SAVRpak today 08:11 SAVRpak’s Drop-In solution 10:20 Communicating a seemingly simple, yet nuanced and complex solution 12:14 Winning over the skeptics 13:45 The steps to scale from a prototype 14:35 Pivoting to become an entrepreneur 15:28 Reflecting on lessons learned from launching a new technology 16:02 How to find the right stakeholders to validate and adopt your solution 18:54 Top takeaways for changemakers 21:19 Using your network to build a team 22:33 Long-term opportunities for reducing food waste 24:15 Accelerators and blockers for shifting consumer behavior 25:31 What’s next for SAVRpak
Links
Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com
*The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer.
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| 13 Jun 2023 | 10. Ashley Zanolli, EPA | 00:38:01 | |
Ashley Zanolli has been a food waste warrior for more than 17 years, working on various state and national government initiatives to support sustainable food management, water quality and climate sustainability. While at the Environmental Protection Agency, Ashley’s team developed the community-based social marketing campaign “Food: Too Good To Waste” to inspire behavior change and reduce food wasted at home. Today, she advises on the development and implementation of a national strategy to reduce wasted food and increase organics recycling across the supply chain. On this episode of “Food Lab Talk,” Michiel speaks with Ashley about how her career path has transformed the way she thinks about protecting the environment and addressing climate change; her learnings on how to guide consumer behavior change; and her perspective on the role of government in combating food waste.
Ashley Zanolli: “The timeline for systemic change is rather long, relative to our lifetime. How do you set the stage as if it were a play so that the props we need to build the food system we want are eventually the only ones that are available? And you can do that through policies, through incentives, through different structures so that disparate entities and non-traditional partners start to see what's in it for them in new ways. At this point, given projected climate impacts, security of supply inflation, the stakes are too high not to work together and I think you are de-risking the system when you focus on preventing food waste.”
01:07 Intro on Ashley 05:49 Redefining the term “food waste” 07:29 Government’s role in fighting food waste 08:35 Driving action and prevention through comprehensive goal setting 09:43 Amplifying systemic impact via public-private partnerships 13:00 Staying motivated to drive slow-moving change 17:23 Opportunities to fight waste in the system 18:20 Why we need to break down silos and measure differently 21:31 How might we accelerate progress on known solutions? 23:00 Consumer behavior change as the “unlock” to progress 24:10 Incentivizing boots on the ground 25:16 How to: guide systems change 27:02 Focus on the outcome, not the solution 28:20 What it takes to influence a system: translating, listening, and more 30:56 Why you shouldn’t be afraid to ask dumb questions 32:29 Anyone can be an expert 33:36 Doing work “with” not “for” people 35:25 What to look for in a mentor and where to find one
Links
Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com
*The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer.
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| 01 Feb 2024 | 24. Ravi Dhar, Yale School of Management | 00:29:53 | |
Ravi Dhar is the George Rogers Clark Professor of Management and Marketing and director of the Center for Customer Insights at the Yale School of Management. He is an expert in behavior and branding who brings psychological insights to the study of consumer decision-making. Ravi’s research investigates fundamental aspects about the formation of our choices and preferences. His 4Ps Framework for Behavior Change outlines evidence-based “nudges” that can help make healthy choices easier, aligning behaviors with intentions. Ravi Dhar: “This notion that providing information leads to better choices – there's very limited evidence for that. Providing information doesn't work because of information overload and because of distraction. It will not get their attention. That's where the researcher has to come in and say, when are people most receptive to this information? And that may not be at the moment of choice. It may be at other moments when they have a little bit more free time and they get this information.” 00:22 Intro to Ravi 01:36 Translating business challenges into research questions 03:36 Understanding what meta preferences reveal about consumer behavior 07:33 Three factors that might sabotage our choices 11:25 What, how, and when to provide information 15:20 Persuasion: “Making it fun” 18:35 Process: “Making it easy” 19:51 Possibilities: “Choice architecture” 21:11 Person: “Cost of delaying” 22:54 Understanding the reasonable reasons why people do what they do 26:09 Differentiating between fact-based and feeling-based choices 27:58 Takeaways for changemakers Links
Keep in Touch Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com Follow Food Lab talk on YouTube and LinkedIn *The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer. | |||
| 31 Oct 2023 | 19. Eve Turow-Paul, Food for Climate League | 00:35:35 | |
Eve Turow-Paul is an author, globally-recognized thought leader, and the founder and Executive Director of Food for Climate League (FCL). FCL is a nonprofit that is on a mission to democratize sustainable eating and empower action towards climate-smart eating through campaigns, toolkits and behavioral design interventions. By facilitating a deeper understanding of how people think and make decisions, FCL creates narratives and implementation strategies that reframe climate-smart eating as enticing, accessible, and culturally-relevant. On this episode of Food Lab Talk, Michiel speaks with Eve about the complex nature of behavior change, the hidden drivers influencing food choices, and the importance of listening to and learning from the community to drive lasting change. Eve Turow-Paul: “[There’s] this myth that most people don't care about the climate crisis. No, the vast majority of people care. That doesn't mean that it's driving their everyday decisions because we have record high rates of loneliness, stress, depression, anxiety. There are so many other immediate things that are shaping our decisions. Sometimes it's cost, sometimes it's availability, sometimes it's just comfort. You have to be able to paint people a picture of the eventual benefits. Most of the work we [at FCL] do is focusing on the ‘here and now’ including how we make [shifting behavior] something that is related to someone's own personal identity and their immediate needs and values. It's kind of like an added benefit of, oh, and by the way, it's also good for the environment.” 00:16 Intro to Eve 00:49 Understanding how stress, anxiety, & depression influence food behaviors 03:04 The impact of the market research intention-action gap 04:14 Why research is essential to bending food culture in a more sustainable direction 05:28 Co-developing narratives to build trust 07:20 Untangling the complexities of food- and environment-related narratives 09:01 Linking narratives to Self-Determination Theory and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs 13:10 Myths and false stories hinder consumer choice and business decisions 14:23 Freedom of choice and unifying truths in a world of polarization 18:59 How human experience influences motivation to change 20:35 The tension between instant gratification and long term ramifications 23:06 Case study: Embracing plant-forward foods in workplace cafeterias 27:44 Creating change by peeling layers of the “onion” 29:48 Perception and behavior: Why narrative isn’t the only tool 33:18 Takeaways for changemakers Links
Keep in Touch Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com Follow Food Lab talk on YouTube and LinkedIn *The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer. | |||
| 14 Dec 2023 | 22. Ann Cooper, Chef Ann Foundation | 00:33:51 | |
Chef Ann Cooper is a celebrated author, educator, and enduring advocate for better food for all children. She has been a relentless champion of school food reform for improved child nutrition. Known as the “Renegade Lunch Lady,“ Chef Ann founded the Chef Ann Foundation in 2009, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping schools take action so that every child has daily access to fresh, healthy food. Chef Ann Cooper: “In the beginning, I just kind of thought, I know what's right. This is what I want to do. I'm going to push, I'm going to push, and I'm going to push and yell and scream and jump up and down and people will listen. And I think maybe, you know, 25 years ago, there was a place for that, but I've come to learn that system change has to be really inclusive. It has to be collaborative. Doesn't mean I can't jump up and down and yell and scream, but I have to listen as much as I yell and I have to bring everyone to the table. And when you do that, it's maybe slower, but then this change becomes more sustainable and more people come under the umbrella.” 00:20 Intro to Chef Ann 01:14 How a digital lunch box could change the world 04:02 The role of parents, educators, farmers in school food reform 04:50 From renegade to mainstream 06:42 Why collaboration is essential to sustainable systems change 09:10 Pushing from the inside vs. hammering on the outside 10:16 Future opportunities for shifting school foodservice operations 12:05 Working on a continuum to evaluate partners and focus efforts 13:55 The catalyst for change comes from within 15:04 Levers for changemaking: food, finance, facilities, human resources, marketing 17:02 Shedding light on the nuanced school food rules and regulations 19:26 Changing behavior through ownership and education 21:14 The two things that would change everything: free school meals for all and higher reimbursement rates 22:21 What partners, policy, and patience have to do with changemaking 24:43 How to become a leader and changemaker 26:59 Reflections from founding and scaling a social impact organization 31:13 Takeaways for changemakers Links Keep in Touch Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com Follow Food Lab talk on YouTube and LinkedIn *The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer. | |||
| 17 Oct 2023 | 17. Devon Klatell, The Rockefeller Foundation | 00:39:22 | |
Devon is the Vice President, Food Initiative, at the Rockefeller Foundation. Devon oversees the Good Food Strategy in the United States, working to advance a more nourishing, regenerative and equitable domestic food system. In this role, she collaborates with stakeholders across the food system to increase consumption of healthy, sustainably produced foods in underserved communities. On this episode of Food Lab Talk, Michiel speaks with Devon about the complexity of systems change, the importance of engaging with a variety of people and perspectives, and why nutrition education isn’t the only tool for shifting diets. Devon Klatell: “I think we get a little lost thinking that we all can go from the same A to B when talking about shifting diets. I think nutrition education is a really important tool in shifting diets and it's not enough. So let's educate them, but let's also make sure that they can afford to buy the foods that you're recommending that they eat. Let's also make sure that those foods are available to them in a place that they can get to in their busy day. That they have the transportation to access. Let's make sure that they're culturally appropriate. Let's make sure that our policy framework supports growing and producing those foods just as much as it supports growing and producing other foods. One of the big mistakes we've made in the past around shifting diets is being overly focused on one solution.” 00:10 Intro to Devon 01:10 From late night food shows to shifting food systems 05:28 Why we need to talk about multiple food systems at different scales 07:35 Unintended consequences of food system complexities 09:19 Making opportunity universal and sustainable 11:12 How the health impacts of the food system carry a $1T price tag 14:32 Why we cannot ignore the scale of the problem 16:44 Shifting the focus of healthcare to nutrition 18:41 Personalizing the path to shift diets 21:13 Systems change as a “yes, and” exercise 22:46 Shifting diets vs shifting lifestyles 25:14 Balancing food as medicine and joy of food 27:59 Using healthcare resources to lower barriers to healthy eating 30:24 Theory of Change: How Rockefeller Foundation is making invisible problems visible 35:13 Why it's important to invite skeptics to your table 37:22 Takeaways for changemakers Links
Keep in Touch Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com Follow Food Lab talk on YouTube and LinkedIn *The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer. | |||
| 23 May 2023 | 07. James Kanoff, The Farmlink Project | 00:29:17 | |
James Kanoff co-founded The Farmlink Project in 2020 while being a student at Stanford University. When the COVID-19 pandemic caused Stanford to send students home, James and his fellow classmates knew they had to do something to help their local communities. They created The Farmlink Project with the intention to rescue surplus food from farmers and deliver to food banks and families in need. On this episode of “Food Lab Talk,” Michiel speaks with James about how The Farmlink Project has grown to recover and deliver more than one hundred and ten million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables; what inspired Kanoff to “never stop” in his pursuit of change; and why his dream is to put himself and his co-workers out of business. James Kanoff: “Maybe it’s just being a college student; call it naive. But we’re going to try, because what else can we do? What is the other option? The alternative is (the) food bank completely runs out of food. You have literally freeway passes of lines. We have to try something.” 01:51 Intro to James Kanoff 02:55 The origins of The Farmlink Project 06:03 Identifying which types of farmers have surplus produce 08:07 Growing Farmlink from a one-off project to a larger movement 10:03 Food loss and waste is not just a pandemic problem 11:20 What gave Kanoff and other early founders the audacity to tackle food loss and waste 12:19 What keeps students committed to this problem post-pandemic 13:22 The state of The Farmlink Project in 2023 15:05 Farmlink’s mission and vision for the future 16:21 Moving at the speed of trust 19:09 Dream big, start small, move fast 22:42 How Farmlink is funded 24:12 How listeners can get involved with The Farmlink Project 26:39 The Farmlink community Links
Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com *The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer. | |||
| 15 Aug 2023 | 12. Kathy Cacciola, Season One Reflections | 00:25:06 | |
On this episode of “Food Lab Talk”, host Michiel Bakker is joined by Kathy Cacciola, global sustainability lead on the Google Food team. Together, they reflect on their thoughts, impressions and learnings from Season 1, including the importance of community in food systems and practical advice for changemakers. Our favorite takeaway: In complex systems, you learn by doing, so get started!
00:20 Introduction to Kathy Cacciola 02:15 Kathy’s Season 1 impressions: No ego, reframing food challenges 03:30 The personal connection, perspectives and positivity 06:45 Understanding the complexity of food systems 11:20 Community and moving at the speed of trust 14:54 Season 1 practical takeaways for changemakers 16:50 Michiel’s changemaking advice: Frame, orient, mobilize 19:15 Kathy’s changemaking advice: The value of naysayers 20:12 The many roles of changemakers 21:38 Previewing Season 2: Shifting Diets 24:04 Our parting thought: Food creates relationships
Links
Don’t miss Season 2 of Food Lab Talk “Shifting Diets,” launching September 2023.
Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com
*The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer.
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| 29 Feb 2024 | 27. Clancy Cash Harrison, Food Dignity Movement | 00:32:00 | |
Clancy Cash Harrison is a food equity advocate, registered dietitian, TEDx speaker, and international thought leader who challenges the way food insecurity is approached and discussed. Her mission to demolish the stigma around food access places her on the cutting edge of advocacy. Clancy is the founder of the Food Dignity® Movement, a strategic program for leaders who want to shift how they approach nutrition outreach by making healthy food access a priority. Clancy Cash Harrison: “How can we create solutions that work? First, I had to be humble enough to say I was wrong. One of the questions I started asking myself is, where am I wrong so I can be right? Now we have our volunteers asking the same question. What are we here to learn today from the people that we're working with?” 00:24 Intro to Clancy 01:49 How uncovering personal bias began the Food Dignity Movement 04:56 Breaking down silos to collaboration 07:32 Defining hidden hunger 09:04 Why changemakers should adapt solutions to each unique audience 11:33 Creating solutions that work: “Where am I wrong so I can be right?” 14:19 Taking hunger out of the charity box 16:30 Driving systems change through local agriculture 17:41 How to use skepticism and appreciation to fuel changemaking 19:10 The material impact of one $8,000 walk in cooler 21:23 People are the experts in their life 22:50 Uncovering the “why” instead of judging food choices 25:16 How admitting what you don’t know can fuel personal growth 27:46 Call to action: find the cracks and be the glue 29:17 Takeaways for changemakers Links
Keep in Touch Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com Follow Food Lab talk on YouTube and LinkedIn *The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer. | |||
| 07 Mar 2024 | 28. Wendy Lopez and Jessica Jones, Diabetes Digital | 00:29:03 | |
Wendy Lopez and Jessica Jones are nationally recognized Registered Dietitians and Certified Diabetes Educators. They are the founders of Food Heaven – a multimedia platform originally founded for women and communities of color experiencing barriers to food, healthcare and nutrition education - and the newly launched Diabetes Digital - a trusted source for virtual personalized nutrition counseling dedicated to diabetes and prediabetes. In their highly successful podcast, videos, books and more, they dive deep into health and wellness topics with a lens on inclusivity and cultural competency. Wendy Lopez: “Needs vary based on what community you're talking about, what country you're in, what neighborhood you're in. Talking to the people that are impacted the most by the food system to learn more about what their needs are, what they would want out of a food system, is really important because they're the main stakeholders.” Jessica Jones: “It's also making sure that people have access not only to health promoting foods, but also culturally relevant foods. Because so often people want to come into communities and say, you should be doing this, or, these are the foods that are helpful. And it's like one list. But it's more effective, and we've seen this firsthand, trying to incorporate foods that people enjoy that are part of their cultures and not demonizing those foods.” 00:12 Intro to Wendy and Jess 01:55 The evolution of Food Heaven to Diabetes Digital 03:46 How prioritizing cultural relevance builds inclusive, sustainable food systems 06:35 Celebrating diversity to reduce stigma and shame 08:09 Socioeconomic and cultural factors influence on choice 10:42 Improving access to healthy, sustainable foods 12:50 Building trust through science and lived experiences 15:01 How motivational interviewing balances nutrition advice and personal preferences 18:11 Embracing life’s fluctuations 21:08 Why growing a diverse support community can enhance impact 24:14 The importance of embracing “fun” in business development 26:47 Takeaways for changemakers Links Keep in Touch Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com Follow Food Lab talk on YouTube and LinkedIn *The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer. | |||