Doing Good Through Food

Katy Franklin is the Operations Director of ReFED - the only U.S. non-profit wholly dedicated to food waste reduction. It is a think tank that works with decision-makers across the food system to reduce food waste. ReFED's work provides data-based insights and guidance on food waste and solutions to it.They identify both systems level changes to improve outcomes at a national level and also practical measures to help individuals, businesses and other stakeholders make a meaningful impact on the problem of food waste.Our conversation focusses for some time on ReFED's 2016 Roadmap - which laid out a route to a 20% reduction in food waste within a decade - and also the online platform that will supersede the Roadmap, the Insights Engine (launching October 2020). If you are interested in the topic I really recommend you download the Roadmap for yourself to look into their findings further.We cover lots of other ground, including:The competitive advantage for businesses who adopt reduction policiesWhy the benefits of reducing food waste are still as available to brands as everWhy education has the biggest positive effect of all on the problem of food wasteWhat businesses serving food can do to educate their customers and other stakeholdersKaty has spent her career working on strategies and systems to effectively reduce food waste at all levels and has authored industry and academic research on food waste and opportunities to address it. I found it really interesting and informative talking to her and I'm sure you will enjoy listening to the conversation too.To take any of the points we discuss further, the best place to start would be the ReFED website: https://www.refed.com/

Katy Franklin is the Operations Director of ReFED - the only U.S. non-profit wholly dedicated to food waste reduction. It is a think tank that works with decision-makers across the food system to reduce food waste. ReFED’s work provides data-based insights and guidance on food waste and solutions to it.They identify both systems level changes to improve outcomes at a national level and also practical measures to help individuals, businesses and other stakeholders make a meaningful impact on the problem of food waste.Our conversation focusses for some time on ReFED’s 2016 Roadmap - which laid out a route to a 20% reduction in food waste within a decade - and also the online platform that will supersede the Roadmap, the Insights Engine (launching October 2020). If you are interested in the topic I really recommend you download the Roadmap for yourself to look into their findings further.We cover lots of other ground, including:The competitive advantage for businesses who adopt reduction policiesWhy the benefits of reducing food waste are still as available to brands as everWhy education has the biggest positive effect of all on the problem of food wasteWhat businesses serving food can do to educate their customers and other stakeholdersKaty has spent her career working on strategies and systems to effectively reduce food waste at all levels and has authored industry and academic research on food waste and opportunities to address it. I found it really interesting and informative talking to her and I’m sure you will enjoy listening to the conversation too.To take any of the points we discuss further, the best place to start would be the ReFED website: https://www.refed.com/

This episode my guests are Alyson Parkes and Chiara Gianusso.Together, they co-founded The Food Waste Project – a consultancy service dedicated to preventing and reducing food waste from workplace catering operations.They focus on preventing food waste at source, rather than on recycling waste that has already occurred. Their approach is to measure what is thrown away in order to understand where food waste can be reduced...and so prevent the larger environmental damage that recycling does not solve.https://www.thefoodwasteproject.com

This episode my guests are Alyson Parkes and Chiara Gianusso.Together, they co-founded The Food Waste Project – a consultancy service dedicated to preventing and reducing food waste from workplace catering operations.They focus on preventing food waste at source, rather than on recycling waste that has already occurred. Their approach is to measure what is thrown away in order to understand where food waste can be reduced...and so prevent the larger environmental damage that recycling does not solve.https://www.thefoodwasteproject.com

Naomi is Chief Executive of Chefs in Schools - a charity working to improve the health of children through better school food & education.They realised that the closure of schools would have a disproportionate serious impact on those children for whom free school meals are the main or even only food they receive. Now, Chefs in Schools are working to prevent children living in food insecure households in the UK from going hungry. They are providing free school meals to eligible pupils who are now at home and they're helping schools to feed the children of key workers too. Please enjoy they episode... if you want to find out more about their current focus and what they do under more normal circumstances please check out their website:https://www.chefsinschools.org.ukAnd if you are in a position to donate anything to help them continue their vital work please consider doing so here:Chefs in Schools - Crowdfunder

Naomi is Chief Executive of Chefs in Schools - a charity working to improve the health of children through better school food & education.They realised that the closure of schools would have a disproportionate serious impact on those children for whom free school meals are the main or even only food they receive. Now, Chefs in Schools are working to prevent children living in food insecure households in the UK from going hungry. They are providing free school meals to eligible pupils who are now at home and they’re helping schools to feed the children of key workers too. Please enjoy they episode... if you want to find out more about their current focus and what they do under more normal circumstances please check out their website:https://www.chefsinschools.org.ukAnd if you are in a position to donate anything to help them continue their vital work please consider doing so here:Chefs in Schools - Crowdfunder

Mark MCC is one of the leading Food, Drink and Hospitality brand and marketing minds in world. He has a huge amount of experience as a marketer within major companies, as the founder of the leading agency WE ARE Spectacular and also as the founder of C-Suite brand and marketing consultancy Supersonic Inc. He's a successful podcaster too - his Mark McC Supersonic Food Marketing Podcast has reached number 20 in the iTunes business charts and is a regular Top 100 podcast.He has been putting out a lot of free content since the pandemic first started to affect us here in the UK and has now ramped things up with the Pub and Restaurant Rebirth programme - a free series of in depth videos on Youtube to help operators make the most of the enforced downtime and be in the best possible position when they can start to trade again after the lockdown.Check the free programme out nowThe conversation is really intended to help all those who run a cafe, bar or restaurant and are having a hard time at the moment. We cover loads of stuff, but in particular:what operators can focus on right nowhow to market and run a delivery/takeaway service if you haven't done it beforewhat the best operators are currently doinghow you can avoid making marketing or PR blunders that will hurt your businessIf you know someone who runs a food and drink business and could do with some help please share this episode with them.You can follow and engage with Mark on all the channels below:InstagramTwitterLinkedInSpotifySupersonic Inc website

Mark MCC is one of the leading Food, Drink and Hospitality brand and marketing minds in world. He has a huge amount of experience as a marketer within major companies, as the founder of the leading agency WE ARE Spectacular and also as the founder of C-Suite brand and marketing consultancy Supersonic Inc. He’s a successful podcaster too - his Mark McC Supersonic Food Marketing Podcast has reached number 20 in the iTunes business charts and is a regular Top 100 podcast.He has been putting out a lot of free content since the pandemic first started to affect us here in the UK and has now ramped things up with the Pub and Restaurant Rebirth programme - a free series of in depth videos on Youtube to help operators make the most of the enforced downtime and be in the best possible position when they can start to trade again after the lockdown.Check the free programme out nowThe conversation is really intended to help all those who run a cafe, bar or restaurant and are having a hard time at the moment. We cover loads of stuff, but in particular:what operators can focus on right nowhow to market and run a delivery/takeaway service if you haven’t done it beforewhat the best operators are currently doinghow you can avoid making marketing or PR blunders that will hurt your businessIf you know someone who runs a food and drink business and could do with some help please share this episode with them.You can follow and engage with Mark on all the channels below:InstagramTwitterLinkedInSpotifySupersonic Inc website

This episode my guests are Hilary Quartner, Nina Mullen and Lily Galef. Together, they co-founded Hilma – a company producing natural remedies backed by science. They wanted to know why though most products in their homes had changed over the last few years (so they could pronounce the ingredients, read about their sourcing and so on) when it came to the medicine cabinet things were still very much the same as ever - brightly coloured tablets, sugary syrups, and so on and opaque labels.They looked for the products they wanted, but found that the natural options weren't backed by science. And the products backed by science didn't hold up to their clean label standards.So they decided to take natural remedies into the lab. What they created was not a drug or a vitamin, but a new standard – which they call the Clinical Herbal.The conversation covered a lot of ground and I found it fascinating. Among other things we discussed:The gap between medicines and natural remedies that they are working to bridgeHow their idea became a realityHow they got backing from the scientific communityTheir approach to ingredients and sourcingWhat their clinical trials aim to showWhat “backed by science” means to themHow the industry suffers when people use such labels unethicallyTo look into what they are doing in more detail check out their website or their Instagram feed.

This episode my guests are Hilary Quartner, Nina Mullen and Lily Galef. Together, they co-founded Hilma – a company producing natural remedies backed by science. They wanted to know why though most products in their homes had changed over the last few years (so they could pronounce the ingredients, read about their sourcing and so on) when it came to the medicine cabinet things were still very much the same as ever - brightly coloured tablets, sugary syrups, and so on and opaque labels.They looked for the products they wanted, but found that the natural options weren’t backed by science. And the products backed by science didn’t hold up to their clean label standards.So they decided to take natural remedies into the lab. What they created was not a drug or a vitamin, but a new standard – which they call the Clinical Herbal.The conversation covered a lot of ground and I found it fascinating. Among other things we discussed:The gap between medicines and natural remedies that they are working to bridgeHow their idea became a realityHow they got backing from the scientific communityTheir approach to ingredients and sourcingWhat their clinical trials aim to showWhat “backed by science” means to themHow the industry suffers when people use such labels unethicallyTo look into what they are doing in more detail check out their website or their Instagram feed.

Amanda is CEO and co-founder of Ambrosia, a New York-based company that combines waste management with closed-loop manufacturing. They noted that the largest component of food waste is water and that inside the 1.3 billion tons of food wasted globally each year is 45 trillion gallons of water. So, using their specialised biorefining process, they take food waste, recover the water and upcycle the residual components into an array of products.Ambrosia is currently launching their first product, Veles - a multi purpose cleaner made with ingredients derived entirely from waste materials. They are able to say it is the world's first closed-loop cleaning product and that it is actually resource negative, which is quite amazing.We really delve into the fascinating and creative approach Ambrosia are taking to address our massive food waste problem. The conversation covers loads of areas, including:How the idea to takle food waste in this way startedIssues getting fundingHow the first product has been brought to marketThe accidental discovery that lead directly to VelesThe types of food waste they are able to treatThe costs involved in making a truly ethical cleaning productHow they could partner with other producers to reduce the impact of their productsTo look into Ambrosia, the cleaning product Veles, and the issues discussed in the episode in more detail have a look at the following:https://veles.comhttps://www.ambrosia.ioInstagramThe cost of a truly sustainable cleaning product

 Amanda is CEO and co-founder of Ambrosia, a New York-based company that combines waste management with closed-loop manufacturing. They noted that the largest component of food waste is water and that inside the 1.3 billion tons of food wasted globally each year is 45 trillion gallons of water. So, using their specialised biorefining process, they take food waste, recover the water and upcycle the residual components into an array of products.Ambrosia is currently launching their first product, Veles - a multi purpose cleaner made with ingredients derived entirely from waste materials. They are able to say it is the world’s first closed-loop cleaning product and that it is actually resource negative, which is quite amazing.We really delve into the fascinating and creative approach Ambrosia are taking to address our massive food waste problem. The conversation covers loads of areas, including:How the idea to takle food waste in this way startedIssues getting fundingHow the first product has been brought to marketThe accidental discovery that lead directly to VelesThe types of food waste they are able to treatThe costs involved in making a truly ethical cleaning productHow they could partner with other producers to reduce the impact of their productsTo look into Ambrosia, the cleaning product Veles, and the issues discussed in the episode in more detail have a look at the following:https://veles.comhttps://www.ambrosia.ioInstagramCost of the product

This episode is a conversation with Dr Lilly Da Gama – AKA The Food Waste Doctor.Lilly is a Food Waste Consultant for the United Nations and an Associate Practitioner with the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment. As The Food Waste Doctor she operates an online platform for the discussion of food waste, its impacts, and tips for reducing waste in the home. She is an expert in the trade-offs between food packaging and food waste, and how the overall environmental impact of our food choices can be minimised.In this episode we discuss:The attitude towards food waste she inherited from her familyThe environmental balance between food and packagingWhy the modern food system uses packaging as it does.Why the energy levels used to produce food are FIVE TIMES larger than the those required to produce the packaging which preserves it.Which are the best/worst types of food in terms of environmental impact and what this means for the way they should be packagedWhere packaging decisions take place in the supply chainWhy focussing on the impact of plastic without considering food waste is a mistakeHow food organisations can improve their environmental impactBest ways to reduce wastage in the homeHow diners can reduce their environmental impact in restaurants

This episode is a conversation with Dr Lilly Da Gama – AKA The Food Waste Doctor.Lilly is a Food Waste Consultant for the United Nations and an Associate Practitioner with the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment. As The Food Waste Doctor she operates an online platform for the discussion of food waste, its impacts, and tips for reducing waste in the home. She is an expert in the trade-offs between food packaging and food waste, and how the overall environmental impact of our food choices can be minimised.In this episode we discuss:The attitude towards food waste she inherited from her familyThe environmental balance between food and packagingWhy the modern food system uses packaging as it does.Why the energy levels used to produce food are FIVE TIMES larger than the those required to produce the packaging which preserves it.Which are the best/worst types of food in terms of environmental impact and what this means for the way they should be packagedWhere packaging decisions take place in the supply chainWhy focussing on the impact of plastic without considering food waste is a mistakeHow food organisations can improve their environmental impactBest ways to reduce wastage in the homeHow diners can reduce their environmental impact in restaurants

Solveiga is Founder & Director of Mimica whose company mission is to radically reduce unnecessary waste, starting with the food industry. Their first product, Mimica Touch, is a patented label that tells you exactly when food spoils inside a package. It is calibrated to degrade at the same rate as food and adjusts to conditions along the way.Solveiga describes herself as an industrial designer who had a big idea and started Mimica entirely by accident. She has won a number of awards such as MIT Technology Review's Inventor of the Year and the UK James Dyson Award for her work.In the episode we discuss:How the big idea and company came aboutWhat exactly Mimica Touch is and how it worksHow a biologically accurate food spoilage indicator could reduce food wasteWhat inclusive design means

Solveiga is Founder & Director of Mimica whose company mission is to radically reduce unnecessary waste, starting with the food industry. Their first product, Mimica Touch, is a patented label that tells you exactly when food spoils inside a package. It is calibrated to degrade at the same rate as food and adjusts to conditions along the way.Solveiga describes herself as an industrial designer who had a big idea and started Mimica entirely by accident. She has won a number of awards such as MIT Technology Review's Inventor of the Year and the UK James Dyson Award for her work.In the episode we discuss:How the big idea and company came aboutWhat exactly Mimica Touch is and how it worksHow a biologically accurate food spoilage indicator could reduce food wasteWhat inclusive design means

Serena is a Wellness Coach, Certified Yoga Teacher and Plant Based Nutrition Consultant who has studied nutrition for over ten years. She is the co-Founder of Whole Shift Wellness, which specializes in bespoke programs for time pressed professionals who want to look and feel their best. Their programmes are based around the 3 pillars of FOCUS, FOOD and FITNESS because, they believe, if one of these pillars is weak you simply can't achieve your health and wellbeing goals.In this episode we discuss:The most common wellness issues, what causes them and how they can be addressedThe importance of taking a holistic approach and the role diet plays in wellnessHow they tailor their programmes for different clients and what that might look like when it comes to foodTips for someone thinking of reducing their meat intakeThe results that are possible when clients take ownership of their wellness

Serena is a Wellness Coach, Certified Yoga Teacher and Plant Based Nutrition Consultant who has studied nutrition for over ten years. She is the co-Founder of Whole Shift Wellness, which specializes in bespoke programs for time pressed professionals who want to look and feel their best. Their programmes are based around the 3 pillars of FOCUS, FOOD and FITNESS because, they believe, if one of these pillars is weak you simply can’t achieve your health and wellbeing goals.In this episode we discuss:The most common wellness issues, what causes them and how they can be addressedThe importance of taking a holistic approach and the role diet plays in wellnessHow they tailor their programmes for different clients and what that might look like when it comes to foodTips for someone thinking of reducing their meat intakeThe results that are possible when clients take ownership of their wellness

Paul is Director of the Sustainable Development Goal 2 Advocacy Hub. He worked for many years with World Vision and the UN's World Food Programme.The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs / Global Goals) are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. Goal 2 is Zero Hunger. Specifically, the goal is to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030. Paul believes it can be done, but only if enough people join the conversation, think about the problems and become part of the solution.The Advocacy Hub coordinates global campaigning and advocacy to achieve SDG2. It brings together NGOs, advocacy groups, civil society, the private sector and UN agencies to share expertise, ideas, and to collaborate on campaigns so that overall impact is increased.In this conversation we discuss:Paul's view of the UK's attitude to food and sustainabilityWhat setting the goal to end hunger by 2030 has achievedHow the Hub coordinates the conversation around ending hungerWhat the Hub actually doesHow it works to get distinct groups to engage with each other and work towards achieving zero hungerThe guidance coming out of the Hub to help people in the food industry do their part towards ending world hungerWhat the Chef's Manifesto is, how it came about and what it aims to achieveHow people can get involved with the community working to achieve SDG2If you would like to investigate the Hub's work further, please check out some of the links below.http://sdg2advocacyhub.orghttp://www.sdg2advocacyhub.org/chefmanifesto#&gid=1&pid=1www.chefsmanifesto.comhttps://www.instagram.com/chefsmanifesto/?hl=en

Paul is Director of the Sustainable Development Goal 2 Advocacy Hub. He worked for many years with World Vision and the UN’s World Food Programme.The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs / Global Goals) are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. Goal 2 is Zero Hunger. Specifically, the goal is to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030. Paul believes it can be done, but only if enough people join the conversation, think about the problems and become part of the solution.The Advocacy Hub coordinates global campaigning and advocacy to achieve SDG2. It brings together NGOs, advocacy groups, civil society, the private sector and UN agencies to share expertise, ideas, and to collaborate on campaigns so that overall impact is increased.In this conversation we discuss:Paul’s view of the UK’s attitude to food and sustainabilityWhat setting the goal to end hunger by 2030 has achievedHow the Hub coordinates the conversation around ending hungerWhat the Hub actually doesHow it works to get distinct groups to engage with each other and work towards achieving zero hungerThe guidance coming out of the Hub to help people in the food industry do their part towards ending world hungerWhat the Chef’s Manifesto is, how it came about and what it aims to achieveHow people can get involved with the community working to achieve SDG2If you would like to investigate the Hub’s work further, please check out some of the links below.http://sdg2advocacyhub.orghttp://www.sdg2advocacyhub.org/chefmanifesto#&gid=1&pid=1www.chefsmanifesto.comhttps://www.instagram.com/chefsmanifesto/?hl=en

Georgina is the founder of Pebble Magazine and Pebble Guides. Pebble magazine is all about stylish sustainable living and covers food, fashion, travel and design. Georgina has been an editor for 16 years and has always worked in food and travel magazines. She set up pebble after seeing the beginnings of a shift for people wanting a more sustainable life but being put off by 'hippyish' blogs or dry statistics. Georgina has written extensively about the many ways we can do good through food and we talk through a number of them in this wide-ranging and fascinating conversation.

Georgina is the founder of Pebble Magazine and Pebble Guides. Pebble magazine is all about stylish sustainable living and covers food, fashion, travel and design. Georgina has been an editor for 16 years and has always worked in food and travel magazines. She set up pebble after seeing the beginnings of a shift for people wanting a more sustainable life but being put off by 'hippyish' blogs or dry statistics. Georgina has written extensively about the many ways we can do good through food and we talk through a number of them in this wide-ranging and fascinating conversation. 

Cemal is the founder of Change Please - a social enterprise partnership between Old Spike Roastery and The Big Issue that trains people who are homeless to be baristas. They pay each individual they employ the London Living Wage, provide extensive barista training, and provide housing, bank accounts, therapy support and then work to help them into onward employment. 10 days after starting with them their staff are no longer homeless.They started with a few coffee carts in London and have expanded rapidly to include fixed sites, opened sites outside the capital, taken the concept to the US and now have their coffee sold in major national supermarkets across the UK too. In this episode Cemal explains:how he is working to make Change Please the UK's fourth-biggest coffee chainhow the Change Please concept works internationallywhy the concept scales so wellthe experience that led him to walk away from a successful career to start this venturehow it got off the ground in the first place how someone thinking of starting a business themselves can have a real social impactthe organisations that can help a would-be social entrepreneurThere are a few links mentioned in the conversation that you can check out it you want to look into this further:www.changeplease.orgwww.socialenterprise.org.ukwww.bigissueinvest.com

Cemal is the founder of Change Please - a social enterprise partnership between Old Spike Roastery and The Big Issue that trains people who are homeless to be baristas. They pay each individual they employ the London Living Wage, provide extensive barista training, and provide housing, bank accounts, therapy support and then work to help them into onward employment. 10 days after starting with them their staff are no longer homeless.They started with a few coffee carts in London and have expanded rapidly to include fixed sites, opened sites outside the capital, taken the concept to the US and now have their coffee sold in major national supermarkets across the UK too. In this episode Cemal explains:how he is working to make Change Please the UK’s fourth-biggest coffee chainhow the Change Please concept works internationallywhy the concept scales so wellthe experience that led him to walk away from a successful career to start this venturehow it got off the ground in the first place how someone thinking of starting a business themselves can have a real social impactthe organisations that can help a would-be social entrepreneurThere are a few links mentioned in the conversation that you can check out it you want to look into this further:www.changeplease.orgwww.socialenterprise.org.ukwww.bigissueinvest.com

Courtney is the founder of Hungry Harvest (at the time of recording called Ungraded Produce), an ugly produce delivery service operating in the Raleigh-Durham of North Carolina. She founded the company after spotting an opportunity to divert food that normally goes unpicked or unsold due to its appearance to consumers that have difficulty accessing fresh produce.Since 2016, Hungry Harvest has rescued over 40,000 lbs of ‘ugly' and surplus produce from going to waste and donated 18,000 lbs of produce to local food banks. In 2017, Courtney won the 18th Annual Duke Startup Challenge and the Audience Choice Award for her work.In this episode we discuss:How Courtney found her mission and started the companyThe networks and support that helped her get off the groundHow they are able to offer a delivery service and still undercut commercial retailers by 30%-50%The realities of being a female entrepreneur in this industryThe barriers and issues to overcome when growing this kind of venture and how the company is going to scale up from hereIf you want to find out more about Hungry Harvest you can have a look at their website here, or follow them on social media:FacebookTwitterPinterestInstagram

Courtney is the founder of Ungraded Produce, an ugly produce delivery service operating in the Raleigh-Durham of North Carolina. She founded the company after spotting an opportunity to divert food that normally goes unpicked or unsold due to its appearance to consumers that have difficulty accessing fresh produce.Since 2016, Ungraded Produce has rescued over 40,000 lbs of ‘ugly’ and surplus produce from going to waste and donated 18,000 lbs of produce to local food banks. In 2017, Courtney won the 18th Annual Duke Startup Challenge and the Audience Choice Award for her work.In this episode we discuss:How Courtney found her mission and started the companyThe networks and support that helped her get off the groundHow they are able to offer a delivery service and still undercut commercial retailers by 30%-50%The realities of being a female entrepreneur in this industryThe barriers and issues to overcome when growing this kind of venture and how the company is going to scale up from hereIf you want to find out more about Ungraded Produce you can have a look at their website here, or follow them on twitter here.

Our guest this week is with Maryn McKenna - an award winning independent journalist and an author who specialises in public health, global health and food policy.Maryn is a Senior Fellow at the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University - and the author of the 2017 bestseller “Big Chicken: The Incredible Story of How Antibiotics Created Modern Agriculture and Changed the Way the World Eats”, which was released in the UK in February this year as “Plucked! The Truth About Chicken”.Her 2015 TED Talk, "What do we do when antibiotics don't work any more?", has been viewed more than 1.5 million times and translated into 33 languagesIn this episode we discuss:How and why antibiotic resistance occursWhat a world without the antibiotics we rely on would look likeThe link between food and antibiotic resistanceHow antibiotics are used in meat farmingWhy they are used largely in healthy animalsThe farming practices that are needed if antibiotic use is to be reducedHow we can help the situation as consumers and as food industry professionalsIf you are interested in the issues raised and would like to look into them more deeply, the place to begin is Maryn's fantastic book: Plucked!There are also a lot of resources, further reading etc available on her website

Our guest this week is with Maryn McKenna - an award winning independent journalist and an author who specialises in public health, global health and food policy.Maryn is a Senior Fellow at the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University - and the author of the 2017 bestseller “Big Chicken: The Incredible Story of How Antibiotics Created Modern Agriculture and Changed the Way the World Eats”, which was released in the UK in February this year as “Plucked! The Truth About Chicken”.Her 2015 TED Talk, "What do we do when antibiotics don't work any more?", has been viewed more than 1.5 million times and translated into 33 languagesIn this episode we discuss:How and why antibiotic resistance occursWhat a world without the antibiotics we rely on would look likeThe link between food and antibiotic resistanceHow antibiotics are used in meat farmingWhy they are used largely in healthy animalsThe farming practices that are needed if antibiotic use is to be reducedHow we can help the situation as consumers and as food industry professionalsIf you are interested in the issues raised and would like to look into them more deeply, the place to begin is Maryn’s fantastic book: Plucked!There are also a lot of resources, further reading etc available on her website

Peter is Programme Director at Manomet - a non-profit organisation based in New England that applies science and engages people to sustain our world. Peter has designed sustainability programs for 30 years, working with Outward Bound, Government, and Sustainability non-profits.He developed the first and only grocery sustainability system in the US, whereby grocery stores reduce their environmental footprint and achieve Grocery Stewardship Certification through a structured programme of continuous improvement and engagement.In this episode we discuss:The vital role grocery stores have to play in creating a more sustainable food systemThe role of the grocery store in the communityHow waste occurs in a typical grocery store The financial impact of that waste and the potential savings to operatorsThe quick fixes and longer term strategies to address wasteHow to engage consumers to think more deeply about the food they purchaseThe discussion gives loads of ideas about how to store, refrigerate and sell food more sustainably. Whether you work in food retail, run a café or simply want to improve the efficiency of your household kitchen there are some money and planet saving tips here for you!

Peter is Programme Director at Manomet - a non-profit organisation based in New England that applies science and engages people to sustain our world. Peter has designed sustainability programs for 30 years, working with Outward Bound, Government, and Sustainability non-profits.He developed the first and only grocery sustainability system in the US, whereby grocery stores reduce their environmental footprint and achieve Grocery Stewardship Certification through a structured programme of continuous improvement and engagement.In this episode we discuss:The vital role grocery stores have to play in creating a more sustainable food systemThe role of the grocery store in the communityHow waste occurs in a typical grocery store The financial impact of that waste and the potential savings to operatorsThe quick fixes and longer term strategies to address wasteHow to engage consumers to think more deeply about the food they purchaseThe discussion gives loads of ideas about how to store, refrigerate and sell food more sustainably. Whether you work in food retail, run a café or simply want to improve the efficiency of your household kitchen there are some money and planet saving tips here for you!

Rob is Chief Toaster at Toast Ale which brews beer using surplus bread that would otherwise go to waste and donates all profits to the charity Feedback to fight against food waste at every level of the food system. Prior to leading Toast, Rob was Director of Ashoka UK, where he worked alongside and supported some of the world's most remarkable social innovators. He is also a serial social entrepreneur who has founded several social change organisations both in the UK and in Africa.In this episode we discuss:How Rob's early success as a social entrepreneur helps him see the potential in other startupsWhy Toast Ale stood out as a perfect social ventureHow enormous surpluses of bread accumulate in our food systems and why it is such a huge problemHow Toast Ale is working to address this waste in the UK and globallyThe partnerships that have helped Toast to grow so quicklyWhy they chose to become a B-Corporation and whether Rob would recommend it for other companiesWhat the future holds for Toast AleThis was a particularly fun conversation (I can confirm the products are delicious!) and an extremely interesting one too. For anyone looking to startup a social enterprise or ethically-motivated company this is essential listening.

Rob is Chief Toaster at Toast Ale which brews beer using surplus bread that would otherwise go to waste and donates all profits to the charity Feedback to fight against food waste at every level of the food system. Prior to leading Toast, Rob was Director of Ashoka UK, where he worked alongside and supported some of the world's most remarkable social innovators. He is also a serial social entrepreneur who has founded several social change organisations both in the UK and in Africa.In this episode we discuss:How Rob's early success as a social entrepreneur helps him see the potential in other startupsWhy Toast Ale stood out as a perfect social ventureHow enormous surpluses of bread accumulate in our food systems and why it is such a huge problemHow Toast Ale is working to address this waste in the UK and globallyThe partnerships that have helped Toast to grow so quicklyWhy they chose to become a B-Corporation and whether Rob would recommend it for other companiesWhat the future holds for Toast AleThis was a particularly fun conversation (I can confirm the products are delicious!) and an extremely interesting one too. For anyone looking to startup a social enterprise or ethically-motivated company this is essential listening.

Evan is a Director at Flower City Pickers in Rochester in western New York state. Founded in January 2015, Flower City Pickers is a volunteer organisation that redistributes leftover and discarded produce from Rochester's Public Market to local homeless shelters, halfway houses, soup kitchens, food pantries, and other organizations that need food. Since they started, they have prevented over 600,000 pounds of food from going to landfill (which is around 270 tonnes for UK listeners).In this episode we chat about how Flower City Pickers came to be, how they operate and how they have grown in the 3 years since they were founded. Evan has a clear passion for sustainability and ethical practices has a lot to say about the impact an organisation like FCP can have, as well as the reasons that organisation like theirs are needed in the first place. This was a really interesting conversation for me and I think it will be particularly good for those listeners with an interest in grass roots ethical movements.*** A quick note about the audio: we spoke via an online platform and unfortunately there are some issues with the quality of the recording. The problems are particularly noticable at the start of the conversation, but the recording clears up as it carries on and is perfect for the last 30 minutes or so. I apologise and hope that you stick with it! If you're finding it too annoying you can skip to about the 40 minute mark and listen from there ***

Evan is a Director at Flower City Pickers in Rochester in western New York state. Founded in January 2015, Flower City Pickers is a volunteer organisation that redistributes leftover and discarded produce from Rochester's Public Market to local homeless shelters, halfway houses, soup kitchens, food pantries, and other organizations that need food. Since they started, they have prevented over 600,000 pounds of food from going to landfill (which is around 270 tonnes for UK listeners).In this episode we chat about how Flower City Pickers came to be, how they operate and how they have grown in the 3 years since they were founded. Evan has a clear passion for sustainability and ethical practices has a lot to say about the impact an organisation like FCP can have, as well as the reasons that organisation like theirs are needed in the first place. This was a really interesting conversation for me and I think it will be particularly good for those listeners with an interest in grass roots ethical movements.*** A quick note about the audio: we spoke via an online platform and unfortunately there are some issues with the quality of the recording. The problems are particularly noticable at the start of the conversation, but the recording clears up as it carries on and is perfect for the last 30 minutes or so. I apologise and hope that you stick with it! If you're finding it too annoying you can skip to about the 40 minute mark and listen from there ***

Rachel is head chef at The Good Egg in Kingly Court and has worked across the industry from pop-ups to private events, at street food stalls, and in catering as well as restaurants.In 2015 she took a break from the kitchen and completed a masters degree in Food Anthropology. We start the conversation by delving into the reasons she wanted to study that course in particular, what she learnt and what she took from it back into the kitchen. We talk in quite a bit of depth about kitchen culture and the ways in which that is changing in response to both external and interal pressures. Towards the end of the conversation we talk quite a bit about the difficulty getting people into the industry, the reasons for that, and how immigration policy in future might affect it.This is a really thought provoking conversation with someone who has worked widely in the industry and has spent time thinking about food generally and its cultural impact in particular. One of the key themes in Doing Good Through Food has been that food - what you choose to eat, how you eat it - says something about who you are and this conversation develops that idea in a number of really interesting ways. One of the main takeaways is that when it comes to the decisions we make in food, context is everything and most positions can be understood whether we agree with them or not.

Rachel is head chef at The Good Egg in Kingly Court and has worked across the industry from pop-ups to private events, at street food stalls, and in catering as well as restaurants.In 2015 she took a break from the kitchen and completed a masters degree in Food Anthropology. We start the conversation by delving into the reasons she wanted to study that course in particular, what she learnt and what she took from it back into the kitchen.  We talk in quite a bit of depth about kitchen culture and the ways in which that is changing in response to both external and interal pressures. Towards the end of the conversation we talk quite a bit about the difficulty getting people into the industry, the reasons for that, and how immigration policy in future might affect it.This is a really thought provoking conversation with someone who has worked widely in the industry and has spent time thinking about food generally and its cultural impact in particular. One of the key themes in Doing Good Through Food has been that food - what you choose to eat, how you eat it - says something about who you are and this conversation develops that idea in a number of really interesting ways. One of the main takeaways is that when it comes to the decisions we make in food, context is everything and most positions can be understood whether we agree with them or not.

Mark is the Founder of the Food Initiative, a catering organisation that supports sustainable farming practices. He describes himself as an environmentalist, turned chef in high-end French restaurants, turned street food trader, turned entrepreneur. He is passionate about the environmental impact of food and through all those different roles he has approached the impact of food in a variety of ways. This conversation is a really fascinating dive into what it really takes to achieve sustainable and ethical practices in a retail food business. We talk in quite a bit of depth about how Mark built the supply chain for his business and why getting out to meet the farmers and growers was so important. We also delve into the detail of how Mark set up both his entrepreneurial ventures, how the UK street food market has changed since he set up and the advice he would give to people thinking of starting up now.There's loads of interest here for anyone who cares about the environmental impact of the food they purchase and consume when away from home. The conversation has some absolutely invaluable advice for anyone thinking of setting up a food business of their own though - if that's you then listen carefully!

Mark is the Founder of the Food Initiative, a catering organisation that supports sustainable farming practices. He describes himself as an environmentalist, turned chef in high-end French restaurants, turned street food trader, turned entrepreneur. He is passionate about the environmental impact of food and through all those different roles he has approached the impact of food in a variety of ways. This conversation is a really fascinating dive into what it really takes to achieve sustainable and ethical practices in a retail food business. We talk in quite a bit of depth about how Mark built the supply chain for his business and why getting out to meet the farmers and growers was so important. We also delve into the detail of how Mark set up both his entrepreneurial ventures, how the UK street food market has changed since he set up and the advice he would give to people thinking of starting up now.There's loads of interest here for anyone who cares about the environmental impact of the food they purchase and consume when away from home. The conversation has some absolutely invaluable advice for anyone thinking of setting up a food business of their own though - if that's you then listen carefully!

Tim is the head teacher of Charlton Manor Primary School in Greenwich, a school that places particular emphasis on incorporating food and cooking in the wider curriculum and is regarded internationally as exemplary for its approach to food.As well as his role as head teacher, Tim is one of the 20 individuals who make up the London Food Board, which advises the Mayor of London and the Greater London Authority on the food matters that affect Londoners. He is also is a member of the School Food Plan Alliance and also Co-founder and Chair of Roots4Life, a charity focused on food education.Tim cares deeply about education and believes that food has an important role to play in the education and development of children. Our conversation focusses on how exactly this belief underpins the way they teach children at Charlton Manor Primary School. I found it fascinating and genuinely inspirational - Tim has a lot to say about why a good relationship with food is so important to our children's development and how it affects their futures, but also about how such a positive relationship can be fostered. I have been trying out some of the things we discuss with my own son and can confirm they have an amazing effect!If you are keen to find out more about Charlton Manor and their amazing approach to food I really encourage you to have a look at their website: www.charltonmanorprimary.co.uk

Tim is the head teacher of Charlton Manor Primary School in Greenwich, a school that places particular emphasis on incorporating food and cooking in the wider curriculum and is regarded internationally as exemplary for its approach to food.As well as his role as head teacher, Tim is one of the 20 individuals who make up the London Food Board, which advises the Mayor of London and the Greater London Authority on the food matters that affect Londoners. He is also is a member of the School Food Plan Alliance and also Co-founder and Chair of Roots4Life, a charity focused on food education.Tim cares deeply about education and believes that food has an important role to play in the education and development of children. Our conversation focusses on how exactly this belief underpins the way they teach children at Charlton Manor Primary School. I found it fascinating and genuinely inspirational - Tim has a lot to say about why a good relationship with food is so important to our children's development and how it affects their futures, but also about how such a positive relationship can be fostered. I have been trying out some of the things we discuss with my own son and can confirm they have an amazing effect!If you are keen to find out more about Charlton Manor and their amazing approach to food I really encourage you to have a look at their website: www.charltonmanorprimary.co.uk

Talia is the manager of Sadeh Farm, which is rooted in Jewish values and aims to cultivate community as well as food.Sadeh has a strong sense of mission. Key aspects include helping disconnected Jews to re-engage with their traditions through farming, working with other communities on the common goal of preserving the environment, and inspiring positive social action through teaching Jewish values in the context of the land.The conversation delves into what a Jewish farm actually is, what the traditions Sadeh hopes to re-invigorate involve (how Jewish law requires land to be treated, for example), why it is so important to grow your own food and much more. We have talked about a number of the social and environmental aims in other episiodes, but never within the context of a religion, which I found really interesting.If you enjoy the discussion and want to find out more, I encourage you to check out Sadeh's website: www.sadehfarm.co.uk

Talia is the manager of Sadeh Farm, which is rooted in Jewish values and aims to cultivate community as well as food.Sadeh has a strong sense of mission. Key aspects include helping disconnected Jews to re-engage with their traditions through farming, working with other communities on the common goal of preserving the environment, and inspiring positive social action through teaching Jewish values in the context of the land.The conversation delves into what a Jewish farm actually is, what the traditions Sadeh hopes to re-invigorate involve (how Jewish law requires land to be treated, for example), why it is so important to grow your own food and much more. We have talked about a number of the social and environmental aims in other episiodes, but never within the context of a religion, which I found really interesting.If you enjoy the discussion and want to find out more, I encourage you to check out Sadeh's website: www.sadehfarm.co.uk

Will is the founder of Greensand Ridge Distillery - a distillery with a mission.He asked, how do you take an energy intensive process like distilling and not only reduce its environmental footprint, but have it make a positive contribution to sustainability? His answer involved use of advanced technology and 100% renewable energy, but also working with local farmers to reduce food waste at the farm gate by fermenting and distilling quality produce that supermarkets won't take.This conversation covers quite a bit of ground including how such a resouce-intesive process as distilling can be made more sustainable, how Will diverts food suplus from the farm gate to use in his spirits and why the waste is there in the first place. We also talk about Will's journey out of the city and into craft distilling, and why getting past the idea of a traditional retirement was important to make that happen.The episode has loads of interesting information for anyone interested in sustainable businesses, unusual ways of addressing food waste, or even in starting up a business of their own.The distillery has a great website and a fantastic instagram page too, both of which I encourage you to have a look at.

Will is the founder of Greensand Ridge Distillery - a distillery with a mission.He asked, how do you take an energy intensive process like distilling and not only reduce its environmental footprint, but have it make a positive contribution to sustainability? His answer involved use of advanced technology and 100% renewable energy, but also working with local farmers to reduce food waste at the farm gate by fermenting and distilling quality produce that supermarkets won't take.This conversation covers quite a bit of ground including how such a resouce-intesive process as distilling can be made more sustainable, how Will diverts food suplus from the farm gate to use in his spirits and why the waste is there in the first place. We also talk about Will's journey out of the city and into craft distilling, and why getting past the idea of a traditional retirement was important to make that happen.The episode has loads of interesting information for anyone interested in sustainable businesses, unusual ways of addressing food waste, or even in starting up a business of their own.The distillery has a great website and a fantastic instagram page too, both of which I encourage you to have a look at:www.greensanddistillery.comhttps://www.instagram.com/greensand_ridge/

Amelia is a culinary consultant and a food and travel writer. She worked for the World Food Programme for 5 years before taking a break to study for a masters in International Law. While studying she founded her company, Cook First.She had experienced how a nutritious diet is vital to leading a healthy and active life. She also realised that cooking can be positive and empowering and that learning to cook can change a person's life for the better. She turned her passion for food towards directly helping people become confident in the kitchen and empowered in their lives as a result.Cook First provides consultancy for catering businesses and workshops for individuals to show how to create wholesome, nourishing meals and become mindful of what you eat. The company also puts huge emphasis on teaching people how to minimise food waste, and make the most out of the food they buy. Amelia believes that food is one of the best ways to build friendships and relationships.. as she puts it: "How better to nourish friendships than through the conviviality and conversation over a delicious, nutritious meal? But you need to know how to cook first"Her website has much more detail about the company's mission, as well as a link to her blog where you can find Amelia's nutritious and thrifty receipes. I really encourage you to check it out for yourself: www.cookfirst.co.uk

Amelia is a culinary consultant and a food and travel writer. She worked for the World Food Programme for 5 years before taking a break to study for a masters in International Law. While studying she founded her company, Cook First.She had experienced how a nutritious diet is vital to leading a healthy and active life. She also realised that cooking can be positive and empowering and that learning to cook can change a person's life for the better. She turned her passion for food towards directly helping people become confident in the kitchen and  empowered in their lives as a result.Cook First provides consultancy for catering businesses and workshops for individuals to show how to create wholesome, nourishing meals and become mindful of what you eat. The company also puts huge emphasis on teaching people how to minimise food waste, and make the most out of the food they buy.  Amelia believes that food is one of the best ways to build friendships and relationships.. as she puts it: "How better to nourish friendships than through the conviviality and conversation over a delicious, nutritious meal?  But you need to know how to cook first"Her website has much more detail about the company's mission, as well as a link to her blog where you can find Amelia's nutritious and thrifty receipes. I really encourage you to check it out for yourself: http://www.cookfirst.co.uk

Max is a food futurist, carrying out research in the Food Futures Lab at the Institute for the Future in Palo Alto California. The Lab looks for innovations that have the potential to reinvent our global food system and create the futures people want. They help people take a long-term view about the future of food - with all the uncertainty that entails. Max's research at the institute is about driving systems-level change to create a more healthy, humane, and sustainable food future.Max studied at philosophy at Kenyon College in Ohio and ethics at Oxford University… he is also a fellow at the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, an international think-tank that pioneers ethical perspectives on animals and is passionate about how we might move to a post-animal bioeconomy.The episode covers a lot of ground including food systems, sustainability and food waste - in particular, why what we waste is more important than how much.We refer to an article Max wrote during the conversation and you can read it in full for yourself here.If you want to find out more about the Institute for the Future and the work they do, their website is http://www.iftf.org

Max is a food futurist, carrying out research in the Food Futures Lab at the Institute for the Future in Palo Alto California. The Lab looks for innovations that have the potential to reinvent our global food system and create the futures people want. They help people take a long-term view about the future of food - with all the uncertainty that entails. Max’s research at the institute is about driving systems-level change to create a more healthy, humane, and sustainable food future.Max studied at philosophy at Kenyon College in Ohio and ethics at Oxford University… he is also a fellow at the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, an international think-tank that pioneers ethical perspectives on animals and is passionate about how we might move to a post-animal bioeconomy.The episode covers a lot of ground including food systems, sustainability and food waste - in particular, why what we waste is more important than how much.We refer to an article Max wrote during the conversation and you can read it in full for yourself here: https://qz.com/1125033/the-waste-of-food-could-be-vastly-reduced-with-a-simple-dietary-changeIf you want to find out more about the Institute for the Future and the work they do, their website is http://www.iftf.org

Our guest this episode is Mallen Baker, a writer, speaker and strategic advisor on corporate social responsibility and responsible marketing. He is also a blogger and podcaster who produces The Respectful Business Blog, Respectful Business Podcast and more recently the Delicious and Sustainable Blog.Our conversation covers a lot of topics, but the key theme is the one Mallen has spent the majority of his career focussing on - namely, how to make the world better by positively affecting as many people as possible.Mallen was involved in politics and campaigning early in his career, but came to realise that an adversarial, "us versus them" mentality is at best ineffective in getting people to change and and often totally counter-productive. Instead, he found, genuinely engaging with institutions and the people within them leads to profoundly better outcomes.This episode will be hugely interesting to anyone hoping to change something for the better, either within or through the world of food. I highly recommend checking out Mallen's blogs and his podcast if you enjoy the discussion:Respectful Business BlogRespectful Business PodcastDelicious & Sustainable

Our guest this episode is Mallen Baker, a writer, speaker and strategic advisor on corporate social responsibility and responsible marketing. He is also a blogger and podcaster who produces The Respectful Business Blog, Respectful Business Podcast and more recently the Delicious and Sustainable Blog.Our conversation covers a lot of topics, but the key theme is the one Mallen has spent the majority of his career focussing on - namely, how to make the world better by positively affecting as many people as possible.Mallen was involved in politics and campaigning early in his career, but came to realise that an adversarial, "us versus them" mentality is at best ineffective in getting people to change and and often totally counter-productive. Instead, he found, genuinely engaging with institutions and the people within them leads to profoundly better outcomes.This episode will be hugely interesting to anyone hoping to change something for the better, either within or through the world of food. I highly recommend checking out Mallen's blogs and his podcast if you enjoy the discussion:Respectful Business BlogRespectful Business PodcastDelicious & Sustainable

Dayna is the UK Director of Fair Food Forager – an international organisation aiming to change the way the world eats by helping people make ethical food decisions. They make it easier to support good businesses and to understand the impact of what we buy, and who we buy it from. They do this by listing food businesses that meet various ethical criteria and promoting them to an engaged audience online, via a website and an app (both called Fair Food Forager) which is free to join and free to use. Around that there is a growing community of people who list the ethical food businesses they have discovered and provide reviews so other users can find more great, ethical food businesses wherever they are.They describe themselves as a megaphone for ethical businesses, which I think is great! So, give the conversation a listen, then check out their app on the Google and Apple stores, or take a look at their website - fairfoodforager.com to find tasty, healthy and responsibly made food.