Podcasts about food institute

Andy is president of Gellert Global Group. The company imports more than 5,500 unique food items from more than 60 countries and is one of the largest food importers in the world. Gellert Global Group is home to 12 companies, led by Atalanta, the largest privately-held food importer in the U.S.Gellert Global is a third-generation family-run business. The Gellert Global Group comprises many of the leading North American food-importing companies and has been importing food products for over 100 years. The combined revenues of the Group exceed $1.7 billion.The Gellert Global family includes Andy's sister, brother and cousin. Andy's father and uncle are also part of the company. Andy's father, George, was recently inducted into the New Jersey business hall of fame. Gellert Global's goal is to be a part of every food and beverage experience. Andy and his team use a variety of factors to determine which products and brands to partner with, including trends and the needs of customers. QUOTES “Some of these family businesses and you hear about fighting and people not getting along. I think we're successful because we keep growing and there's enough things for everyone to do and for everyone to bring value.” (Andy) “You want (joining the family business) to happen organically. It's a fun business. There's opportunities for (family) to join if they want. There's no obligation to come in. We'd like them to come in, but we don't want to make a rule that they have to come in.” (Andy) “Network is important to my father. I learned that from him early on. Being a part of YPO (Young President's Organization), I love leveraging my network. I like investing in early-stage CPG's and helping and leading them to other opportunities.” (Andy) “We don't want to lose direction. We're very big and we're happy where we are but we're not in a rush to get to two billion. We're going to get there smart. If it means pairing down and doing SKU rationalization to be more profitable, all the better.” (Andy) “It's really all about efficiency. As you get bigger you can be more efficient, but you have to be diligent.” (Andy) “We're an importer of products so our products are expensive already. We're always looking for ways to (save). You always have to turn over rocks to look for more opportunities.” (Andy) “I love eating. I love food experiences. I love being surprised. I like going to a chef and saying ‘Just surprise me. Just give me what you do best.'” (Andy)  TRANSCRIPT 00:00.45Andy GellertBye. 00:01.87vigorbrandingHey there, welcome to Fork Tales. I’m ah Michael Pavone, and I’m happy to really get a chance to talk to a good friend of mine. ah Today we have Andy Gellert here. He’s a good friend I’ve known for and respected for a long, long time. Andy’s the president of Gellert Global Group, one of the largest food importers in the world. ah They import more than 2,500 product lines from more than 60 countries. Andy, thank you so much for being here. 00:27.05Andy GellertMike, always a pleasure, always great seeing you, and nice seeing your smiling face, and I love hanging out with you. We’re always having a lot of fun together. 00:34.39vigorbrandingYeah, absolutely. You know, if they if they have music for this in the beginning, you know, I was going to, I was going to change up our, our forktails music and have a little. 00:41.11Andy GellertListen, I don’t like to brag about my my my my my my my my my beautiful voice. where You saw me on stage with Welcome Pepper a long time ago. I hung that up a long time ago. 00:52.98Andy GellertI got straight into the food business, Mike. I can’t cant just think my life away, you know? 00:54.81vigorbrandingYeah. The little salt and pepper in the beginning of this thing i gets us off on everything and everything. The thing is, Andy, I have known you for a long time, but I love doing these interviews because I always learn more. so it’s like I might have seen you over the years at these shows and get to hang out and you know have a drink together, but you know when you’re digging a little deeper about the family business and about the food industry and and all of that, it’s just I’m always blown away. and your Your company and your family, which is the company, is absolutely amazing. 01:21.57vigorbrandingSo tell us a little bit about Gellert Global Group and know what they do. 01:24.57Andy Gellertbut i mean like Next year we’ll celebrate our 80th birthday and we’re very excited. and As I said, you know I’m third generation and I live i live food. It’s a passion of mine. I love all aspects of the food industry. and you know like My grandfather started this in 1945. 01:46.38Andy Gellertimporting meats from Eastern Europe and seafood. We’ve grown and got other lines of businesses in. We’re selling food service, retail, manufacturing, cruise line. 01:57.56Andy GellertWe’re now involved in, you know thanks to YPO, I’m i’m involved in the franchise business. By the end of the year, we’ll have 55 guys. Thanks to our good friend Dan Rowe. 02:05.09vigorbrandingWow. Yeah. 02:07.17Andy GellertWe’re introducing their first one. And you know we invest in food businesses and it’s just, ah We’re all about food. I tell everyone I hit my belly, it’s this is R and&D. 02:17.29Andy GellertThis is R and&D. I mean, 02:20.68vigorbrandingThat’s fantastic. Now, you know, I know family owned, super important. I know you treat everyone like family because I’ve seen you around ah customers, employees, the whole thing, but your dad, he is an older gentleman, but still very much involved in the business. Is that correct? 02:35.09Andy Gellert86. I went to his house to play tennis at 6 o’clock in the morning today. We play with people from our company. He loves it like he’s, my mom goes away for the summer. 02:45.63Andy GellertHe’s having, ah lot this summer is incredible. He’s 86. Every, twice a week, he has people from the company come over and have dinner and just different groups of people. 02:52.74vigorbrandingThat’s awesome. 02:53.86Andy GellertAnd and he loves what he does. It’s it’s it’s really it’s really an honor to to to work with him and and watch him. he loves He loves his suppliers. 03:04.49Andy GellertWe love our bankers. We love our employees. It’s all about, you know, yeah he’s all, he’s all about people. And it’s really great. 03:11.81vigorbrandingYeah. 03:12.97Andy GellertI said this summer at the fancy food show, he was honored with a lifetime achievement award. And it’s such a good honor to see him up there and enjoying all the success of the role we’ve done together. 03:22.47vigorbrandingWell, it’s so well deserved. He deserved that honor. The company’s amazing. But you should give him a break. I mean, I think you you put sneakers on him. 03:28.24Andy GellertHe loves, 03:28.57vigorbrandingi had He had sneakers on in the booth to run around. I mean, you know. 03:32.00Andy Gellertyou know, listen, like I said, he works out before we play tennis in the morning and He’s all about the next activity and what we’re doing next. So, you know. 03:39.84vigorbrandingThat’s it’s fantastic. how many So how many members of the family are currently working in the company? 03:45.07Andy GellertSo today we have my sister, my brother, and my cousin in my generation. And my cousin who, my other cousin who runs the Five Guide business. And then I have my father and my uncle. 03:56.25Andy GellertSo there’s, you know, three, six of us, you know. 03:58.55vigorbrandingthat’s great 03:59.47Andy GellertAnd we’re getting ready for the third generation. 03:59.41vigorbrandingand look 04:01.81Andy GellertHopefully, you know, there are nine kids in the next generation. Hopefully one of them or two of them will come in and we’re we’re excited. It’s all about, you know, we love what we do and there’s a lot to do. 04:12.31Andy GellertAnd, you know, some of these family businesses, you know, the family, you hear about them and they’re fighting and they’re not getting a along. 04:18.50vigorbrandingThat’s 04:19.38Andy GellertI think we’re being successful because we keep growing and there’s enough things that everyone can do and everyone brings value that no one’s stepping each other’s toes. 04:25.06vigorbrandinggreat. 04:27.57Andy GellertWe’re all different, we but we appreciate each other’s opinion and listening to each other. We argue, but, you know, we all, we we get her off our chest and we move forward. You know? 04:36.10vigorbrandingWould you go out and play tennis, right, and solve it over the own tennis court? 04:37.88Andy GellertExactly. We stopped it on the court. We stopped it on the court. 04:40.98vigorbrandingSo you the kids, are are they are they interested? are they old not I don’t know how old they are. Are they old enough to be getting close? 04:47.10Andy GellertSo I think um my daughter my daughter is a social worker therapist. I don’t think she’s going to come in, you know. But my, you know, my other two ah potentially will come in. 04:57.29Andy Gellertone One probably more likely than the other. 04:57.44vigorbrandingMm-hmm. 04:59.68Andy GellertOther is in the real estate industry. And then my sister’s kids potentially were there and my brother’s kids were a little bit younger. So I definitely think at least three or four will come in for the next generation. But in the meantime, we keep growing and getting bigger and and looking at opportunities and we have fun. Why why are we doing it? 05:17.12vigorbrandingThat’s awesome. Well, so in in your situation, I mean, we’re we’re of a generation, you and I, I’ll say that, like, did you, did you have a choice or did you always know that this is what I’m going to do or I want to do it? Or did you, did dad put a little pressure on you and say, Hey, look, you know, you got to do your thing. 05:32.22Andy GellertI did everything wrong in the family business. youre They all that go out and get the outside experience. And I came right in. 05:38.08vigorbrandingyeahh Yeah. 05:38.43Andy GellertAnd it was difficult. I’m not going to say it was a piece of cake. And my brother was a lot. 05:41.30vigorbrandingYeah. 05:44.06Andy Gellertyou know He went to business school. He went to law school. He worked in private banking. And then he came in. So it it made a lot of sense. And my sister, the same thing. yeah I did everything wrong but it’s good to know, it’s good to do it because then you know you’re not going to repeat it. 05:57.78Andy GellertSo you know my son who who definitely looks forward to maybe joining one day says he want he wants to spend three or four years you know the outside and coming in. 05:58.16vigorbrandingYeah. 06:05.42vigorbrandingyeah 06:08.26Andy GellertHe says he doesn’t like his boss I’m like that’s good get used to it. you Get used to it better than me you know. 06:12.52vigorbrandingGet used to it, right? 06:17.21vigorbrandingWell, you know, that’s I had the same rule with my girls. I mean, I don’t know that they’ll ever want to come into it. Why would anyone would go to an advertising agency or come into a marketing firm? But if they would, I said they had to work somewhere for two years and get one promotion. 06:28.93vigorbrandingAnd thankfully, they’ve both been doing that. 06:29.31Andy GellertYeah. 06:31.08vigorbrandingIn fact, they’ve been doing it for a while now, so maybe they’re not interested. So ah they may have dodged the bullet or maybe I have. But I just think our generation was one of those things where, you know, yeah, go do what you want to do, but you’re coming into the company kind of thing, you know. 06:43.02vigorbrandingI started my own business, I didn’t go to my dad’s company but I mean it was one of those things where I just think a lot of folks, it was just I guess different. ah Now I think with, I’ll say with my daughters and probably your kids like go out and do your thing and if you’re interested talk to me, don’t you know, don’t don’t not talk to me about it but you know, no pressure, that kind of thing. 07:00.05vigorbrandingYou know, it’s just a little different. 07:01.20Andy GellertYeah you want it to happen organically and you know listen he he comes around a lot of the meals and the family all gets together and a lot of time is talking about work so he’s interested and you know he spends weekends he came to the fancy food show they all came I can see what’s going on and it’s it’s a fun business so I think there’s opportunities for them in the future if they want but there’s no pressure we’re growing we we have a lot of we’ve done a great job of hiring a lot of outside ah you know ah 07:03.16vigorbrandingYeah. 07:19.45vigorbrandingYeah. 07:30.22Andy Gellertah you know professionals to help us run the business and they don’t have to come. re We’re doing well and you know they’re all going to enjoy the from the fruitfuls of the business as as it as it gets bigger but there’s no obligation for them to come in. We like them to come in but we don’t want to make a rule if they have to come in. 07:48.07vigorbrandingYeah, but on that note, and we’ll jump in more about the business, but on the family side, you mentioned earlier that we’re both in YPO. And we both know that a lot of YPO businesses are family owned businesses. And there’s there are challenges, right, with being family owned and led. I mean, you know, what, you know, can you talk a little bit about that? 08:05.93Andy GellertListen, it’s hard, but thank God for YPO. To me, it’s one of the best opportunities of my life. I really enjoyed all the people like yourself and getting involved in the Food Network and my New Jersey Forum. 08:23.49Andy GellertThese guys are my board of directors and my own personal board of directors. 08:26.70vigorbrandingyou 08:28.15Andy GellertThey really helped me grow. where you know where I was i was being stubborn, they told me to relax, where I was not being aggressive enough, they pushed me. And it’s just been a great environment for me to to prosper as a leader because of YPL. 08:43.66vigorbrandingThat’s great. When I know your food and beverage form or that group and boy, you know, I can’t believe you learned anything from them. So ah you guys have a group of, you guys have ah ah a group of, uh, of, uh, cherished individuals, yeah characters. 08:49.65Andy GellertThank you. 08:56.99Andy GellertWe’ve got a great group and we’ve been together for over, you know, some of us back almost 16, 18 years and it’s great. 08:58.20vigorbrandingYes, you do. 09:03.87Andy GellertI love seeing the guys and we don we try not to miss meetings and and we’re supportive of each other. 09:06.99vigorbrandingYeah, it’s cool. Yeah, I’ve had a couple of them one here, so it’s ah it’s been great. They’re they’re they’re like the characters, that’s for sure. So yeah and you mentioned your father got an award at Fancy Food. I was there at Fancy Food this year, and what it’s a great honor. He’s also a member of the New Jersey Business Hall of Fame. 09:24.61Andy GellertYeah, please listen, though we it’s not easy. I think we’re the 11th largest privately held business in New Jersey. We’re very proud of that. and we you know it’s We work hard and he deserves to be honored for what what what he’s accomplished. 09:39.11vigorbrandingYeah. i mean so As I was saying earlier, you know I get to meet folks and we get to see you know different folks at different shows. and i had i i mean I knew you ran a great, important company. I had no idea the size and scale. so you know on Your vision is to be a part of every food experience. and you know Well, I will say that sounds like a really you know audacious goal, right? But with your company, you kind of are. i mean you have you have you have You have a franchise, you have you import your frozen food, you have CPG, you have a private, I mean, it’s it’s incredible. 10:13.44vigorbrandingCan you talk a little bit about the breadth and the different companies within your organization? 10:15.87Andy GellertI mean, it’s exciting and I think we’ve grown over the years through acquisitions. I think the last 18 months we made three acquisitions. We’re probably closing on one the next month and have two on the table that we’re looking at. So growth is, you know, we’re always looking at mergers and acquisitions. And we like to say, listen, private equity, if you’re a family business, you want to stay apart, you know, how enjoy the ride, take some money off the table and join our family instead of private equity where they 10:44.81vigorbrandingYeah. 10:45.10Andy Gellertchange your business up and listen if you want to cash out you can always cash out but if you want to enjoy the ride a little bit longer and take some money off the table we’ve been very successful about people wanting to join a family business and ours is that we’re like a large very large family business so we get to a lot of opportunities to look at business deals. 11:05.69vigorbrandingYeah, and you know, ah your your ah passion for the business and your your love of people, it sort of precedes you. Like I’ve always seen that about you, your energy and i it’s not, it’s not, it’s not artificial. 11:18.40vigorbrandingYou do that. I’ve seen it. I’ve seen you at the booth when I’m standing walking the shows and stuff. And it’s, ah it’s really kind of ah really cool. And I’m sure that’s a compliment to your father and and I’m sure your whole family’s like that. But you do treat everybody like family. 11:29.62vigorbrandingAnd I think that’s ah admirable. 11:30.12Andy Gellertbut You know, network is always um is important to my father. I learned that from him early on. And being part of YPO, I love leveraging my network and not for myself, but helping people. 11:39.05vigorbrandingYeah. Yeah. 11:41.20Andy GellertI like investing in early stage CPGs and helping these young people and watching their passion and, you know, leading them to other opportunities. I love putting two people together and let let them prosper. 11:53.58Andy GellertIt’s it’s really a ah pleasure of mine, you know, watching that happen. 11:58.17vigorbrandingYeah, well, and that’s, that leads to success, right? 12:00.84Andy GellertIt’s really pure joy. 12:00.82vigorbrandingYou know, you help people out. 12:01.68Andy Gellertat You’re 100%. 12:01.74vigorbrandingYeah, absolutely. So, and I will say, ah you know, I’ve been informed with you and you were a treasure and valuables all get out. And the amount of people you know, and and the connections you have are second to none. 12:14.02Andy GellertWell, 12:14.00vigorbrandingAnd you know, 12:14.46Andy Gellertwe do have a good friend in LA who like to compare. 12:16.32vigorbrandingokay 12:17.18Andy GellertMy good friend, our good friend Clara, who probably knows one more than I do. 12:20.44vigorbrandingyeah hey 12:22.30Andy Gellertjob 12:23.31vigorbrandingheard I would always keep score when we’d be talking, like who knew who or who knew the other person better or whatever else, but I will say, yeah I’m excited for you to be on here because I know my podcast now will be, I’ll rival the the football games, you know the upcoming football games for for for viewership because because of you. 12:34.55Andy GellertYeah. 12:38.34vigorbrandingSo I just, I appreciate that. So, but but back when companies, though you have frozen, you have CPG. can you Can you talk a little bit about the different types of of ah products? 12:46.45Andy GellertYeah, so we’re in the frozen fruits, frozen vegetables. You know, we just actually, a few years ago, we invested in a company called Cafe Spice. I made him join YPO and they make ethnic meals. um I just, you know, we did ah the Bloomberg of Food, the Food Institute, 13:04.37Andy GellertWe made a minority investment in there. 13:04.43vigorbrandingYep. 13:06.90Andy Gellertwere you know We do a lot of different retail, private label, manufacturing. We’re just trying to leverage all the everything on a plate. look at you know we’re We’re looking at an olive business, a rice business. There’s so many opportunities out there. We just want to add on to our great team here. We’ve got great people. 13:27.64Andy Gellertah We have great sales people, great buyers, and you know, finance. And we just, we can do some more. So we’re looking for more opportunities. 13:33.69vigorbrandingMm hmm. That’s great. Do you need an ad agency? I’m just kidding. 13:37.95Andy GellertWe’ve said, a lot of us not our own brand. We do have some brands that we, that are ours. 13:43.18vigorbrandingYeah. 13:43.84Andy GellertAnd we bought, we bought two brands from, from UNFI, Mountain Vicos that was owned by UNFI and Sonoma Cheese. 13:48.53vigorbrandingMm hmm. 13:52.16Andy GellertSo we do, we do work on our brand. So we, you know, we and um we have a marketing department. 13:54.60vigorbrandingThat’s awesome. 13:56.46Andy GellertWe got a, get you more engaged, Micah. 13:58.46vigorbrandingThere you go. 13:58.78Andy GellertI’ll get to that. 13:59.35vigorbrandingHey, I’m always here for that. That’s awesome. 14:01.26Andy GellertFor even your Philly cheesesteak, we’ll have a meeting, you know, that’s all I need. 14:03.59vigorbrandingYou got it. Hey, that’s done. No no no problem there. So when you’re when you’re building and you’re always looking for these new new products or companies, ah yeah what when you want to import them, what what factors are you looking at? 14:15.50vigorbrandinglike I mean, obviously you you go to need a lot of things, there but you’re in so many different places. What what is it that you’re you’re kind of like, what’s on your checklist at the top of the checklist? 14:23.65Andy GellertSo we want to look at something that makes sense. so if you know We love the the old math, one plus one equals four. So we want to find efficiencies. Maybe they’re doing the same thing we are, but they have a big they have a big finance team that we don’t really need going forward. 14:38.14Andy GellertOr maybe they’re in one segment of the business where we’re not in. 14:42.04vigorbrandingUh-huh. 14:42.16Andy GellertSo we try to really identify where we can do the math where one plus one equals four and five. 14:47.91vigorbrandingRight. 14:48.70Andy Gellertyou know we don’t want to doesn’t that A copycat doesn’t really help sometimes, but if they have a you know a big ah big staff on the some redundancy there, then it could make sense. 14:54.08vigorbrandingUh-huh. 14:58.10Andy GellertOtherwise, it could be a whole new field that we can add to our already you know deep bench of of products that we do. So we don’t have a playlist of what we’re looking for. We just look at different opportunities and see if they make sense. 15:11.27Andy Gellerti mean like Just like building a network, we love looking at decks and looking at opportunities or 15:16.32vigorbrandingMm hmm. 15:16.75Andy GellertWhy are companies for sale? Why aren’t they aren’t? And a lot of times, i likeck listen, this is going to go to private equity. We’re not going to need a bit because we know we’ll be blown out of the water. 15:25.59vigorbrandingright Yeah. Yeah. that makes That makes a lot of sense. So, I mean, obviously, and you know, I kind of had this philosophy as well in the business. It’s like, you’re opportunistic. You know, you’re not saying I’m looking for this exact thing. 15:36.91vigorbrandingIt has to be this big, that, you know, that that category doing that thing. It’s sort of like, Oh, here’s an opportunity. Hmm. This fits or no, it doesn’t fit. Or, Hey, this can enhance that. 15:43.96Andy GellertYeah. 15:44.95vigorbrandingAnd if we do this, maybe we can go here. And so I’ve always looked at that. It’s kind of fun to do it that way. I kind of always. 15:50.32Andy GellertIt’s not a good idea. You’re looking under the rug and see what’s there and putting that puzzle together because like I said, a big company that’s competitive in mind, it’s going to go for a lot more for private equity. 15:51.60vigorbrandingYeah. 15:54.65vigorbrandingYeah. 16:03.40Andy GellertI don’t even want to play in there. I don’t have private equity money where I could afford to strike out. 16:05.38vigorbrandingRight. 16:10.74Andy GellertI want to make sure these are successful acquisitions and they fit in them all. 16:15.96vigorbrandingYeah, and you make a really good point because we’ve seen, you know, I’ll say, and um I know you’ve seen for sure, but in my business with CPG and in the restaurant side, private equity will come in and they, I’m not gonna say they don’t care if they fail, but they they know it’s a numbers game. 16:31.27vigorbrandingThey know that all aren’t gonna pan out. So they make these investments and then they they do their, they they they they apply their playbook and then, you know, if it’s like baseball. if they They hit three out of, ah if they hit three out of 10, they feel like they’ve done something and and you probably have financially, but 16:40.88Andy Gellertyeah 16:44.73vigorbrandingThe other seven are just left to the wayside. 16:46.68Andy GellertExactly. And and they’ve, you know, they can afford to do that. We really don’t want to do that. 16:49.73vigorbrandingYeah. Yeah. 16:51.36Andy GellertAnd we don’t want to, we don’t want to lose direction. 16:51.34vigorbrandingNo. 16:53.42Andy GellertI mean, listen, and we like, you know, we’re very big and we’re happy wherever you are, but we’re not in a goal to rush to get to 2 billion. 17:00.89vigorbrandingRight. 17:01.14Andy GellertWouldn’t get there smart. And if it means paring down and skew rationalization to be more profitable, all the better. 17:06.88vigorbrandingMm hmm. Do you find yourself doing that a lot? Do you do you have to go in there and and do skew rationalization or? 17:12.64Andy Gellertall the time, all the time, we really, you know, skew rash, customer rationalization, and we’ll bundle a bunch of customers and give them to a bigger customer just to make sure our warehouse is more efficient. 17:13.21vigorbrandingYeah. 17:16.68vigorbrandingYeah. 17:21.11vigorbrandingYeah. 17:23.25Andy GellertIt’s really all about efficiency. I mean, as you get bigger, you could be more efficient. 17:24.87vigorbrandingYeah. 17:27.21Andy GellertAnd, but you have to be diligent and skew rationalization, customer rationalization, people rationalization, you know, rationalization as well. 17:32.84vigorbrandingYep. 17:35.97Andy GellertYou know, it’s important. 17:37.23vigorbrandingYeah. And that’s that’s such ah’ such an interesting point because I think, you know, and I’ll say i’ll say in my own experience, you know, i in our holding company, we have several different marketing companies and I’m always afraid to let customers go. 17:48.21vigorbrandingLike, oh, though no, that we can do it for them. Sometimes it’s not good business, right? And sometimes you have to make those tough decisions and, you know, it’s it’s hard to let employees go, but it’s it’s hard for you to let, or I’ll say for me, to let a piece of business go, a paying customer. 17:52.67Andy GellertYeah. 18:00.83Andy GellertYeah, ah it’s, you know, you don’t like the same thing. But, but you got to look at it like, you know, you still have another 300 other employees out there that you want to do for the better the of the group. 18:07.78vigorbrandingRight. 18:10.14vigorbrandingRight. 18:10.45Andy GellertSo it makes sense to let someone go or let a customer go in order to be more efficient for everyone else. 18:10.42vigorbrandingThat’s right. 18:17.54Andy GellertSo it’s hard. 18:17.83vigorbrandingyeah 18:19.55Andy GellertAnd initially, it’s hard. But over time, you realize It’s a better decision and to be you know to be more efficient and just try. 18:27.95vigorbrandingAbsolutely. So I mean, one of the things that, you you know, we have the two agencies, we have quench, we have, ah which is CPG food and beverage, we have a vart of Vigor, which is ah ah restaurant marketing. and you you You cover them all because you’re in franchise with five guys, you’re in, you know, in the CPG world. um You know, it’s it’s sort of like, it’s hard to keep track of everything. How do you manage it all? I mean, I know you have different folks, but you’re sitting up there, are you just pulling up a different P and&L for each of these business units every two days? or 18:56.16Andy GellertI mean, we’re on ah basically a lot of these Zoom calls and just listening in and we just had one a few minutes ago, you know, we do a lot of nut and dry fruit business and we’re working on getting bigger in the bakery in the in the supermarket. 19:09.09Andy GellertSo how could we be, you know, and and we sat down today and we talked about all of our items and they all fit in the bakery. bill We’re selling very little of the bakery. So it’s an untapped market and it gets everyone excited. 19:21.02Andy GellertAnd we sit down and f throw things at the wall and see what sticks. 19:24.19vigorbrandingThat’s great. 19:24.58Andy GellertAnd we’re kind of fun. like we just said hey You know, we do this item, this will be good for, and I just, I love sitting in these meetings and just, you know, throwing out ideas. 19:32.21vigorbrandingThat’s great. That’s great. Very cool. Well, I know at Quench, you know, the CPG side, we would do to learn, to understand the industry. You know, we started the agency in food and beverage. 19:43.65vigorbrandingIt’s like, you can’t just say you do advertising and marketing food and beverage. You have to have an expertise. We’re going to hire people from the CPG world. But then what we did was we created a food and beverage trench to learn what was going on. 19:54.01vigorbrandingRight. And the first year we’ve done them for 15 years. You know, you’ve probably seen me speak on them at different events. 20:00.02Andy GellertYeah, are you do a great job. I love hearing your updates on the YPO conferences and you really got a pulse of what’s going on in the industry. 20:07.49vigorbrandingYeah. would So we we would do that. just We did it actually just for our own edification, just to learn. And then when we did it, we said, well, let’s let’s just give these away. So we do them every year. We give them away, fast companies written about them and all that. Do you use trends ah for your business to for like that next big thing? 20:21.92vigorbrandingOr is it more of truly just looking at the pieces and moving things around on the board? 20:26.18Andy GellertWe look at trends, we look at pieces, you know, we lot of our a lot of our suppli customers say, we like this item, can you go out and find it for us? And we got people or, you know, and in some cases we do a lot of business, some of our our customers say, here’s an item, you know here’s the supplier, you know, you’re you’re a great importer, we want you to import it for us. So it just, because we’re a trusted supplier, we’re good at logistics, they actually given us business to to handle. 20:53.89Andy GellertAnd it’s it’s exciting. And then we take that business and look at other opportunities as well. 20:59.70vigorbrandingHow is there anything are you doing anything in the beverage side is it mostly all just food? 21:01.22Andy Gellerte 21:04.27Andy GellertNo, I mean, we the beverage side we have, so we, Cipriani, you know, the so we we handle all their CPG items. 21:09.46vigorbrandingMm-hmm Okay Mm-hmm 21:13.80Andy GellertSo they make a the bulini mix, non-alcoholic bulini. So we’re slowly getting it. That’s our beverage and, you know, we’ll see where that takes us. but That’s new space for us. 21:24.96Andy GellertAnd we’re doing it on the retail side. Now we’re looking to try to listen to all the beverage distributors we don’t really touch on. So we’re getting a ah handle on that business as well. 21:31.95vigorbrandingMm-hmm. Yeah. 21:34.96Andy GellertSo that’s the only part of beverage. know I’m an investor in a few CPG, like Ollie Pop and Lemon Perfect, a few others. 21:40.57vigorbrandingMm-hmm. 21:43.06Andy GellertBut but not I think that’s a tough space. But I think we’re we’re getting our feet wet with this Trippiani land. 21:48.39vigorbrandingSee, that’s interesting. 21:48.67Andy GellertWe’re very excited. 21:50.05vigorbrandingYou’re 11 perfect. We just took over their space in Atlanta. They’re headquartered in Atlanta, yeah. 21:53.76Andy GellertOh, 21:54.76vigorbrandingAnd we just took over their space. They went ah they went all virtual, so yeah. 21:58.07Andy Gellertyeah. Yani went to Cornell with me. 22:00.32vigorbrandingYeah. Oh, is that right? 22:00.83Andy GellertYeah, yeah he’s a you should get him on your podcast. 22:03.45vigorbrandingWell, I’ve met him, he’s a great guy. 22:05.26Andy GellertI he’s Mr. Energy. It was his birthday this week. 22:06.69vigorbrandingOh my gosh. 22:07.72Andy GellertSo I just I love that guy. 22:08.28vigorbrandingIs that right? I will reach out to him. Yeah, i we you you can you can appreciate this, Andy, you know me pretty well. 22:11.20Andy GellertHe 22:15.37vigorbrandingSo i’m goingnna I was gonna sublease his his office, right? So you know it’s a real estate deal. I’m gonna sublease it, we’re gonna move from one ah ah one office to this other office. So I talked to him and he was like, he was going 180 miles an hour and it was great and all that. 22:29.28vigorbrandingAnd I was like, I really like this guy. And I’m like, 22:31.92Andy GellertHe’s an infectious personality. 22:32.86vigorbrandingYeah. 22:33.53Andy Gellertyou 22:33.75vigorbrandingAnd I’m like, you know, johnny i said hey if you want, I mean, I’ll, I’ll do the deal here with you, but if you want to stay, like, you know, I mean your energy and what you’re, you’re in the beverage, that’s what we do. 22:44.21vigorbrandingI mean, you can stay, you know, like if you have meetings here and like your, if your people come in, like it’s a big enough space for all of us, I’m not asking for anything on the other side. 22:46.07Andy GellertYeah. 22:51.86vigorbrandingah You can stay. I mean, I just i thought energy, you know, creates more energy. So, and we talked about that, but then he was like, you know, isn’t that crazy? 22:57.60Andy GellertThat’s so funny to know that guy. I met him at Expo West. And he had a small little table. 23:03.20vigorbrandingYep. 23:03.40Andy GellertAnd I’m like, wow, this guy’s this guy has a firecracker. 23:07.14vigorbrandingYeah. 23:07.31Andy GellertAnd I’m like, um’m I’m supporting you. 23:09.42vigorbrandingThat’s awesome. 23:09.51Andy GellertAnd it’s a great story. 23:11.92vigorbrandingThat’s very cool. That’s the end goes to show you know everybody that’s amazing to me amazing. That’s funny. 23:17.14Andy GellertTake that, Clara. 23:21.03vigorbrandingI’ll make sure we tell her that. 23:22.87Andy Gellertbut 23:22.95vigorbrandingSo, all right, now I’m gonna bring up something, I guess negative or whatever, but inflation. Inflation is, ah you know, is it affects every industry, especially food. 23:28.56Andy GellertIt’s tough. its you know 23:30.55vigorbrandingYeah. how How much of an impact has that had on you guys? 23:32.99Andy GellertThat’s a very important product. 23:33.03vigorbrandingand 23:34.29Andy GellertSo our product are expensive already. And so it’s tough. We have to find you know so you know find other opportunities. That’s why we invested in this cafe spice that makes meals. 23:44.93Andy GellertSo maybe we make things more efficient for more of our customers and look at other opportunities. Maybe so source something that’s coming from Europe, getting it from South America. And and we’re always looking for ways to skin. 23:59.19Andy GellertWe started importing French fries from Belgium. to the East Coast because it’s it’s more effective and looking at opportunities like that. and Now we’re looking at opportunities in India. You always have to turn over rocks, look for more opportunities. It’s scary. 24:14.30Andy Gellertand it’s it’s you know the It’s all the news, the the price inflation. So we’re always looking for newer opportunities to try to make things better for our customers. 24:25.43vigorbrandingAnd being a global you know accessing globally with conflict and things like that, I mean obviously that’s affecting everything. i mean are you having are you ah is there um Is there ever a chance where one area of the business is sort of shut down or hey we can’t get this from there? 24:40.46Andy GellertYeah, things happen all the time. I mean, you know, when the Ukraine war first started, you know, it was it was a big factor because happened old Europe was tough. 24:42.39vigorbrandingIt’s crazy. 24:51.28Andy GellertAnd then when there was a ah big problem of freight from the from from Asia, supply chain issues from COVID. I mean, we’ve we’ve seen them all, Mike. 25:00.35vigorbrandingcrazy 25:01.71Andy GellertAnd now ah there’s an impending dock strike that’s going to come. So that’s going to affect from Maine all the way to Texas. 25:07.59vigorbrandinghear about that? 25:09.05Andy Gellertand 25:09.51vigorbrandingYeah. 25:09.86Andy GellertThat’s really making us very nervous and our customers nervous. 25:11.55vigorbrandingOh yeah. 25:12.86Andy GellertSo, but we, you know, we do the best we can and we keep fighting every day, you know, get up, get up and play some tennis, you know. 25:13.80vigorbrandingWow. 25:18.34vigorbrandingYes, I was gonna say, you get played tennis and smile and have a positive attitude and that’s the secret sauce. 25:23.15Andy GellertYou just got to, you know. 25:25.04vigorbrandingYou know, and I do love because every time I’m talking, I think, I think you always say, yeah, I played tennis with my dad this morning and you know, family businesses, there’s so many family businesses that end up like not talking to each other and you hear all the the generational strife or the the falling apart. 25:37.72vigorbrandingThe fact that you you still hang with your dad, my dad was my best friend. So that’s just so near and dear to me. It’s incredible. I think that’s so awesome. 25:43.18Andy GellertWell, today is a little, today is a little flat with him. I showed up at his house at 10 to 6, pouring rain, and the the match was canceled. So I had to wake up for nothing, and I’m a little annoyed. 25:50.67vigorbrandingah Oh boy. 25:53.10Andy GellertBut that doesn’t matter at all. 25:55.76vigorbrandingI hope you don’t ever let him win. 25:57.56Andy GellertWell, i I’m his partner. He doesn’t move very well, and people, no one was allowed to drop shot him, you know? 25:59.16vigorbrandingOkay. 26:04.11Andy Gellertget Everyone starts booing, whoever dropped off him. 26:06.88vigorbrandingThat’s awesome. 26:07.02Andy GellertBut it was an accident. They’re like, no, you know? He’s got a bunch of rules, you know? 26:11.16vigorbrandingThat’s awesome. It’s his own tennis game, right? It’s his own. 26:13.99Andy Gellerttheel game is his ze tennis game 26:16.17vigorbrandingThat’s fantastic. So, if I if i may ask, and I know if there’s something you can’t say, that’s fine, but what’s what’s next for Gellert Global? I mean, what is anything new on the horizon, anything exciting you could talk about? 26:23.54Andy Gellerti We’re looking at more opportunities. you know we will be like We have such a great team. We have such great suppliers, such great employees, such great customers. We just want to keep doing what we’re doing and look for more opportunities. And if it makes sense to to make an acquisition, we’re going to do it. 26:40.44Andy Gellertand uh, it’s, it’s fun. You know, I mean, you know, just look at my cousin and the five guys, we were like 12, five guys. Now this year, by the end of the year, we’ll have a hundred. I mean, it’s just, uh, opportunistic and good people and growth to move forward. 26:50.43vigorbrandingThat’s awesome. 26:57.42vigorbrandingYeah. And, and Dan Rowe, as you mentioned, he’s a king of a guy and he, he was actually on the podcast and he, he’s, he’s fantastic. 27:00.10Andy GellertYeah. 27:03.17vigorbrandingSo that’s good company right there. 27:05.70Andy GellertYeah. Yeah. We were at a YPL event and he’s like, and we’ we’re looking My cousin at the time had a bunch of cinnabons and we’re looking for our second concept and we’re at a YPO in DC. 27:11.89vigorbrandingUh-huh. 27:15.43Andy GellertHe’s like, Andy, come try this concept. And I took a bite of the five guy burger. I’m like, this is like a, like the, when you taste a cinnabon for the first time, it’s wow factor. 27:23.93vigorbrandingRight. Yeah. 27:25.78Andy GellertI called my cousin and the next thing we know, we you know we’re down there signing the deal. So it was, it’s been a great journey. 27:30.70vigorbrandingThat’s awesome. Yeah. Fantastic. Very cool. All right. So now I asked this question. I have one last question, right? And this probably, well, I don’t know if it’ll be easy for you, but it’s not like you have to say, you can’t say five guys. 27:41.96vigorbrandingSo I have to fill it out there. So, but if you have one final meal, what would you eat and why, and I’m going to say this too. 27:48.70Andy GellertLike, that’s the hardest thing because I love. 27:48.90vigorbrandingAnd and and who with, I want to know who with. 27:52.53Andy GellertThat’s like the hardest question anyone can ever ask me. I love like, it’s like, we I think I told you was before we started out that you was open with my son and my wife and there’s so much food options. 28:00.19vigorbrandingYeah. 28:04.26Andy GellertI had a headache. I couldn’t find what to get. Would I get to the Korean bowl or the palette for the steak sandwich? or or the fancy chicken with truffles, the dumplings. 28:15.10Andy Gellertyou know i’m like I almost get a headache, I can’t even decide. 28:15.19vigorbrandingyeah 28:19.04Andy Gellertso back It’s impossible. I just i love eating, I love food experiences, I love being surprised. I like going to a chef and say, just surprise me. 28:29.38Andy Gellertonly even Just give me what you you you do best and let me try it. 28:29.31vigorbrandingYeah. 28:33.30Andy Gellertand and you know it’s really i can’t i There’s not one meal that I have to have. i 28:39.23vigorbrandingYeah. 28:40.25Andy GellertI love a good sandwich. I love a good burger. I got a good steak. I like Italian, French, Spanish food, everything. 28:45.72vigorbrandingYep. ah You know, it’s funny. i I’m the same way. I’m lucky. I can eat anything. Like I don’t get nothing. I don’t have any allergies. I don’t get sicker. But you know, if I have a go to at a certain thing at a certain place, i will I’ll have a go at my go to. 28:56.26vigorbrandingBut nine out of 10 times when I go to a restaurant, like whatever the chef wants to make, because I figured he’s gonna put his heart and soul on it. 28:56.44Andy Gellerte 29:00.90Andy GellertYeah. 29:02.21vigorbrandingRight. If it’s, if I’m asking him his opinion. 29:02.59Andy Gellertbut i agree yeah if if if If they put it on the menu and then they’re behind it, I would take their recognition and set something I really want. 29:05.89vigorbrandingYeah. 29:09.81Andy Gellertso My father, yeah. 29:10.21vigorbrandingRight. That’s right. That’s right. You nailed it. And I love the fact that you mentioned the U.S. Open and there was somebody there at the U.S. Open that had better seats than you, which was your. Of course, yeah. 29:21.87vigorbrandingAndy, you know, I love being with you. I love talking to you and I appreciate your time. ah Just thank you so much for being on Fork Tales. 29:28.25Andy Gellertah mike First of all, congratulations to you and the organization you built and you’ve always been You’re always smiling, too. i mean actually That’s why we like each other so much. 29:36.16vigorbrandingYeah. 29:36.89Andy GellertWe’re always smiling. Have a good time. And your trends are amazing. And I really enjoyed seeing you and doing this with yourself. 29:43.81vigorbrandingfantastic well thank you so much 29:45.78Andy GellertAll right? 29:46.39vigorbrandingtake care 29:46.78Andy GellertTake care. Bye. 29:47.78vigorbrandingright 30:07.41vigorbrandingFantastic. 30:11.01vigorbrandingWell, thank you so much. Take care. 

Restaurant results for the second quarter weren't stellar, but people still need to eat. Are they turning to their refrigerators, or are restaurants still on the menu for consumers? Circana Senior Vice President David Portalatin joined The Food Institute Podcast to discuss the makeup of the current restaurant customer amid a rising trend of home-centricity. More about David Portalatin: David Portalatin is a trusted industry advisor who works closely with leading food manufacturers and retailers as well as foodservice distributors, manufacturers, and operators. He shares data and deep expertise on how U.S. consumers eat and drink, their attitudes and motivations, their personal characteristics, and their use of restaurants and other foodservice outlets. Portalatin is also the author of Circana's Annual Report on Eating Patterns in America, a compilation of food and foodservice research. Previously, Portalatin was Circana's analyst in the convenience retailing, automotive aftermarket, and motor fuels industries. Before joining the company in 1999, he held various positions in foodservice wholesale distribution and convenience retailing. Portalatin is a frequent speaker at food and foodservice industry events, corporate conferences, and executive meetings. A recognized industry thought leader, his comments have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and many other national media outlets. More about Circana: Circana is a leading advisor on the complexity of consumer behavior. Through superior technology, advanced analytics, cross-industry data, and deep expertise, we provide clarity that helps almost 7,000 of the world's leading brands and retailers take action and unlock business growth. We understand more about the complete consumer, the complete store, and the complete wallet so our clients can go beyond the data to apply insights, ignite innovation, meet consumer demand, and outpace the competition. Learn more at www.circana.com. Sign up for The Food Institute's free newsletters: www.foodinstitute.com/newsletters.

When you hear university dining, you likely have images in your mind of college students with trays and hand waiting in a line for a meal in a dining hall. You may even think of a food court or a trendy food hall in the cool part of town. But there is so much more happening behind the scenes. Today we will learn about Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, MCURC for short, which is a nationwide network of colleges and universities using campus dining halls as living laboratories for behavior change. The Collaborative's goals are to move people towards healthier, more sustainable and delicious foods using evidence-based research, education and innovation. Our guest today is the Collaborative's co-founder and co-director, Stanford University's Sophie Egan.  Interview Summary I'd like you to tell our listeners a little bit more about the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative. What is it and how does it actually work? The Menus of Change University Research Collaborative was co-founded by the Culinary Institute of America and Stanford University, two divisions there, the Stanford Prevention Research Center and the School of Medicine, and Residential and Dining Enterprises. And that should tell you something is different in our vision, which is that first and foremost, we wanted to break down silos that exist on campuses between experts in food who work in academic realms. So, researchers, faculty who may be studying food, either from one certain discipline or ideally some cases transdisciplinarily, and those who actually feed students, the experts in the dining programs on campus. And Stanford was a good place to co-found this because of this great partnership that already existed between the dining program and between Dr. Christopher Gardner at the School of Medicine. But that model has actually now been replicated. We are at 70 plus institutions, not only across the U.S., but actually increasingly internationally. In addition to fostering that collaboration and breaking down those silos on a given campus, we really wanted to foster collaboration between universities to take what we consider kind of a plug-and-play research protocol. You know, a given design of a study that, as you said, uses campus dining halls as living laboratories and actually replicate research. So that's what we've done. It's been incredibly fun to be part of it from the beginning, and it's been incredibly exciting and impactful because of the approach that we take. We really democratize even what it means to be a researcher, to be involved in research. We have involvement in the collaborative and in research projects from students, faculty, of course, who are critical in their expertise, but also executive chefs, nutrition and sustainability experts. And many other research collaborators who are mission aligned organizations like EAT and REFED and Food for Climate League, who bring their own kind of comparable expertise. And we all work together to shape these living lab studies and then to test those at multiple sites to see if this a more generalizable effect? Or is that something just those west coast schools work for? Or is this only something that, you know, more elite schools where students of a certain demographic really respond? But that's also the beauty is the diversity of the institutions that we have. Geographically, public private, small and large. And we're really brought together by the kind of common language of what's also in our name, Menus of Change. And these are these principles of optimizing both human and planetary health through the food on our plates. And for us really, especially through students, changing that trajectory and cultivating the long term wellbeing of all people in the planet, one student, one meal at a time. Wow. This sounds like a really amazing program. And I love the fact that you're working across different types of universities across the U.S. and even outside. And it does make me believe that the findings that you have are applicable in a broader setting than if one institution does it. I can appreciate the power of the Collaborative. I want to know a little bit more about the impact of the collaborative. What has it been up to this point and in what ways have you seen this collaborative generate new ideas or new research findings? Yes. So, we've got about six peer reviewed publications under our belt with more on the way. Our latest is called the University Procurement and Planetary Health Study led by Dr. Jackie Bertoldo, who was at the Johns Hopkins University and also Stanford Food Institute. But we have a number of academic publications also in the works. And then importantly, we actually have produced 13 operational publications and reports. So, what that illustrates is that we've come to realize that those that are collaborating have different currencies. Publishing in a peer reviewed journal, that's what motivates academic researchers, right? That's what's going to enable them to invest time and resources. Fundamentally, this is primarily something that people do,  in their free time, right? It's a volunteer-based network of over 300 members. But if they're going to work on a project, it has to have some value to their own work. But what has value to those in dining operations is implementable, real, tangible strategies, recommendations, and guidelines that translate 'these are the findings of a certain study into what do you want me to do about it? How do you want me to change my menu, sourcing, the design of the dining hall, the choice architecture, right? The food environment itself. How do you want me to change something in the operational setup?' Maybe, if it has to do with food waste. All of these resources are on our website. We also have three really exciting new projects in the pipeline. So that's our research and publication impact to date. But I should say that importantly, it's much more meaningful to us who take those resources and acts upon them. We know that universities are unique places to conduct research, but our research is not aimed only at the campus dining sector. It's actually offered open source to inform and shape the entire food service industry. We have been thrilled, for example, one of our kind of flagship publications called the Edgy Veggies Toolkit has been implemented and adopted by some of the largest food service companies in the world. Think of Sodexo, Aramark, Compass, who are phenomenal members of the collaborative. Think of corporate dining programs, hospitals, hotels, elsewhere. K 12 environments. And that's, to us, the most important kind of reach is to know that those toolkits, those resources. Edgy Veggies was about how you could simply change the way you describe vegetable-based dishes on a menu, to use more taste focused language, to increase the appeal. We actually demonstrated you can measurably increase selection and consumption of vegetables. So, you can imagine that has applications in public health in countless settings. Even those of us trying to feed our kids. Hey, if I call tonight's broccoli, you know, zesty orange broccoli versus just broccoli, maybe my kid will eat more of it, right? So, it has applications in countless different contexts. Another really big area for us is our collective purchasing power. So, we learned at some point that it's not only that these organizations, the institutions that are part of the collaborative are brought together by a desire to co create research, but it's really that alignment on healthy, sustainable, plant forward future for the food service industry. And so we've actually created this collective impact initiative where it's our combined purchasing power. We've now measurably reduced our combined food-related greenhouse gas emissions. By 24 percent just between 2019 and 2022, and that's across 30 institutions, 90 million pounds of food. I mean, this is a huge outcome for us, and we're not stopping there. We had a goal to reduce by 25 percent by 2030, and now reaching that, we're A, enhancing the target to a 40 percent reduction by 2030. But importantly, we're actually measuring now the uptick in diet quality. So, because human health is equally important to that sustainability part, that University Procurement for Planetary Health study that I mentioned, we're actually able to see that if we are aligning our procurement, meaning what do we buy in the total pounds of an institution and then in the aggregate, right? How plant forward, how healthy and sustainable is that kind of portfolio, that total mix of foods that we're purchasing? And we can actually really increase the diet quality and that kind of average health profile at the same time. So, getting that data layer is really key. And it's the kind of area of impact that has so much momentum and will only continue into the future. Also, lastly, just to say our student engagement numbers have really grown, and that's critically important because educating and cultivating the next generation of food systems leaders. is also core to our work. We have our MCRC Fellows program and that has really grown to have about 30 fellows from a number of institutions all around the country. That's another great way that anyone interested can get involved in. Students are a reason for being. So, it's key that they see these ways to make an impact through their work as well. I am really impressed with the improvements in lowering greenhouse gas emissions or improving sustainability of the dining facilities. How actually did you all do that? I mean, it sounds like you're asking people to report and through that reporting, you see reduction? Can you explain? Coming soon is our 2.0 learnings report that will answer that exact question, but we do have a 2020 version. We call it the early learnings report that shares what it sounds, you know, the early learnings of what works, what doesn't. But what I can tell you can have been kind of the big keys to that success. First, collective target setting. We have been able to welcome institutions that really don't necessarily have the political support, the kind of stakeholder buy in, to make a big public commitment. Some schools do, some institutions do, and that's great. And others, they can sort of take cover, so to speak, in contributing to something where, you know. Their pace of change may be different. And so, it's really kind of contributing to something larger than only their institution, but also having the comfort that it's going to be fits and starts. It may not be linear. It may not be all forward. It might be a little bit backward in terms of the progress trajectory. So that's been really key to having a real diversity of schools where it's not only those that are at the very leading edge. And it's in again, places that aren't as comfortable coming out with a big splashy public wedge. The other big thing that's been key is that we have created a very streamlined framework for data collection. Instead of kind of saying you must submit your data for every single item you've ever purchased, we've on a smaller subset of food categories, where it's easier for them to track, we've created a streamlined and standardized template for them to submit the data, and we also provide individualized reports back to that university. It's confidential. They are the only one who gets it. And that's very motivating because a lot of institutions don't have that resource or that expertise to conduct that analysis to track their emissions year over year. It's almost like getting kind of a free consultancy. But it's what creates that reciprocity where we need their data. We need their collective contribution to the collective effort. And they're getting something out of it because they do have to take the time to find the data and to submit it to us. And then the other thing I think has really been key is, and this was kind of the core concept of collective impact, is continuously iterating. Every year we're listening to those involved in tweaking, you know, how we're asking for the data, how frequently we used to ask for it twice a year, and now it's annually, for example. So always kind of iterating, testing and iterating to make the processes mutually beneficial as possible. And then also keeping the door open for those other institutions to join. It's kind of a cohort effect where we have some institutions that have been part of it from the beginning and others that have only been submitting data for a year and everyone is playing a role. Great. Thank you for sharing that. I want to ask you a little bit more about your other work that you're doing because you're the co-director of the collaborative. You're also the co-director of the Stanford Food Institute. Can you tell our listeners more about that institute and what you're working on there? The Stanford Food Institute was founded by our visionary leader, Dr. Shirley Everett, who's Senior Vice Provost for Residential Dining Enterprises at Stanford. And she really had this vision to bring together an entire community of people to shape a better future of food for the benefit of all humanity and, and really embracing how much food is happening on the Stanford campus. To have the Stanford Food Institute be really this hub and this home for what belovedly we say at Stanford, it's a very decentralized place. There's a ton of entrepreneurial spirit and that's fantastic and should be, but often we don't know what everyone else is doing. So, it's a great opportunity for the Stanford Food Institute to be that magnet and say, come one, come all, whatever student led group, research project, course, event, you know, we want to work with you. So, in practice, what we really do is we work across research, education and innovation to bring together that community and work on this better future. We have a really strong focus on racial equity in the food system, as well as bold climate action. Those are kind of some cross-cutting themes. Our R&DE (research, development, education) core values that have to do with excellence and students first, sustainability, health, deliciousness. All of those things are kind of foundational at the same time. So we actually collaborate with faculty in all seven schools, which is for me super fun because I get to learn about the business dimensions of food and the psychology and social sciences. We have the new Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability that is a very active partner. We have phenomenal partners in the School of Medicine. And when possible, of course, we bring them all together. One really phenomenal culmination of all of those different research efforts is we host something called the Stanford Food Institute Food Systems Symposium, where every year, I like to explain it as a food systems science fair. It's a kind of exhibition style showcase. Researchers get really creative with how they show their work. We had over a hundred researchers at our latest symposium. And it demonstrates that real diversity of disciplines and topics that, that touch food because that's what's so exciting about food. It touches all parts of society. That's one big example. And then we have a number of community partnerships in the Bay Area. One is with the nonprofit Farms to Grow and we're really committed long term to helping support black farmers, not only in California, but sharing our model for increasing supplier diversity and equitable supply chains with other institutions. So those are just two examples, but it's really such a pleasure and an honor to lead the Stanford Food Institute. And as you can likely gather, it's really quite complimentary to the menus of change university research collaborative as well. I am really excited to learn about this symposium. And I got to say, I've worked in land grant institutions before, and I studied at land grant institutions. And so it's interesting to hear of a school like Stanford that is not a land grant. That doesn't have a tradition of agriculture in a narrowly defined sense engaging in this work. I mean, how is it that you're able to find that many people? You said a hundred folks were working on different projects related to the food system. Is it just happening, and people don't necessarily know that it's happening and you're able to bring them together? What's going on there? That's a good question. I don't have a scientific answer. I have a hunch. Anecdotal evidence. We're talking about research here. So, I've got to be clear on my methods for answering. I'll tell you, Norbert, so before I was in this role, one of the things I did was I taught a class at Stanford in the School of Design that was all about food systems careers. And it was essentially a stopgap because there was so much interest from undergraduate students in careers in food systems. But they didn't know what on earth they were going to do to make money, to make a living. How were they going to tell their parents I'm going to use all this money you spent on my degree to do what exactly? There also was just not a clear sense of even what the role types were. What's out there? What's possible? How can I make a difference? And so that class that we co-taught for several years. And I say that because that was just an interesting signal of how many students were interested, sort of, you know, poking at the edges. But a lot of them, to be honest, I call it off ramping. They didn't see the path. They just went the path that was more clear cut. They went to law school or they went to med school. And then they said, ‘well, I'll just like cook at home as a side hobby instead. Because maybe my passion for food doesn't need to be my career.' And so I think what we're really doing with the Food Institute, and there's a number of other kind of similar initiatives, is trying to say, let's try to, you know, address this in a more root cause kind of way. We have something now called the Stanford Food Systems Community, which is just a list serve. And in the fall, we host an event right at the beginning of the year where it's, it's kind of a, again, a come one, come all. We come to the farm, the actual farm at Stanford and have a pizza party and get to know all the different events and things on campus. I think to me, it's, it's a groundswell that's happening nationwide. So, I'm also an author and I've spoken for my books at a lot of universities. And I will often get asked to speak to the career services department. They'll ask me, can you talk about careers in food systems? I've seen this groundswell of interest from students. And then I think a lot of faculty also are really seeing how maybe they study law or a certain dimension. But its kind of either like backs into food or stumbles upon food, maybe. You know, we don't have, like you're saying, we don't have a department in nutrition. I mean, we don't have a specifically food kind of academic framework. But it's more those inherent intersectionalities with food where it's almost in, I think, inescapable to faculty. And then it's really kind of bolstered by how many students are expressing interest. It's something I'm really excited to see where we're in conversations with faculty to do even more to just make students aware of how many classes there are. Because I think sometimes that is the challenge that it's there, but they just don't know how to access it. Right. Thank you for sharing that. And I got to say, I've been taking notes, so I may follow up with you some more later. You've been working with campus food leaders for over a decade now. And you talked about that even in, I guess, in referencing the class as well. What is it about colleges and universities that excite you when it comes to making positive changes in the food system? And you've given me a little bit about that. I'm intrigued to see what else are you seeing? You know, it's surprising. It's the longest I've done something, like a certain one specific role is, is co leading this collaborative. Because I actually co-founded it when I was with the Culinary Institute of America on the other side of the partnership. And I think I have just a deep appreciation, and maybe I like to describe myself as an I realist, idealist mixed with a realist. A realistic view of the potential for universities to be change agents in society. Does it mean they always use that potential? No, but it's there. It's everything from the incubators of new knowledge. They're where new ideas emerge, right? I remember when I first went to the University of Bologna, and it's been there for a thousand years. That's just incredible, right? But it's also a place of growth and expanding your mind for students. Many of these higher education institutions are what's been referred to as anchor institutions. They are huge employers in a region. They are huge thought leaders in a region. They're places of opportunity for all kinds of different things. Whether it's collaborations with private sector and industry, whether it's international kind of tourism and exposure, I mean, so many different possibilities there. And I think the other big thing is that, and I should just say on the anchor institution point, it's the, all that purchasing power too, that I mentioned right there. Very streamlined, fairly agile decision making. I'm sure someone on the podcast is going to say, you think Higher Ed is agile, you know. There's bureaucracy, I know, but I just mean compared to some other food service companies or industries where it's really hard to make changes within campus dining, in particular, you do have a fairly sizable, you know, amount of purchasing power that can have fairly quick, they can be early adopters and they're known as early adopters. The food service industry really looks at what's campus dining doing. That's the tip of the spear. That's a signal of the trends to come. That's a signal of what are going to be the new norms. And the last thing is that we really embrace the fact that students in college, this is this unique period of identity formation. They're figuring out their relationships to food. What is the role that food is going to play in their lives? What do they value? How does that get reflected through food? How does that make them feel? How do they perform academically, physically, et cetera? And of course, for community and belonging, coming together, breaking bread, et cetera. We really love this stat where we've seen that in a given year, we have 4 million meals across the collaborative. But it's not just the meals that these students eat when they're on our campuses. It's the billions of meals they will go on to consume in their collective lifetimes, and when they go on to be decision makers and parents and in the other future realms. And again, that shaping formative opportunity. There are many reasons, I guess, that I've been motivated and I think the potential is still just tremendous. I'm excited for all that's ahead. This is great. And I love the idea and the recognition that this is this formative time for students. That their taste, which may have been shaped, of course, from home, but are being transformed in the dining halls. The place where they're learning to step out and make decisions about food in a way that they couldn't even in high school. I really appreciate this idea and this opportunity. And I appreciate the sort of seriousness that you take at approaching this issue. I have to say, as someone who's related to or connected to a policy center, I am intrigued to think about what kind of policy initiatives, federal, state, even university, do you see coming out of the work of the collaborative? Well, you know, it's really exciting when there is, again, I mentioned that our schools are both public and private, right? So, policy has so many opportunities to kind of shape, again, that social or political will that the decision makers administrators, dining directors may have to pursue something. So, you know, the University of California has been part of the collaborative, most of their campuses have been part for a very long time. And it just is a good example, I think to me, where in that state, there is so much support from the governor's office for farm to fork, local procurement, direct procurement, supplier diversity, regenerative agriculture, climate friendly and plant forward meals in public schools, in K 12. It's that sort of enabling environment, I think, that policy can create and also learn from. So, if it sees constellation of institutions, making a bold move or all aligning on the same kind of, you know, targets or metrics, that can give them the wind at their backs to pass something that maybe applies to all publicly run institutions. Or all food vendors in their state. For example, I would love to see more policy efforts on data and reporting. As I shared with you about collective impact, we're really proud of what we've done, but this is all voluntary, right? We're just choosing to measure this and hold ourselves accountable and keep striving. But I think at some point if it becomes required, you could have more resources in these institutions being brought to do that hard work that is required. I mean, it's not only, you know, sharing with us, but then it's analyzing your menu. What were the strategies that led to that biggest reduction? How did the student feedback go? Working with suppliers is a huge area that Stanford's really excited to have begun, but it takes time. It's, and we need more support, more capacity to do that. I could envision that if there were more requirements kind of coming from policy for some of that tracking and disclosing. And an example that gives me reason to think that's possible is again in California. Something called SB 1383 requires Institutions like ours and all others to disclose their food donation amounts. And I think that's a really interesting example again of measuring something. Bring a measurement requirement from policy to something that maybe everyone's already been doing because it was just best practice, or something that they wanted to know for themselves again that more voluntary. I think there's a lot of opportunities to do more of that. And I would love to see more of those state and regional policies, but also some of these kind of best practices emerge from some of these states and counties that become perhaps nationwide. You know the old saying, if you don't measure it, you can't change it because you don't know. And I love the fact that the collaborative sees itself as a place to prototype, to figure out how do we collect these data. How do we make it less burdensome? Because if you can figure those things out, then I can imagine allowing others to replicate that. This is a great test bed for what policies could look like by the work that you all are doing, it sounds like. And I think that's a really important point because I think the fear would be that policies get created in a vacuum, right? Where you just say, we're going to require you to disclose XYZ crazy detailed things that either an entity doesn't know how to get, can't get, or it costs them thousands and thousands of dollars to collect, or something along those lines. And so, really marrying feasibility, sort of what measurement tools exist how is the kind of dynamic between humans in your environments and those technology tools? I mean, food waste measurement right now is an area that we're really focusing on that because AI and there's a huge opportunity to kind of reduce the burden on staff. But so far, it's been difficult for pretty much every food service operation, including campuses, to get really high-quality food waste data. Even though they may have these tools. And it often has to do with how difficult, how much time it requires staff. I think it's really key that policymakers really, yeah, work with institutions like ours. We love to be, as you said, that kind of prototyping place to find the right balance of rigor and frequency and volume of data with, again, kind of labor and financial constraints and operational realities. And for us, it's also critically important to keep in mind the student experience. How do we not do so many research projects in a four walled space so that we forget this is their home. This is where students eat and live every day. It can't only be about us getting as much data as possible, of course. It's just really accounting for all those variables in the equation. I appreciate this. And I swear, Sophie, we could talk forever. Let me ask you one last question. And I think this is a good place for us to come to an end. What are the different ways people can get involved in the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative? Excellent. Well, please do. So first, the easiest thing is just check out our website. Everything that we create is open source. As I mentioned, it for sure can be applied in university settings, but it pretty much across the board can be applied in a number of other settings. Food service, for sure, but also there's a lot of, whether it's prepared foods at retails, other settings in general. Check out moccollaborative. org in particular, our resources and research. The other way is if you're affiliated with an institution, if you're an academic researcher, and you can get in touch with us to find out about. Or you can become what we call a member institution where dining services and at least one academic researcher are involved. Then you're actually part of all that data collection kind of effort. I think the other biggest area is if you have students who are interested, if once you become a member institution, as I mentioned, there's tons of opportunities to get involved in shaping research. But also in the educational side, which is through our MCRC student fellows program. So those would be some of the big ones, and we always love feedback, too. Tell us how you're utilizing the resources and how we can continue to identify gaps in the research agenda that we are uniquely positioned to help fill. BIO Sophie Egan, MPH is the Director of the Stanford Food Institute and Sustainable Food Systems at R&DE Stanford Dining, Hospitality & Auxiliaries, where she is Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative. She is also the author of How to Be a Conscious Eater (Workman, 2020)—named one of Bon Appétit's “Favorite New Books for Climate-Friendly Cooking and Life”—and the founder of Full Table Solutions, a consulting practice that's a catalyst for food systems transformation. An internationally recognized leader at the intersection of food, health, and climate, Sophie is also a contributor to The New York Times Health section and Director of Strategy for Food for Climate League. Previously, Sophie served as the Director of Health and Sustainability Leadership/Editorial Director for The Culinary Institute of America's Strategic Initiatives Group. Sophie's writing has been featured in The Washington Post, TIME, Parents, The Wall Street Journal, Bon Appétit, WIRED, EatingWell, Edible San Francisco, FoodTank, and Sunset. She is a member of the Food System 6 Advisory Board, James Beard Foundation Sustainability Advisory Council, and the Food Tank Academic Working Group. She holds a BA with honors in history from Stanford University; an MPH with a focus on health and social behavior from UC Berkeley; and a certificate from the Harvard Executive Education in Sustainability Leadership program.

U.S. grocery retailers are facing regulatory scrutiny on pricing, ever-increasing shrink and a financially-stretched consumer, but how can they adapt to these new market pressures? Supermarket Guru Phil Lempert joined The Food Institute Podcast to discuss the Kroger-Albertsons merger, the rise of private label and more. More about Phil Lempert: For more than 25 years, Phil Lempert, an expert analyst on consumer behavior, marketing trends, new products and the changing retail landscape, has identified and explained impending trends to consumers and some of the most prestigious companies and trade associations worldwide. Known as The Supermarket Guru, Lempert is a distinguished author and speaker who alerts customers and business leaders to impending corporate and consumer trends and empowers them to make educated purchasing and marketing decisions. Phil Lempert was one of the pioneers of the new information media, founding SupermarketGuru.com in 1994. The website is now one of the leading food and health resources on the Internet, visited by more than 9 million people each year. SupermarketGuru.com offers original video and editorial content on food and retail trends, food and beverage product ratings, analysis of trends in food marketing and retail, and features health advice, nutrition news and many other resources to empower both the food industry and consumers. Phil is the founder and editor of The Lempert Report and SupermarketGuru.com and the founder of the Retail Dietitians Business Alliance which was acquired by the Association for Retail and Consumer Professionals in 2022. He has been profiled and interviewed by scores of publications including USA Today, The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Newsweek and Ad Age, and is interviewed by hundreds of publications each year. He is also a columnist for Forbes.com, Category Management Association, The Robin Report & ARC Health & Wellness Community and host of Retail Radar. Learn more: https://www.supermarketguru.com/ Sign up for The Food Institute's Retail 360 Newsletter: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/cIOL5ME/FIRetail360

This Episode is Sponsored By: The International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA) In this episode of The Food Institute Podcast, IFDA President and CEO Mark S. Allen discussed the pressing challenges and innovative solutions in the foodservice distribution industry. Allen delved into topics such as labor shortages, transportation issues, technology advancements, and the importance of industry events like IFDA's Solutions Conference. More About IFDA: The International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA) is the premier trade organization representing the $382 billion foodservice distribution industry and the 431,000 people it employs. This industry ensures a safe and efficient supply of food and products to more than one million restaurants and foodservice outlets in the U.S. every day. For more information, visit www.www.ifdaonline.org. To learn more about IFDA and the foodservice distribution industry, visit https://www.ifdaonline.org. For media inquiries, contact Rob Vernon at RVernon@ifdaonline.org / (703) 532-9400 To learn more about IFDA Solutions Conference, visit https://www.ifdaonline.org/events/ifda-solutions-conference/. More About Mark S. Allen: Mark S. Allen is President and CEO of the International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA), a McLean, Virginia based trade association that advocates for the $380 billion foodservice distribution industry. Allen oversees IFDA's day-to-day operations, including all initiatives in education, research and government affairs. He also serves on IFDA's Board of Directors, which is composed of the presidents and CEOs of 27 leading foodservice distribution companies. Allen holds a B.S. in Marketing and Economics from the State University of New York at Oswego and a M.B.A. from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. His current/past leadership roles include: Board member of The Food Institute; Board member of the Institute for Distribution Excellence; Chair of the NAW Association Executives Council; Board member of the National Association of Wholesaler Distributors; Member of the GS1-US Foodservice Executive Leadership Council. Allen resides in Leesburg, Virginia with his wife and three sons. Subscribe to IFDA's Newsletters: https://www.ifdaonline.org/ifda-newsletters/

「どう食べるかは、どう生きるか。「地中海食」をヒントに持続可能な食文化への道をひらくFuture Food Institute」　気候変動や社会課題。...大きすぎる問題を解決するために必要なマインドセットとは？食分野のグローバルネットワークを作るFuture Food Institute代表のサラ・ロベルシさんに伺いました。The post どう食べるかは、どう生きるか。「地中海食」をヒントに持続可能な食文化への道をひらくFuture Food Institute first appeared on IDEAS FOR GOOD.

This Series is Sponsored by BMO In the seventh and final episode of the “Foodservice Gamechangers” series, US Foods SVP and chief merchant Dave Poe connected with special guest host and Food Institute advisor Pat Mulhern to discuss Poe's 26 years at US Foods. Poe shares thoughts on leadership styles, merchandising strategies, and the challenges emerging for the food industry associated with labor issues and inflation. More about Dave Poe: Dave Poe is SVP & Chief Merchant for US Foods which is a Foodservice distributor serving well over 200,000 customers across the country. Dave is a seasoned Foodservice veteran with over 25 years of Merchandising experience within Distribution and Non-Commercial. He currently serves as SVP, and Chief Merchant for US Foods, responsible for ensuring our product value proposition exceeds our customers expectations, while overseeing our Category Management Function and our Specialty Manufacturing businesses. Dave spent 17 years at US Foods developing his Merchandising skills before spending some time with Premier (Healthcare GPO) helping to lead their Foodservice sourcing efforts. He rejoined US Foods in 2016 holding a number of senior level Merchandising roles since his return. Dave's experiences have helped build a broad skillset in Category Strategy, Contract Management, P&L Improvement, and Customer Satisfaction focused on competitively priced, high quality, consistent products. Dave holds a BS in Finance from the University of Maryland Robert H Smith Business School. He is married with 2 young boys that love to play Baseball and Soccer, so he spends a lot of his weekend time on the sports fields in the Chicagoland area. More about US Foods: US Foods is one of America's great food companies and a leading foodservice distributor, partnering with approximately 250,000 restaurants and foodservice operators to help their businesses succeed. With 30,000 employees and more than 70 locations, we provide our customers with a broad and innovative food offering and a comprehensive suite of e-commerce, technology, and business solutions. Learn more at: https://www.usfoods.com/. Thanks to Our Sponsor: BMO Whether you're a producer, processor, retailer or distributor every company throughout the food continuum needs a financial partner that understands the factors that impact their business. From emerging consumer trends and industry consolidation, to commodity fluctuations and economic cyclicality, BMO's Food, Consumer, and Agribusiness Group understands the issues affecting your company and are dedicated to serving the entire food industry – from farm to consumer. To learn more about how they can help, visit commercial.bmo.com/food.

This Series is Sponsored by BMO In the sixth episode of the “Foodservice Gamechangers” series, Performance Foodservice SVP of procurement Scott Barnewolt joined Food Institute advisor and special guest host Pat Mulhern to discuss the accelerated pace of change in the post-pandemic world. Additionally, the pair discuss the challenges and benefits of working from home, and how artificial intelligence may impact the foodservice industry in the years to come. More about Scott Barnewolt: Scott is graduate of the College of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois, earning a bachelor's degree Marketing in 1987, he was a 4-year starter on the baseball team as a Pitcher. His college career included being named Team Captain, Conference MVP, and 2-time NAIA World Series participant. He is also a graduate of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Kenan Flagler Business School Executive Program. His foodservice distribution experience spans 35 years. His professional experience in the foodservice industry has included Buyer, Regional Buyer, Corporate Product Manager, Regional Sales Manager, National Marketing/Procurement Manager, Corporate Senior Category Manager, Corporate Category Director and Vice President of Procurement. Past employers include Kraft Foodservice, Riceland Foods, Jennie-O Foods, and Alliant Foodservice. He is currently Senior Vice President of Procurement for Performance Foodservice Corporate. His tenure with Performance Foodservice is over 23 years and resides in Manakin Sabot Virginia a western suburb of Richmond Virginia with his wife Kay. Scott has been married for 35 wonderful years to his wife Kay and his family includes their son, Bryce (26) graduate Virginia Tech University May 2020 currently living in Charlotte NC working in the residential mortgage industry. Their daughter Meredith (23) graduate of Virginia Tech University in May 2023 and is a Civil Engineer for Dewberry Civil Engineering in Fairfax, VA. Scott is originally from Chicago land area and a big Chicago Sports Fan. He enjoys spending time with his family, playing golf, exercising, watching sports and is a car enthusiast. More about Performance Foodservice: As one of the largest foodservice distributors in the nation, commitment to quality ingredients, personalized customer service, and on-time deliveries form the core of our service. Learn more at: https://www.performancefoodservice.com/. Thanks to Our Sponsor: BMO Whether you're a producer, processor, retailer or distributor every company throughout the food continuum needs a financial partner that understands the factors that impact their business. From emerging consumer trends and industry consolidation to commodity fluctuations and economic cyclicality, BMO's Food, Consumer, and Agribusiness Group understands the issues affecting your company and are dedicated to serving the entire food industry – from farm to consumer. To learn more about how they can help, visit commercial.bmo.com/food.

Todd Baker, Gordon Food Service EVP of North American merchandising, joined Food Institute advisor and special guest host Pat Mulhern for the fifth episode of the “Foodservice Gamechangers” series. Baker shares insights about his leadership style, how to best build supplier relationships, and how to learn from employees within your organization. More about Todd Baker: Todd Baker is the Executive Vice President of North American Merchandising for Gordon Food Service, a foodservice distribution company with operations in the U.S. and Canada. Todd provides strategic leadership for category management, direct and indirect procurement, brands, marketing, and merchandising operations. He began his career at Gordon Food Service in 1992 as a Sales Representative in Grand Rapids, Michigan, followed by several leadership roles in marketing and procurement in the U.S. Todd also served on the GFS Canada leadership team as Senior Manager of Marketing and Procurement before becoming the leader of North American Merchandising. More about Gordon Food Service: For 125 years, we've delivered the excellence, expertise, and quality products our customers need to design successful food operations and experiences. We've grown to become the largest family-operated broad-line food distribution company in North America by upholding the same business approach since 1897—being passionately committed to the people we serve. Learn more at: https://gfs.com/. Thanks to Our Sponsor: BMO Whether you're a producer, processor, retailer or distributor every company throughout the food continuum needs a financial partner that understands the factors that impact their business. From emerging consumer trends and industry consolidation to commodity fluctuations and economic cyclicality, BMO's Food, Consumer, and Agribusiness Group understands the issues affecting your company and are dedicated to serving the entire food industry – from farm to consumer. To learn more about how they can help, visit commercial.bmo.com/food.

This Series is Sponsored by BMO In the fourth episode of the “Foodservice Gamechangers” series, Sysco SVP and chief merchandising officer Victoria Gutierrez joined Food Institute advisor and special guest host Pat Mulhern to discuss the importance of fostering a growth mindset and embracing digital transformation in the foodservice distribution industry. The duo also discussed the need for adaptable problem solving and resilience in the workforce. More about Victoria Gutierrez: Ms. Gutierrez has served as Senior Vice President, Chief Merchandising Officer since August 2022. Previously, she served as Vice President of Category Management after joining Sysco in July 2021. Prior to joining Sysco, Ms. Gutierrez was a Partner with the Boston Consulting Group (“BCG”) from September 2014 to June 2021, serving as a lead member of BCG's Retail, Large Scale Change and Operations practices, as well as a firm expert in transformation management, merchandising analytics, and private brands. Before joining BCG, she held several positions in the beverage industry as a certified sommelier and entrepreneur. Ms. Gutierrez holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management and a B.S. with Honors from Northwestern University. More about Sysco: We build relationships through quality products, intelligent systems, and an extraordinary community of associates. We want to be your most valued and trusted business partner, investing in your success with fresh ideas to grow your business. Learn more at: https://www.sysco.com/. Thanks to Our Sponsor: BMO Whether you're a producer, processor, retailer or distributor every company throughout the food continuum needs a financial partner that understands the factors that impact their business. From emerging consumer trends and industry consolidation to commodity fluctuations and economic cyclicality, BMO's Food, Consumer, and Agribusiness Group understands the issues affecting your company and are dedicated to serving the entire food industry – from farm to consumer. To learn more about how they can help, visit commercial.bmo.com/food.

This Series is Sponsored by BMO In the third episode of the “Foodservice Gamechangers” series, Independent Marketing Alliance president and CEO Rob Mould speaks with special guest host and Food Institute advisor Pat Mulhern about selecting and managing suppliers, and the need for more suppliers in certain categories. The pair also discusses how leadership styles have adapted to a changing workplace, and the need for purposeful and proactive leadership in the foodservice distribution workplace. More about Rob Mould: Rob Mould believes in fostering a strong, collaborative company culture focused on people and solutions that deliver outstanding results. He was born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina, and attended Washington and Lee University for his undergraduate education. He later attended the University of South Carolina where he earned an M.B.A. Rob spent 20 years in the grocery retail industry focused on category management and all merchandising elements followed by eight years in foodservice. He began his career in private brands and moved into category management working for various top tier grocery retailers, spending the last ten years in senior level positions in center store and produce. Rob Mould joined Independent Marketing Alliance (IMA), a foodservice buying group headquartered in Houston, in 2015 as its President and CEO. The primary company focus is “exclusive brands” or “private brands”, but a total category growth mindset is the goal. More about Independent Marketing Alliance: Independent Marketing Alliance (IMA) is an exclusive network of the highest producing foodservice distributors, delivering better business through its exclusive alliance. For over 20 years, members have benefited from expert category and supplier management, exclusive brands marketing, business planning, quality assurance, and more. Learn more here: https://imafoodservice.com/. Thanks to Our Sponsor: BMO Whether you're a producer, processor, retailer or distributor, every company throughout the food continuum needs a financial partner that understands the factors that impact their business. From emerging consumer trends and industry consolidation to commodity fluctuations and economic cyclicality, BMO's Food, Consumer, and Agribusiness Group understands the issues affecting your company and is dedicated to serving the entire food industry – from farm to consumer. To learn more, visit commercial.bmo.com/food.

In this episode of a, host Russ Perry is joined by Ivonne Kinser, Founder and CEO of Vantage Creative Group. Together, they discuss Ivonne's journey to becoming the "Avocado Queen," how to conquer fear and overcome creative paralysis, and the importance of embracing your true creative self.

This Series is Sponsored by BMO In the second episode of the “Foodservice Gamechangers” series, special guest host and Food Institute advisor Pat Mulhern welcomed Dot Foods president George Eversman to talk about his career journey and leadership style. Additionally, the pair discuss workforce management strategies and supply chain logistics for the foodservice distribution industry. More about George Eversman: George Eversman is President of Dot Foods. He came up through the business in both Sales & Business Development. In George's 30 year career with Dot he has spent time in managing various aspects of Dot's retail and foodservice businesses. George has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Iowa, and an MBA from Arizona State University. George's family consists of wife Michelle, and 4 children ranging in age from 26 to 15 years old. His two older children now reside in Austin and Dallas Texas respectively, while his two younger daughters are still at home in Quincy, Illinois. More about Dot Foods: Robert and Dorothy Tracy founded our company in 1960, with big dreams of starting a family business and streamlining the food supply chain. Sixty years later, we make more products more accessible to more people than ever before. We do this by purchasing large quantities of product from the supplier and storing it in our 13 distribution centers across the country. Our distributor and food processor customers then order our food and non-food items in less-than-truckload (LTL) quantities, which we deliver in as little as two to four days. Our business model, the talents of more than 4,000 employees, and the Tracy family's ownership have helped our company become the largest food industry redistributor in North America. But even more importantly, the dream that took shape all those years ago is still driving our partners' businesses forward. Learn more at: https://www.dotfoods.com/. Thanks to Our Sponsor: BMO Whether you're a producer, processor, retailer or distributor every company throughout the food continuum needs a financial partner that understands the factors that impact their business. From emerging consumer trends and industry consolidation, to commodity fluctuations and economic cyclicality, BMO's Food, Consumer, and Agribusiness Group understands the issues affecting your company and are dedicated to serving the entire food industry – from farm to consumer. To learn more about how they can help, visit commercial.bmo.com/food.

In the first episode of “Foodservice Gamechangers,” Food Institute advisor Pat Mulhern speaks with UniPro Foodservice CEO Bob Stewart who shared his thoughts on the foodservice industry's future, including the impact of consolidation and succession planning. Additionally, Stewart emphasizes the importance of hard work, technical skills, and networking. More about Bob Stewart: A seasoned executive with 38 years of diversified experience in professional services, retail, manufacturing and distribution. His distribution experience included 20 years at US Foods. Bob began his professional career as a CPA in Pittsburgh, PA and worked several years in the Audit Departments of Deloitte and Grant Thornton. Joining Kraft Foodservice in 1991, Bob advanced at both the local operating plant and HQ levels where he held roles as a SVP of Finance and Operational Strategy, CFO of US Food's North Region, VP of Purchasing and Marketing, Reg. VP of Finance as well as a Division President. Bob also led US Foods large-scale business transformation project to redesign and functionalize parts of the business. Bob has been the CEO of UniPro since 2015, leading the cooperative through an organizational rebranding and resurgence, significantly increasing Member and Supplier participation and engagement. He is a native of southwestern Pennsylvania, has six children and now resides in Atlanta with his wife Maria along with their seventh child, Missy the English Bull Terrier. More about UniPro: With 460 members with over 1,000 locations, UniPro Foodservice, Inc. is the largest foodservice distribution cooperative in the United States. They provide nationwide access to exclusive purchasing opportunities with the country's premier suppliers. Learn more: https://www.uniprofoodservice.com/

Corn stocks, poultry flocks, and highly-pathogenic avian influenza - what does the U.S. agricultural system look like amid inflation and other headwinds? Wells Fargo Chief Agricultural Economist Dr. Michael Swanson discussed specialty crops, grain plantings, and what to expect in the growing year to come. More About Dr. Michael J. Swanson: Michael Swanson is an agricultural economist and consultant for Wells Fargo, the largest commercial agricultural lender in the U.S. since 1997. Based in Minneapolis, his responsibilities include analyzing the impact of energy on agriculture and strategic analysis for key agricultural commodities and livestock sectors. His focus includes the systems analysis of consumer food demand and its linkage to agribusiness. Additionally, he helps develop credit and risk strategies for Wells Fargo's customers, and performs macroeconomic and international analysis on agricultural production and agribusiness. Michael joined Wells Fargo in 2000 as a senior economist. He received his undergraduate degrees in Business Administration and Economics from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. He received his Master's and Ph.D. degrees in Applied Economics from the University of Minnesota. Prior to working at Wells Fargo, he worked for four years at Land O' Lakes, a large national dairy cooperative based in Minnesota. Before working in the dairy processing business, Michael lived in South America for four years working for Cargill. His first position was with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad as transportation systems analyst. More About Wells Fargo: Wells Fargo has been the nation's leading agricultural lender among commercial banks for 25 consecutive years, according to Top 100 Farm Lenders (FDIC – 4Q 2020). Wells brings farm-to-fork expertise to our clients in the agribusiness, food, beverage and hospitality industries with bankers who are passionate and knowledgeable about the industries, provide strategic products designed to mitigate industry-specific risk, and provide a full suite of services for businesses of all sizes. To learn more about Wells Fargo, please visit: https://www.wellsfargo.com/com/industry/food-and-agribusiness/ To learn more about Food Institute membership and The Food Institute Report: https://foodinstitute.com/joinfi/ https://foodinstitute.com/report/

The latest Food Institute news podcast touches on the potential impact of a TikTok ban on the food and beverage industry.

Kristie Middleton is  vice president of business development for Rebellyous Foods where she and her team help institutions add more plant-based options to their menus. Kristie's also the author of MeatLess: Transform the Way You Eat and Live—One Meal at a Time and a long-time animal advocate. Rebellyous Foods has created novel manufacturing technology in order to make plant-based chicken more affordable to the masses. Mainly targeting food service providers such as universities and school districts, Kristie, who is Vice president of business development at the venture capital funded company, uses her experience from her days at The Humane Society to ensure that this product is a clean and price comparable product in those markets.A great episode for those interested in all things plant-based meats and how to scale a company providing this type of product to the masses. Relevant links to things mentioned throughout the show:Kristie Middleton: MeatLess: Transform the Way You Eat and Live—One Meal at a TimeIn a recent interview with The Food Institute with Christie Lagally 50% of all meals served in Sodexo university settings will be plant-based by 2025Request For Proposals for something called Mock2Josh Balk episode on our podcastAG funder interview re continuous process vs batchingPodcast: Business for Good (start-ups)Food BizWiz by Aly Ball about getting food start-up products into retailRebellyous Foods Hiring(00:00) START(04:23) ABOUT REBELLYOUS FOODS(09:31) PATENTED EQUIPMENT(16:47) EDUCATING THE CONSUMER(22:12) A GOOD APPROACH MAKES A DIFFERENCE(28:24) THE MOCK 2(34:53) ADVANTAGES TO COMPANIES FOCUSED ON PROFIT(45:46) OTHER AREAS THAT NEED INNOVATION(51:38) MOMENTS THAT INSPIRED CAREER CHANGE(01:02:31) FOCUS ON THE MISSION(01:06:05) CLOSING QUESTIONSIf you enjoy the show, please leave a rating and review us - we would really appreciate it! Likewise, feel free to share it with anyone who you think might enjoy it. You can send us feedback and guest recommendations via Twitter or email us at hello@howilearnedtoloveshrimp.com. Enjoy!

Non-alcoholic beer has been on a tear since 2017. That's when Heineken and an unknown brand, Athletic Brewing, appeared on shelves to shake things up. The latest Skate Ramp brand has crossed $100M rapidly, but will it journey at high speed toward $1B and truly impact the beer industry? I share an excerpt of my thoughts recently written in detail for The Food Institute. Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com Please send feedback on this or other episodes to: admin@premiumgrowthsolutions.com

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 2453: Dr. Jenny Brockis explores the profound impact of diet on mental health in her article on DrJennyBrockis.com. She emphasizes that depression is more than just a brain disorder and is interconnected with our gut, immune, and endocrine systems. By adopting healthier dietary habits, like a Mediterranean-style diet and reducing ultra-processed foods, we can not only improve mood but also reduce the risk of depression. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://drjennybrockis.com/2023/10/27/can-changing-your-diet-make-you-feel-happier/ Quotes to ponder: "Dietary intervention can improve mood." "Depression is now considered a whole-body disorder because of the interconnection between our brain, gut, immune, and endocrine systems." "The microbiome is dynamic, and the balance of good and bad bacteria is changed by what you eat." Episode references: The Mood and Food Institute at Deakin University: https://www.deakin.edu.au/business-and-community/donate/stories-of-giving/the-dkin-difference-2021/food-and-mood Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 2453: Dr. Jenny Brockis explores the profound impact of diet on mental health in her article on DrJennyBrockis.com. She emphasizes that depression is more than just a brain disorder and is interconnected with our gut, immune, and endocrine systems. By adopting healthier dietary habits, like a Mediterranean-style diet and reducing ultra-processed foods, we can not only improve mood but also reduce the risk of depression. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://drjennybrockis.com/2023/10/27/can-changing-your-diet-make-you-feel-happier/ Quotes to ponder: "Dietary intervention can improve mood." "Depression is now considered a whole-body disorder because of the interconnection between our brain, gut, immune, and endocrine systems." "The microbiome is dynamic, and the balance of good and bad bacteria is changed by what you eat." Episode references: The Mood and Food Institute at Deakin University: https://www.deakin.edu.au/business-and-community/donate/stories-of-giving/the-dkin-difference-2021/food-and-mood Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The foodservice industry has had its fair share of twists and turns the past few years, but where is it headed in 2024? Lizzy Freier, Director, Menu Research & Insights at Technomic joins The Food Institute Podcast to talk restaurant traffic, international cuisines, LTOs and more. More about Lizzy Freier: Lizzy leads menu research at Technomic, tracking and analyzing both current and predictive trends. Although her focus is on commercial food, beverage and adult beverage trend- and data-tracking at independent, emerging and top chain restaurants, she has also analyzed noncommercial, convenience-store and global trends. Over her decade at Technomic, she has contributed to a plethora of content. She's been interviewed by various media outlets, ranging from BBC News to The Wall Street Journal to Forbes. She has also established numerous products for Technomic, including the Emerging Eats newsletter, On the Menu Trends webinar and Food Flash infographics. Lizzy has presented at dozens of large industry events in the U.S. and abroad, including the National Restaurant Association Show; The Culinary Institute of America's cuisine summits; RCA Conference; VIBE Conference; Winsight's Restaurant Directions; Clean Label Conference; National Coffee Association Conference; and Technomic's Foodservice and Adult Beverage Planning Program events. Learn more about Technomic: https://www.technomic.com/ More from the Food Institute featuring Lizzy Freier: https://foodinstitute.com/focus/is-america-ready-to-embrace-african-cuisine/

Chicago-based Foxtrot Market and Dom's Kitchen and Market — both upscale supermarkets with food service — will join forces. Reset talks with Virginia Lee, a market research expert and Food Institute writer, about what the merger means. To explore our full catalog of interviews, head on over to wbez.org/reset.

The latest Food Institute news podcast touches on TikTok's burgeoning e-commerce business.

The latest Food Institute news podcast touches on the return of the bird flu in America.

How can a dairy operation balance the ESG demands of consumers while still creating delicious cheeses and ice cream? Tillamook County Creamery Association executive vice president of stewardship Paul Snyder joined The Food Institute Podcast to discuss the brand's sustainability goals, its Oregon-based history, and the company's expansion to the U.S. East Coast. More About Tillamook County Creamery Association: The Tillamook Way is a way of life—the way our farmer-owners have done things since 1909. We cared for our farmer-owners, who cared for the land, which sustained healthier cows, which provided better milk. And better milk made better dairy products. It's a simple recipe that we've followed for over a century and it has never failed. More About Paul Snyder: Paul Snyder joined the Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) in 2019, as Executive Vice President of Stewardship. In this role, Paul leads several functions including corporate responsibility, sustainability, community engagement, corporate communications, government affairs, farm services, and co-op member relations. Before joining TCCA, Paul served as Global Vice President – Corporate Responsibility at InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), based in Atlanta, Georgia. In that role, Paul co-led IHG's global corporate responsibility function and directly oversaw sustainability strategy and execution for the company's nearly 5,200 hotels worldwide. Additionally, he directed the company's Americas Public Affairs activities, its U.S. based Foundation and several community-based and diversity-focused initiatives. He also held various other leadership positions during his time at IHG in development, operations, marketing, and brand management. Prior to joining IHG, Paul worked at Marriott International in the company's Brand Management, Development and IT departments. He started his career in the hospitality industry with Winegardner & Hammons, Inc. as a line level employee at a Holiday Inn hotel and was promoted into managerial positions in both the Food & Beverage and Rooms departments. In addition to his role at TCCA, Paul currently serves on the board of directors for Newtrient, an organization that partners with dairy farmers, technology providers and other stakeholders to help them make informed decisions regarding manure management opportunities and challenges. Additionally, he serves on the Advisory Committee of Oregon's Greenhouse Gas Emissions Program 2021 Rulemaking — a new Climate Protection Program to limit greenhouse gas emissions from some of the most significant sources in Oregon. Prior to relocating to Oregon to join TCCA, Paul was a committed community leader in Atlanta, having served on the Boards of the Georgia Center for Non-Profits, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Atlanta Opera and the Metro Atlanta Chapter of the American Red Cross. He also led the Marketing efforts for the Atlanta chapter of Conscious Capitalism. Paul earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature at Lawrence University and an MBA at Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management. Learn more about Tillamook: https://www.tillamook.com/ Learn more about the company's sustainability goals: https://www.tillamook.com/stewardship Sign up for Food Institute's free newsletters here: https://foodinstitute.com/newsletters

Brian Choi is the Managing Partner and CEO of The Food Institute. For over 90 years, The Food Institute has been the best “single source” for food industry executives with a daily email reach of over 100,000. Join Bob and Brian as they discuss the impact of inflation, the recession, and innovation on food manufacturers and retailers.

Returning to the podcast in this episode is Marina Marchese. Marina is back from a recent trip to Italy taking advanced courses from the Food Institute there in both learning, and teaching the skills necessary to claim the title of Connoisseur. Marina is in charge of The American Honey Tasting Society, an organization designed to teach people the intricate skills necessary to become a honey connoisseur. She is also a Member Italian Register of Experts in the Sensory Analysis of Honey. Marina and Kim Flottum published The Honey Connoisseur book looking at the major honey plants of the world, plus an introduction to Marina's Honey Tasting Wheel, a tool used to describe, and define the intricate flavors of the honeys of the world. Tasting and experiencing the differences in honeys is a learned skill, something all of us can do, with just a little practice and technique. As a beekeeper, you should know how to describe the taste of your honey – whether you sell it to the local packer, the farm market or on a stand in front of your house. Listen today! What's your favorite honey taste like? We hope you enjoy the episode. Leave comments and questions in the Comments Section of the episode's website. Thank you for listening! Links and websites mentioned in this podcast:  American Honey Tasting Society: https://www.americanhoneytastingsociety.com/ Marina's Honey Connoisseur Website: http://www.honeysommelier.com  Beekeeping Today Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@beekeepingtodaypodcast Honey Bee Obscura: https://www.honeybeeobscura.com ______________ This episode is brought to you by Global Patties! Global offers a variety of standard and custom patties. Visit them today at http://globalpatties.com and let them know you appreciate them sponsoring this episode!  We welcome Betterbee as sponsor of today's episode. Betterbee's mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, Betterbee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers. See for yourself at www.betterbee.com Thanks to Strong Microbials for their support of Beekeeping Today Podcast. Find out more about heir line of probiotics in our Season 3, Episode 12 episode and from their website: https://www.strongmicrobials.com Thanks for Northern Bee Books for their support. Northern Bee Books is the publisher of bee books available worldwide from their website or from Amazon and bookstores everywhere. They are also the publishers of The Beekeepers Quarterly and Natural Bee Husbandry. _______________ We hope you enjoy this podcast and welcome your questions and comments in the show notes of this episode or: questions@beekeepingtodaypodcast.com Thanks to Bee Culture, the Magazine of American Beekeeping, for their support of The Beekeeping Today Podcast. Available in print and digital at www.beeculture.com Thank you for listening!  Podcast music: Be Strong by Young Presidents; Epilogue by Musicalman; Walking in Paris by Studio Le Bus; A Fresh New Start by Pete Morse; Original guitar background instrumental by Jeff Ott Beekeeping Today Podcast is an audio production of Growing Planet Media, LLC Copyright © 2023 by Growing Planet Media, LLC

How are consumers changing consumption patterns as inflation pushes CPG prices higher? On this episode of The Food Institute Podcast, Ibotta SVP Chris Jensen discusses how consumers are gravitating towards at-home eating, tactics retailers are employing to maintain and grow their customer bases, and how loyalty programs can benefit consumers and retailers alike. More About Chris Jensen: Chris leads revenue and operations for Ibotta, including a team of 250+ individuals in sales, account management and operations. His team is responsible for bringing to market Ibotta's Rewards as a Service (RaaS) solution to strengthen the ties between advertisers, retailers, publishers and consumers, leveraging best-in-class technology and real-time performance analytics. Prior to joining Ibotta, Chris served as global marketing director for Whole Foods Market, building WFM's performance marketing function and driving more than $300 million in incremental revenue through the launch of new marketing vehicles. The gaps he identified in the card linked offer space while at Whole Foods inspired him to launch Givella, a fintech-based marketing platform dedicated to deepening the connection between brands and consumers through a nonprofit giving incentive. More About Ibotta: Built in Denver, CO, Ibotta (“I bought a…”) is a cash back rewards platform that has delivered more than $1.1 billion in cumulative rewards to its users. Launched in 2012, Ibotta has more than 40 million downloads, is one of the most frequently used shopping platforms in the United States, and offers cash back on purchases on more than 2,700 leading brands and retail partners. In addition to its owned properties, Ibotta also powers rewards programs for top retailers and makes its offer content available on a number of leading websites and apps through the Ibotta Performance Network. The Ibotta Performance Network is the CPG industry's leading performance marketing network. With a reach of more than 120M consumers across the country's top retailers, Ibotta delivers promotions at unprecedented scale with performance marketing efficiency. The IPN is a one-stop shop where advertisers can reach consumers during their shopping journey and improve performance across all marketing channels, with unparalleled precision and measurability. Learn more at: https://home.ibotta.com/ Sign Up for the Food Institute's Retail 360 Newsletter: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/cIOL5ME/FIRetail360

Lorette Picciano has coordinated unified efforts in 7 farm bill debates to secure more than 40 sections of policy to assure equal access to USDA programs for farmers, ranchers, and farmworkers. On this week's episode, Lorette talks with Ron about these efforts which started in 1980 in Washington, D.C. She started with several interfaith organizations on equity in food and farm policy, food security and fair trade issues, and continues this connection today as a board member with several faith and solidarity economy networks. Since 1992, Lorette served as executive director of the Rural Coalition, an alliance of more than 60 culturally diverse community based organizations representing small producers and farmworkers in the U.S. and Mexico. She works with Rural Coalition's diverse board and members to promote just and sustainable development in rural areas, particularly in civil rights in agriculture. She has also worked with Rural Coalition member communities to advance food sovereignty with sister communities in North America and globally as a member of the international farmers' movement, La Via Campesina. Her education includes a BS in Agriculture from Cornell University, and an M. Ed. from the University of Hawaii, where she was a participant in the Food Institute of the East-West Center and did fieldwork in the rural Philippines. The interview was conducted on Feb. 11, 2016. Links this episode: National Sustainable Agriculture Oral History Archive Rural Coalition -------- Liked this show? SUBSCRIBE to this podcast on Spotify, Audible, Apple, Google, and more. Catch past episodes, a transcript, and show notes at cfra.org/SustainbleAgPodcast.

How to Lose Weight and Fix Your Health Problems. The Food Institute recently analyzed data received from the U.S. Bureau of Labor and found that millennials spend 45% of their food budget on eating out. Whether you get it in a drive through or the frozen food aisle, it's called “junk” for a reason! Yes, it's fast, it's tasty, and it satisfies your hunger at least for a little bit, but all that comes at a hefty price: your health and well-being! So let's see what would happen to your body and what health benefits it would bring you if you finally gave up junk food for good. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Tricia Pritchard sits down with Dr. Kathy  Selvaggi to discuss what the Food Institute has accomplished in their first year at Butler Hospital. BHS Food Institute | Healthcare Services Butler, PA (butlerhealthsystem.org)

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More and more, consumers, processors, suppliers and retailers are making buying decisions based on a company's commitment to environmental, social and governance principles. In a recent Food Institute podcast, Erica Kuhlmann, BMO Harris Bank's Head of Food, Consumer and Agribusiness; Jonathan Hackett, BMO's Head of Sustainable Finance; and Marc Khouzami, Managing Director of BMO's Impact Investment Fund, offered their perspectives on how ESG impacts everything from agriculture production to employee recruitment to access to capital for companies in the food sector.

Pet Food Institute President and CEO Dana Brooks, along with Senior Vice President of Public Policy Betsy Flores, answer the question, "What is the current state of the pet food supply chain, and what can we do about it?"

Founded in the United States in 1928, the Food Institute has provided authoritative news on food products to its members for many decades. Brian Choi started following its service five years ago. As an investment banker and private equity investor, his job required him to know the latest news on the food market and commodities. He received weekly updates from the Institute until one day he saw an opportunity for himself. As he tells Charles Miller on this week's CoinGeek Conversations, he wanted to “build the Food Institute into becoming an industry hub where you can go to, whether you're a food industry executive, whether you're a private equity individual, whether you're in venture capital, to know what's happening in the food industry.”In 2020, Brian managed to acquire the Institute and turn his vision into reality. Under his leadership as CEO, the organization continues to provide food industry news whilst adding a digital media component and expanding its content to cover all aspects and stages of food processing - from agriculture, to manufacturing to retail and service. In addition, the Institute provides expert commentaries from food business CEOs and investors. Brian wants the company to be “the Bloomberg of the food industry.” He adds “It's the one hub where you can get the information that you need to help you be informed about your business.” The Food Institute and blockchain Brian is keen to point out that most of their content is based on up-and-coming trends, as well as products and services that have an impact on the food industry. For instance, in relation to new technology, Brian explains that they've already seen the emergence of artificial intelligence and robotics in food processing and manufacturing. Now with blockchain he believes that technology can impact the food industry, such that data will be leveraged and in turn, help businesses and consumers be better informed. Moreover, he sees blockchain as a key component in efficiently providing a measure of accountability for a company, especially when it comes to meeting its environmental and sustainability goals. “With companies like Coke and PepsiCo, they are putting a stake in the ground saying, by 2030 we're going to be carbon neutral, or by 2025 we're going to use fifty percent less water. It's another thing to say here are the facts, this is the data, this is what we've done and having it transparent to everyone and easily verifiable - which is what blockchain is able to do.”The food institute and Bitcoin SV Bitcoin Association President Jimmy Nguyen, along with Stephan Nilsson, founder of UNISOT and SeafoodChain, were invited by the Food Institute to educate its audience on the basics of blockchain and how food companies can apply blockchain to their businesses. As Charles points out, UNISOT, a company that utilizes the Bitcoin SV blockchain to make the global food supply chain more efficient and transparent, is a terrific example of how blockchain can be applied in the food industry. Brian agrees, saying he would like to invite Jimmy and Stephan back for round two of discussions to expound on blockchain backed applications that are suited for the food industry.Finally, Brian shares his thoughts on the adoption of blockchain technology in the food industry and how BSV can help. “I'm hoping more companies like UNISOT and SeafoodChain come to the forefront because I think we're still a long way away for this technology being adopted by the masses. The more entrepreneurs are leveraging the BSV blockchain and developing applications, that's only going to help foster adoption.”         

Anis Nabilah has hosted more than 50 TV cooking shows and is one of the most accomplished celebrity chefs in Malaysia. Being one of eight siblings, the kitchen is where she felt most connected with her family. In this episode, Chef Anis opened up about the challenges she faced as a young female chef in the TV industry and shared some dos and don'ts when it comes to cooking in the kitchen! “Teach what you know and before you teach, make sure you learn.” - Anis Nabilah Timestamps: [02:08] - Anis's kitchen memories with her mother [04:47] - Earning the “chef” title in Malaysia [08:06] - Culinary experience at Food Institute of Malaysia [09:52] - How Anis landed her first show, Icip-Icip, that became the first Malaysian show to be aired on Asian Food Network [14:14] - Her journey as a celebrity chef [18:02] - Navigating through challenges as a young female chef on TV [22:07] - Traditional TV vs. Online Content Creator [26:11] - Anis's favourite dish: Daging Salai Masak Lemak [27:41] - Tips for beginner cooks: SMELL IT [33:28] - New recipe book by Anis Nabilah [35:13] - Advice for aspiring TV chefs Business enquiries or collaborations - hellofoodiecanteen@gmail.com Read our articles Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for more

Description In episode thirty-four of Food for Talk, host Howard Dorman, Mazars Food and Beverage Practice Co-Leader is joined by… The post Food for Talk, Episode 34 | A Conversation with Brian Choi, CEO of the Food Institute appeared first on Insights Center - Mazars - United States.

Ep. 600 Monty Waldin interviews Pierluigi Bolla from Valdo Spumanti More about Pierluigi: Pierluigi Bolla, Chairman of Valdo Spumanti, was born in 1951 in Verona. Graduated in Economics and Business from the University of Verona, and he carries out industrial activities in the wine sector. He was a member of the Young Entrepreneurs Council of Province of Verona, National Vice President of Federvini, President of the Wine & Food Institute of New York. From 1983 to 1989: Chairman and CEO of F.lli Bolla SpA and from 1989 to 1995: Chairman of F.lli Bolla International Wines Inc. The Company was founded in 1926 by a group of local wine growers and in 1934 was acquired by the Bolla Family from Verona, already in the second generation of wine-markers in the region. In 1940 the company name was changed from "Società Anonima Vini Superiori" to Valdo Spumanti and started the production of high-quality sparkling wines. Finally, starting from 1960, with improvement in both quality and sales force, the presence of the Spumanti in both Italian restaurants and, afterwards, in the retail market, was being improved. To find out more visit: Website: www.valdo.com Instagram: @valdo_spumanti Facebook: @valdo.spumanti @valdo.spumanti.dach Linkedin: @Valdo Spumanti Let's keep in touch! Follow us on our social media channels: Instagram @italianwinepodcast Facebook @ItalianWinePodcast Twitter @itawinepodast Tiktok @MammaJumboShrimp LinkedIn @ItalianWinePodcast If you feel like helping us, donate here www.italianwinepodcast.com/donate-to-show/ Until next time, Cin Cin!

What do future food leaders think about the food industry's prospects over the next five years? Professor Daniel Williams Hooker of Cornell University joins The Food Institute Podcast with three of his most gifted students to discuss the results of a recent survey produced in partnership with The Food Institute. The students offer their opinions on the importance of plant-based foods, food delivery, animal proteins, social causes, and more. Hosted By: Chris Campbell More About Daniel Williams Hooker Dan is a global retail and consumer packaged goods executive with broad experience across diverse business environments and formats, leading traditional food retail operations and merchandising, as well as product development, consumer and category analytics, sourcing and procurement, global trading, national sales and ecommerce. Dan is an outstanding strategist and general manager, and he has led the successful startup of multiple diverse businesses. Known for and recognized as one of the world's leading authorities on retailers' proprietary brands, he has shaped clients' programs across four continents and eight classes of trade. His passion is in helping companies see their unique DNA and positioning and creating actionable marketing and sales strategies essential for their success. After earning a degree from Cornell University in Agribusiness and Marketing, Dan plunged headlong into retail joining Aldi Foods as a District Manager. In the early 1990's Wakefern/ShopRite was very concerned about Aldi's expansion east and Dan jumped at the opportunity to start a business, and moved to West Springfield, MA and opened the first Price Rite Store. Today there are over 70 Price Rite stores that generate over $1 Billion in annual revenue and they are a strategic growth driver for Wakefern. After spending two years at Arthur Andersen as a retail consultant Dan spent fourteen years at Daymon Worldwide working with manufacturers and retailers across the world. Dan's career at Daymon progressed rapidly, and In 2011 Dan was appointed to the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) as the Chief Supplier Officer (CSO). As the CSO Dan was responsible for Category Management and Analytics, Supplier Relationships, Global Sourcing and Procurement and ran Daymon's import and export businesses. As a member of the ELT Dan was instrumental in re-inventing Daymon from consulting/brokerage company to a broader retail services company. Dan left Daymon at the end of 2013 and joined Trilliant Food and Nutrition in January of 2014 as the Vice President of Sales for national accounts and ecommerce. For the last four years Dan has focused on the digital channel selling to ecommerce retailers and running multi-million-dollar businesses for Walmart.com and Jet.com. And today, Dan is on the Faculty at the SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University where he teaches both graduates and undergraduates in Food and Consumables Marketing, Supply Chain Strategy, and he is the Director of External Education for the Food Industry Management Program. Dan has an MBA from the University of Connecticut. To learn more about the SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University, please visit: https://dyson.cornell.edu/

Kate Fullam, Executive Director of East End Food Institute, joins Syke to talk about how the organization helps East End's communities and economy. East End Food Institute builds relationships with farmers, food producers, and food consumers across Long Island's East End to make its local food system more economically viable, environmentally sustainable, efficient, and equitable. For more information, visit eastendfood.org.

Is there power in plant-based pudding? Noops founder Gregory Struck certainly thinks so. Struck joins the Food Institute podcast to share his personal health journey and how it served as the impetus to start his plant-based pudding company. Struck explains why he targeted the pudding market and details how he hopes his product will address some systemic health issues in America. Additionally, he shares how he was motivated by finding less-than-healthy snacks for his kids at parties, and reveals some new product ideas Noops is developing. Hosted By: Chris Campbell More About Gregory Struck: Gregory recently founded Noops, his third company in the CPG space. Noops is tackling the multi-billion dollar pudding category with a dairy-free plant-based offering. Previously Gregory was Co-Founder and COO of Hungryroot (Lightspeed, KarpReilly, Lerer Hippeau). Before that was a Co-Founder of Long Island Brand Beverages, a CPG company acquired by Cullen Investments and taken public on the NASDAQ. Gregory was moved to start Noops after having survived a bout with skin cancer and learning he had a rare genetic disease calling for him to eat a predominantly plant-based diet. For more information on Noops, please visit: https://eatnoops.com/

After pivoting during the COVID-19 pandemic, where does grocery retail go from here? BrickMeetsClick Chief Architect Bill Bishop returns to the Food Institute Podcast to discuss grocery e-commerce sales statistics for March 2021 one year after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, he shares guidance on how grocery retailers can innovate in the face of rising pressure from non-traditional competition. Hosted By: Chris Campbell More About Bill Bishop: Recognized as one of the retail food industry's preeminent advisors, Bill has been involved in research and consulting for several decades with a concentration on the new issues and developments impacting this business. Bill co-founded Brick Meets Click in 2011 with Steve Bishop. Today, as its Chief Architect, he focuses on analyzing the forces driving change in food and grocery retailing and providing practical guidance on how to respond effectively. Brick Meets Click's services and thought leadership help organizations successfully navigate the changing food retail ecosystem and leverage disruptive business innovations, from online grocery to new formats and hard discounters. In September 2020, Bill was inducted into the Private Label Hall of Fame in recognition of his contributions to the growth of the industry. Early in his career Bill was the Vice President of Research at the Supermarket Institute (now FMI). Later, he founded Willard Bishop Consulting and led major studies on new store formats, pricing strategy, direct store delivery, and loyalty marketing. He also helped create the supermarket-focused Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council (CCRRC) and convenience retail-focused NACS/CCRRC. Bill earned a PhD in Agricultural Economics and Marketing from Cornell University. He has taught Marketing Channels at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, and served on the Boards for Raley's Fine Foods and The Food Institute. For more information on BrickMeetsClick, please visit: https://www.brickmeetsclick.com/

In the first installment of The Food Institute's quick-hitting news podcast, we break down the trend of major food companies raising prices, worsening drought conditions in the western U.S., meatpacker JBS' move into the plant-based sector, and more. The FI Fast Break podcast aims to provide those in the food industry with a 4-minute breakdown of the biggest news of the week. If a story happens during the week that could significantly impact your industry segment, you'll hear it here.

Dan Rowe, CEO of Fransmart, joined the Food Institute podcast to discuss the restaurant of the future. Rowe discusses the current restaurant landscape in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and what brands/concepts could take advantage of today's market dynamics. Additionally, Rowe shares his prospects for drive-thrus, delivery, ghost kitchens, and curbside pickup options among foodservice operators in the years to come. Hosted By: Chris Campbell Recorded: Jan. 29, 2021 More About Dan Rowe: Dan Rowe specializes in finding the next big thing and for over 20 years has identified and grown brands like Five Guys Burgers & Fries, QDOBA Mexican Grill and The Halal Guys from small unit businesses to the powerhouse chains they are today. Under Dan Rowe's direction, Fransmart's current and past franchise development portfolio brands have opened more than 5,000 restaurants worldwide, and facilitated franchise investments that have cumulatively generated over 1-billion in revenues to date. Dan is Co-Managing Partner at The Kitchen Fund and FranInvest, which have invested in Sweetgreen, Cava, by Chloe, Inday, eegee's, to name just a few, and is an active board member of YPO and the National Restaurant Association. To learn more about Fransmart, please visit: https://www.fransmart.com Connect with Dan on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/dan-rowe/a/894/189

Multi-year water deficits and compound events leading to unexpected water surpluses have led to multi-billion-dollar losses in states around the U.S., and this is becoming the norm worldwide. Those losses highlight the vulnerability of our infrastructure to extreme climate events. Historic approaches to regulation are not easy to change and as more and more weather events occur due to climate change, some advocates are suggesting that laws need to be more flexible and adaptable. In this episode we ask "what the heck is water law" and how it is changing as our world does? This episode is hosted by Gus Hurwitz (Nebraska Governance and Technology Center) and Peter McCornick (Daugherty Water for Food Institute). Guests include Rob Cifelli, Felicia Marcus, Francisco Muñoz-Arriola, and Anthony Schutz.

Will the pandemic gains grocery e-commerce saw in 2020 remain in the new year? The Food Institute Podcast welcomed back BrickMeetsClick Chief Architect Bill Bishop to discuss the grocery e-commerce space at the end of the pandemic year. Bishop discusses record grocery e-commerce sales, how third-party delivery services are staying relevant, the acceleration of first-party delivery, and how delivery services can keep customers even after the pandemic ends. Hosted By: Chris Campbell Recorded: Dec. 14, 2020 More About Bill Bishop: Recognized as one of the retail food industry's preeminent advisors, Bill has been involved in research and consulting for several decades with a concentration on the new issues and developments impacting this business. Bill co-founded Brick Meets Click in 2011 with Steve Bishop. Today, as its Chief Architect, he focuses on analyzing the forces driving change in food and grocery retailing and providing practical guidance on how to respond effectively. Brick Meets Click's services and thought leadership help organizations successfully navigate the changing food retail ecosystem and leverage disruptive business innovations, from online grocery to new formats and hard discounters. In September 2020, Bill was inducted into the Private Label Hall of Fame in recognition of his contributions to the growth of the industry. Early in his career Bill was the Vice President of Research at the Supermarket Institute (now FMI). Later, he founded Willard Bishop Consulting and led major studies on new store formats, pricing strategy, direct store delivery, and loyalty marketing. He also helped create the supermarket-focused Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council (CCRRC) and convenience retail-focused NACS/CCRRC. Bill earned a PhD in Agricultural Economics and Marketing from Cornell University. He has taught Marketing Channels at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, and served on the Boards for Raley's Fine Foods and The Food Institute. For more information on BrickMeetsClick, please visit: https://www.brickmeetsclick.com/

Ghost kitchens – some in the restaurant industry fear them, while others embrace them. Euromonitor even projects it could be a $1 trillion business by 2030, but what exactly is a ghost kitchen? And how will the pandemic affect the industry's trajectory in the future? Join the Food Institute's Chris Campbell as he talks with Kitchen United chief business officer Atul Sood and Combo Kitchen CEO Hossein Kasmai to fully define the ghost kitchen model, explore demographic shifts affecting the bottom line at ghost kitchens, and what the industry may look like in the years to come. Hosted By: Chris Campbell Hossein Kasmai Audio Record: Oct. 20, 2020 Atul Sood Audio Recorded: Nov. 12, 2020 Join the Food Institute Today! More About Atul Sood: Atul Sood is the Chief Business Officer for Kitchen United and is responsible for spearheading strategic partnerships along with administrative and financial management. Prior to his role with Kitchen United, Atul was the Director of Business Development for McDonald's Global Digital organization, where he was responsible for launching and managing McDonald's food delivery partnerships. Atul began his career in investment banking and has amongst other roles, founded, grown and sold his own start-up in the sales technology space. More About Hossein Kasmai: Hossein Kasmai has extensive experience in the field of franchising. Kasmai founded many franchise concepts of his own including Guard-A-Kid. Founded in 2005, Guard-A-Kid quickly became the industry leader and a very successful franchise in the field of children and family safety. In only a few months after its initial franchise offering, Guard-A-Kid grew to over 35 franchises and by 2010, Guard-A-Kid expanded to over 150 franchises in 11 countries . Kasmai's new franchise concept has been ranked among the top 500 franchises for six years in a row and ranked in the top 10 new franchises in 2009. Founded in 2020 by Franchise Creator CEO Hossein Kasmai, Combo Kitchen is the world's first ghost kitchen franchise opportunity of its kind. Ghost kitchens, also known as virtual, shadow, or cloud kitchens, are professional food preparation and cooking facilities without dining areas to facilitate to-go orders and deliveries. Without the need to provide dine-in services, restaurateurs can bypass the costly expenses of leasing a storefront, interior construction, furniture and décor, and a staff to serve customers. By reducing overhead and streamlining operations, restaurateurs can focus on the most important aspect of their business: their food. To learn more about Kitchen United, please visit: https://www.kitchenunited.com/ To learn more about Combo Kitchen, please visit: https://www.combokitchen.com/

Felicia Marcus has been making waves in California water management and regulation for more than three decades. She most recently served as Chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, with responsibility for drinking water, water quality, and water rights. Prior to that, as Regional Administrator of the U.S. EPA Region IX she was responsible for the range of environmental issues under EPA’s jurisdiction. Earlier, Marcus headed the Los Angeles Department of Public Works dealing with wastewater, water and solid waste recycling, stormwater management, and other environmental issues. She is currently the Landreth Visiting Fellow at Stanford University’s Water in the West Program. In addition, she is active on numerous volunteer boards, including the Daugherty Global Water for Food Institute and the Sustainable Conservation Advisory Board, and has received many awards for her work and approach. Learn more about Felicia Marcus and her work with farmers in California on water issues in this podcast in episode three.

The Food Institute's Managing Partner and CEO Brian Choi speak with Dayton Miller, a Managing Partner at Boulder Food Group (BFG), a venture capital firm focused on early-stage consumer products companies. Previously, he co-founded Function, a venture-backed health beverage company, which he built from idea-conception to $20 million in retail sales until its acquisition by Sunsweet Growers Inc. Miller and Choi discuss various trends in the food & beverage industry, and how COVID-19 has impacted the risk/reward dynamic of BFG investments. Miller also provides some key insights into what food company executives need to be thinking about now in order to adapt to the post-pandemic world. Hosted By: Brian Choi Edited By: Anthony Deng Recorded: June 1, 2020 For more information on BFG, please visit: https://bfgpartners.com/

Rick Camac, Dean of Restaurant & Hospitality Management at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, joined the Food Institute's Brian Choi and Chris Campbell to discuss how restaurateurs have been forced to pivot in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and how his school is training the next generation of restaurateurs in preparation. Additionally, the discussion covers ghost kitchens, the pivot for high-end restaurants to delivery, and more.

New Survey Says "Gen Z'ers Want to Eat More Plant-Based Foods" Cited Link: https://thebeet.com/gen-zers-want-to-eat-more-vegan-or-plant-based-foods-new-survey-finds/ Gen Z is setting food trends in the post-pandemic world, The Food Institute reports, and their food choices include: Ordering in more, choosing frozen foods, and eating more plant-based meals. They believe you don't have to be vegan to want to eat more vegan foods, the Institute report noted, in a review of how these young consumers are influencing food trends. Sixty-five percent of Gen Z say they want a more "plant-forward" diet, while 79% choose to go meatless once or twice a week, the study found. Host of "New Day New Chef: Support and Feed" Jane Velez-Mitchell is available for interviews and for debate on these issues or anything Vegan related. About New Day New Chef: Support & Feed on Amazon's Prime Video https://www.amazon.com/New-Day-Chef-Support-Feed/dp/B08B7GS4XV New Day New Chef: Support and Feed Edition focuses on the organization's work supplying healthy, plant-based food to children's charities, homeless and domestic abuse shelters, food banks and senior centers. People donate to vegan restaurants in Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia. Those restaurants, in turn, make the food that is distributed. Filmed largely with robotic cameras, during the COVID-19 outbreak, the show follows Maggie Baird, (actress, screenwriter, vegan, and the mother of musicians Billie Eilish and Finneas, who are also vegan) as she delivers food to those in need. Jane Velez-Mitchell hosts as participating chefs whip up some of the delicious, nutrient-packed meals. Vegan celebrities, like Dynasty's Elaine Hendrix and Downton Abbey's Lesley Nicol, join in the fun. About Jane Velez-Mitchell Jane Velez-Mitchell is the founder and editor of JaneUnChained.com, a social media news channel producing thousands of widely shared videos on the plant-based lifestyle. Jane is the winner of four Genesis Awards from the Humane Society of the United States. For six years she hosted her own show on HLN (CNN Headline News) where she did a weekly animal segment. Velez-Mitchell also reported for the TV show Celebrity Justice and was a news anchor/reporter at KCAL-TV in LA and WCBS-TV in NY. Jane is the author of four books, including two New York Times bestsellers. She is active in the LGBTQ community in Los Angeles.

Brian Todd, food industry’s top consultant and former President of The Food Institute, lays bare the full picture of our food chain – what the fascinating solutions are/will be – and what consumers should expect. A dramatic revelation. Tune in and learn how you will be food shopping and dining in the future. Have you dined out lately? When it comes to the slamming blow dealt by the Covid pandemic, the food industry stands in the top three hardest hit. Restaurants completely shutdown indefinitely; farmers forced to dump unsold crops while charities scrabble to erect food chains to the hungry; meat packing plants turned into infectious hotspots, and on and on. Host Bart Jackson brings the nation’s top food industry expert and former CEO/President of the Food Institute, Mr. Brian Todd to lay out the entire spectrum of the challenge. Honestly - how bad is it now? Is America ever going to be able to feed itself again? Will we get back – or if not back – what will be the new forward? Brian Todd shares the with us the current paving steps on the road toward food industry recovery, and what adaptations will be required to make this breadbasket nation meet the global food needs.

Thomas Gremillion, director of food policy with the Consumer Federation of America, speaks with the Food Institute's Chris Campbell on the state of U.S. food safety in the wake of the pandemic. Topics covered include worker and product safety at meatpacking and poultry plants; temporary reductions in regulatory oversight and declining foodborne illness outbreak reports; and the safety of CBD and GMO products in the food industry.

Have you dined out lately?  When it comes to the slamming blow dealt by the Covid pandemic, the food industry stands in the top three hardest hit.  Restaurants completely shutdown indefinitely; farmers forced to dump unsold crops while charities scrabble to erect food chains to the hungry; meat packing plants turned into infectious hotspots, and on and on.  Host Bart Jackson brings the nation's top food industry expert and former CEO/President of the Food Institute, Mr. Brian Todd to lay out the entire spectrum of the challenge.   Honestly - how bad is it now?  Is America ever going to be able to feed itself again?  Will we get back – or if not back – what will be the new forward?  Brian Todd shares the with us the current paving steps on the road toward food industry recovery, and what adaptations will be required to make this breadbasket nation meet the global food needs.  Tune in and learn how you will be food shopping and dining in the future.

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Join Carol Plisga in exploring the juice market on this episode of of the Food Institute's Market Update. Plisga, an independent consultant and veteran of the global juice market with history at Nestle, detailed the intricacies of the U.S. and global fruit and vegetable juice markets in the wake of the pandemic. Topics covered while exploring the juice market include pricing fluctuations due to short crops, changing consumer demand, changes in retail versus foodservice channels, and what juice makers can do to adapt to the changing market.

Jean-Pierre (JP) Comte, president of Barilla North America, speaks with the Food Institute's Brian Choi on how Barilla is leading change in the current environment. Topics covered by JP Comte include innovation in the food industry; managing through crises (e.g., pandemics, social justice); lessons learned on COVID-19; and the leadership qualities needed today to excel in the food industry.

Frozen blueberry industry veteran John Shelford shares his view of the frozen blueberry market in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic with the Food Institute's Chris Campbell. Topics covered include cold storage holdings, pricing variations, fluctuating demand, and what the market could look like over the course of the next year.

Joan Driggs, IRI’s VP of Content and Thought Leadership and host of IRI Growth Insights Podcast, is a guest on The Food Institute’s Podcast where she joins Food Institute’s Chris Campbell and Brian Choi to discuss IRI’s 2019 New Product Pacesetters. Hot topics include the rise of blockbuster brands, the value of consumer segmentations, “better-for-you” products, and what innovation in a post-pandemic world might look like.

Who are the pre- and post-pandemic pacesetters? Joan Driggs, vice president of content and thought leadership at IRI, joined the Food Institute's Chris Campbell and Brian Choi to discuss IRI's 2019 Pacesetter report, including the rise of big blockbuster brands featuring more than $100 million in sales, IRI's consumer segmentation process, the rise of “better-for-you” products, and an overall focus on health and wellness. Additionally, the trio discuss how the food and beverage industries could change in a post-pandemic world in a discussion on pandemic pacesetters. Hosted By: Chris Campbell and Brian Choi Edited By: Anthony Deng Recorded: June 12, 2020 Join the Food Institute Today! More About Joan Driggs: Joan attributes curiosity as key to her 30-plus year career as a results-driven market researcher, CPG trade journalist and thought leader. Her goal has always been to empower CPGs, retailers and industry suppliers with information needed to make smart decisions that support shoppers and consumers. Her motto: Make the shopper the hero. In her current role, Joan designs, develops, executes and manages a wide range of thought leadership projects and facilitates collaboration between diverse teams at IRI and its partners. Together, these efforts pinpoint critical CPG and retail growth opportunities. Joan's thought leadership work regularly serves as a foundation from which IRI teams develop innovative, holistic solutions for clients, and is regularly showcased during top-to-top client meetings, industry conferences and webinars, media, academic and custom studies. Joan has shared her expertise by leading dialogues on timely and compelling CPG issues. She is frequently quoted in leading industry media, such as RetailWire, MarTech Series, Chain Drug Review, Digital Commerce 360 and HAPPI. She supports industry organizations such as Network of Executive Women; and she's on the Executive Board of Western Michigan University's Food Marketing Conference as well as Les Dames d'Escoffier's Chicago Chapter. To learn more about IRI, please visit: https://www.iriworldwide.com/

Welcome to the Sing Second Sports Podcast--a weekly pod for Navy fans by Navy fans. On this episode we are joined by Bill Wagner of the Annapolis Capital, special guests—-Navy Athletic Director Chet Gladchuk and former Superintendent and current President of the University of Nebraska System, Vice Admiral(ret)Ted Carter '81. Share feedback on Twitter @wesingsecond...slide DMs or tweet at us directly. BEAT ARMY! Guest Bios: Chet Gladchuk In his 19 years as Director of Athletics, Chet Gladchuk has overseen a resurgence in Navy Athletics. His administrative leadership has helped lead the program to one of the most successful periods in school history. Since being introduced as the Academy’s 28th Director of Athletics on Sept. 4, 2001, Gladchuk has pressed forward on numerous fronts with energy and vision. From the hiring of some of the top coaches in the country to the renovation of Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Gladchuk has made improvements in several key areas that will prove more success on the athletic fields for years to come. During Gladchuk’s tenure at the Naval Academy, he has seen the Midshipmen win 182 conference titles, produce 242 All-Americans and 107 Academic All-Americans. Gladchuk’s biggest impact on the Naval Academy has been the $78 million renovation of Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium where under his leadership the stadium was completely refurbished over a 10-year time frame. Gladchuk has worked closely with the city, county, state and neighborhood associations to ensure proper communication and sensitivity to issues that benefit both the NAAA and community at large. Ted Carter Walter "Ted" Carter, Jr. began his term as the University of Nebraska's eighth president on January 1, 2020. Carter, 60, served as superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., from 2014 to 2019, the longest continuously serving superintendent in Annapolis by special request of the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations. As superintendent – the Naval Academy’s equivalent of a university president – Carter oversaw all functions of the institution, including leadership of 4,400 students and 1,500 faculty and staff, management of a $500 million budget, and oversight of academics, facilities, admissions and policy. Carter earned his bachelor’s degree in physics and oceanography from the U.S. Naval Academy. He also has educational credentials from the 18-month-long Navy Nuclear Power School, the U.S. Air Force Air War College, the Naval War College and the Armed Forces Staff College. He currently serves as the chair of the Daugherty Water for Food Institute’s Board of Directors and as a member on the Greater Omaha Chamber Board of Directors, the Nebraska State Commerce Board of Directors, and the Nebraska Medicine Board of Directors. Carter is also a member of the American Council of Presidents for the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and contributes as an Ex Officio member of the NU Foundation Board and Executive Committee. The son of an English teacher, Carter was raised in Burrillville, R.I., a rural, one-high school town in the northwest corner of the state where he became an accomplished clarinetist and baritone saxophone player. He and his wife, Lynda, are currently transitioning their residence to Lincoln, NE. They have two adult children, Brittany and Christopher.

Today on “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg,” the founder of Future Food Institute Sara Roversi talks about the Future Food Institute’s usage of technology and research to create a sustainable agri-food system. She also provides advice for how students and teachers can take advantage of the recent online learning platform. While you’re listening, subscribe, rate, and review the show; it would mean the world to us to have your feedback. You can listen to “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg” wherever you consume your podcasts.

The Food Institute's Chris Campbell speaks with Farzad Mukhi, director of investment banking at Duff & Phelps Securities, regarding the current market for mergers and acquisitions in the wake of the pandemic. Mukhi explains new challenges and risks for those looking to buy, how valuations may change, and what companies can do to best hold on to value. Hosted By: Chris Campbell Edited By: Anthony Deng Recorded: May 20, 2020 For more information on Duff & Phelps, please visit: https://www.duffandphelps.com/

What makes consumers so sweet on stevia? The Food Institute spoke with the International Stevia Council's executive director Maria Teresa Scardigli and president Andy Ohmes regarding the rise of stevia, the natural, no-calorie sweetener. In "Sweet on Stevia," Scardigli touches upon the growth in popularity of the product, health outcomes linked to it, and demographics attracted to it, while Ohmes provides insight into the cultivation of the stevia plant, where it is processed, and opportunities for manufacturers to use it in product formulations. Hosted By: Chris Campbell Edited By: Anthony Deng Recorded: May 13 and May 18, 2020 Join the Food Institute Today! More About the International Stevia Council (ISC): ISC is a global trade association representing the stevia industry, including stevia leaf growers and producers, stevia extract producers, steviol glycoside producers and users of stevia extracts in final consumer products. ISC activities aim at improving the diets and health of people globally by addressing sugars and calories in food. The International Stevia Council is a 501 (c) (6) not-for-profit organisation incorporated under the law of the State of Delaware in the United States (US). The Council has been created in July 2010 by eleven founding members. For more information on the International Stevia Council, please visit: http://www.internationalsteviacouncil.org

What's the key to marketing in a pandemic? The Food Institute's Chris Campbell speaks with Shelley Forrester, founder of the Forrester Network, on marketing and advertising strategies that can be employed during the time of coronavirus and beyond. Topics covered include what makes a good leader during crisis situations, innovative strategies for marketing in a pandemic, what companies can do to ensure messaging does not ring hollow, and how food and beverage makers can adapt to changing market conditions stemming from the public health crisis. Hosted By: Chris Campbell Edited By: Anthony Deng Recorded: May 14, 2020 Join the Food Institute Today! More About Shelley Forrester: Shelley Forrester is a trusted source to world-class consumer and B2B companies for helping transform insight into creative and innovative solutions. Bringing her breadth and depth of knowledge and experience to every client engagement, she develops insight that informs, inspires, and transforms brand strategy, innovation, brand and communication, and the customer experience. With her engaging energy, empathy, and ability to resonate with everyone, she puts people at ease and brings out their creativity and truth during every interview and conversation. She personally conducts hundreds of one-on-one and group interviews around a table, in-home, and in-situ every year with all segments of consumers and experts. When speaking at conferences, annual meetings, and other events, she demystifies consumer behavior. Entertaining as well as knowledgeable, she delivers memorable keynote addresses and informal talks. She keeps participants engaged during panel discussions, podcasts, and talk show interviews with her trademark grace and humor. Shelley started her marketing career at Colgate-Palmolive, working in marketing research and brand management for healthcare and personal care brands in the USA and Germany. Later she worked as a consultant at Marketing Corporation of America leading insight-driven consumer and B2C engagements and was Vice President of Consumer Research at Synovate, managing the Moet Hennessey portfolio brand tracker. She holds a BS in marketing from Syracuse University and an MBA from New York University. Contact her at shelley@forresternetwork.com or 203-216-7979 For more information on the Forrester Network, please visit: http://www.forresternetwork.com

We talked with Carl Ipsen, who is the director of the IU Food Institute. He helped spearhead the Emergency Meal Project on the IU campus, which is feeding dozens of people each day. We talked about the research the Food Institute does, sustainable foods and much more.

Brian Todd, President of The Food Institute, reveals who’s feeding consumers best today and what food shopping will be like tomorrow. Supermarket checkout is changing. Will mobile checkout work? What will the new supermarkets look like? How will plant based foods fare? Smaller packaging for small families and food for one. Hungry to learn what the food consuming public is demanding in the future – or how stores will change to accommodate new buying habits? Host Bart Jackson brings you one of the planet’s greatest food experts, Brian Todd, President of The Food Institute to discuss the battle of plant-based vs. meat burgers, why women select differently from men, where the most nutritious food lies, and all the steps involved in that intricate dance between food retailer and food consumer. Brian’s insights and prognostications will truly amaze you. Tune in and learn what will happen to the checkout line.

Brian Todd, President of The Food Institute, reveals who's feeding consumers best today and what food shopping will be like tomorrow. Supermarket checkout is changing. Will mobile checkout work? What will the new supermarkets look like? How will plant based foods fare? Smaller packaging for small families and food for one.  Hungry to learn what the food consuming public is demanding in the future – or how stores will change to accommodate new buying habits?  Host Bart Jackson brings you one of the planet's greatest food experts, Brian Todd, President of The Food Institute to discuss the battle of plant-based vs. meat burgers, why women select differently from men, where the most nutritious food lies, and all the steps involved in that intricate dance between food retailer and food consumer.  Brian's insights and prognostications will truly amaze you. Tune in and learn what will happen to the checkout line.

Il modello dell’industria agroalimentare degli ultimi decenni, ha attinto indiscriminatamente alle limitate risorse naturali del pianeta. La sfida principale del settore agrifood e smart agriculture per il futuro, è dunque quella di ottimizzare e massimizzare il rendimento delle attività di produzione, abbassando i costi, ma soprattutto l’impatto ambientale. Grazie alle nuove tecnologie e alla diffusione di sensori sempre più precisi, ci sono grandi opportunità di sviluppo, ma il settore è ancora caratterizzato da una ridotta presenza di soluzioni digitali.Ecco perchè, nell’ambito dell’iniziativa Digital Fields, TIM, Olivetti e Future Food Institute, con il patrocinio di CREA e Campagna Amica, organizzano Digital Fields Hack, una maratona non-stop di innovazione e tecnologia, in cui i partecipanti lavorano in team allo sviluppo di soluzioni innovative per il settore agrifood e smart agriculture. Una giuria di esperti valuterà le soluzioni migliori, che si aggiudicheranno premi e opportunità di formazione e di business con le aziende partner.

By popular demand, fresh from last week’s episode, Host Bart Jackson brings back America’s greatest food expert – Mr. Brian Todd, President of the Food Institute. This show, Brian looks beyond America’s current food obsession and focuses his nearly four decades of research and insight on the industry that brings it to our table. How does the cross-global supply chain transform once-seasonal delicacies into year-round staples? Are we capable of feeding our 7.6 billion population now? Can we continue? Will nutrition fall and prices soar? Is “genetically engineered” a threat or salvation? Do mega-corporations dominate what we eat? Will they in the future? Tune in and learn the full story from farm to fork of this most vital industry. (Please bring your own popcorn.)

By popular demand, fresh from last week's episode, Host Bart Jackson brings back America's greatest food expert – Mr. Brian Todd, President of the Food Institute.  This show, Brian looks beyond America's current food obsession and focuses his nearly four decades of research and insight on the industry that brings it to our table.  How does the cross-global supply chain transform once-seasonal delicacies into year-round staples? Are we capable of feeding our 7.6 billion population now? Can we continue?  Will nutrition fall and prices soar? Is “genetically engineered” a threat or salvation? Do mega-corporations dominate what we eat?  Will they in the future?  Tune in and learn the full story from farm to fork of this most vital industry.  (Please bring your own popcorn.)

Undeniably, Americans have become food-obsessed. Celebrated chef Anthony Bourdain dies and the nation goes into mourning. Food guru Rachael Ray’s popularity rivals any star in Hollywood. Everyone watches the food-preparation channel and then goes out to eat. Why? How? What’s happening in our culture and the food industry? Host Bart Jackson invites this country’s top food expert, Mr. Brian Todd, CEO of the Food Institute delve into this food phenomenon. Brian brings his nearly four decades of endless research and knowledge to bear and explain the actual truth about nutrition in foods we buy; the supermarket and restaurant revolutions; the rise of takeout; expanding global food networks; and future dining habits. Tune in and learn how industry and culture waltz together from farm to fork.

Undeniably, Americans have become food-obsessed.  Celebrated chef Anthony Bourdain dies and the nation goes into mourning.  Food guru Rachael Ray's popularity rivals any star in Hollywood. Everyone watches the food-preparation channel and then goes out to eat.  Why?  How?  What's happening in our culture and the food industry?  Host Bart Jackson invites this country's top food expert, Mr. Brian Todd, CEO of the Food Institute delve into this food phenomenon.  Brian brings his nearly four decades of endless research and knowledge to bear and explain the actual truth about nutrition in foods we buy; the supermarket and restaurant revolutions; the rise of takeout; expanding global food networks; and future dining habits.  Tune in and learn how industry and culture waltz together from farm to fork.

Dr. Nick Brozovic, director of Policy for the Water for Food Institute and professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, explains his work in economics and water conservation. Find out the value of economics for the water cycle, the impact of humans on water, and the efforts underway to inform the public on communication strategies.

You grab it off the supermarket shelf and take it to your table with very little idea of what it takes to get it there. Who are the commercial and manufacturing links in this $1.6 trillion food chain? How do they bring food to an entire nation? What problems do they face? What are the new FDA food labeling laws going to mean to them – and you? Brian Todd President of The Food Institute joins host Bart Jackson to reveal the unknown machinery behind our food industry. Tune in and gain a fuller appreciation of all the folks and efforts that give you that next delicious bite.

You grab it off the supermarket shelf and take it to your table with very little idea of what it takes to get it there.  Who are the commercial and manufacturing links in this $1.6 trillion food chain?  How do they bring food to an entire nation?  What problems do they face?  What are the new FDA food labeling laws going to mean to them – and you?  Brian Todd President of The Food Institute joins host Bart Jackson to reveal the unknown machinery behind our food industry.  Tune in and gain a fuller appreciation of all the folks and efforts that give you that next delicious bite.

Sobey's Grocery Stores have released pre-packaged peeled avocados for customer's convenience. Although many are attacking the grocery chain on social media calling the product wasteful. Calgary Today's Angela Kokott talks to Sylvain Charlebois of the University of Guelph's Food Institute and he says this may be the future of fresh food. -calgarytoday

Shoppers Drug Mart is looking into selling medicinal marijuana at their stores. Is this the best place to sell? Calgary Today's fill in host Jock Wilson talks to Sylvain Charlebois of the University of Guelph's Food Institute.

Winter Cereals Canada executive director Jake Davidson talks about the effects of snowmobiles driving over winter cereal fields. Sylvain Charlebois of the University of Guelph's Food Institute talks about their food price report for 2016.

Susan Riese of Manitoba Pork has some holiday meal ideas. The executive manager of Manitoba Canola Growers Association looks back on the year. Sylvain Charlebois of the University of Guelph's Food Institute talks about current butter shortages.

A professor from the University of Guelph's Food Institute begins to break down the full text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

A professor from the University of Guelph's Food Institute breaks down the full text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Tyler Fulton of h@ms Marketing Services has an update on hog markets.

Maryse Jobin s'est penché sur l'impact de cet accord pour les producteurs de lait, de volaille et d'oeufs canadiens et les consommateurs du pays avec Sylvain Charlebois, spécialiste distribution et politiques agroalimentaires au Food Institute à l’Université Guelph en Ontario.

Maryse Jobin a voulu savoir comment le système canadien de la gestion de l’offre se compare à d’autres systèmes mis en place dans d’autres pays où l’industrie agricole y est fortement subventionnée. Elle a abordé cette question avec Sylvain Charlebois, spécialiste en politiques agro-alimentaires au Food Institute de l’Université Guelph en Ontario.

Roberto Lenton - Director, Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute leads a panel discussion with Sandra Zellmer, Robert B. Daugherty Professor of Law, University of Nebraska College of Law; Prem S. Paul, Vice Chancellor for Research & Economic Development, UNL; Dilip Kulkarni of Jain Irrigation Systems, Ltd., India; and Mace Hack, State Director, The Nature Conservancy, Nebraska

Roberto Lenton - Director, Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute

The first program of a two-part series to discuss efforts to improve agriculture practices and water use from a global and local perspective is the subject of this episode of Conversations. Dr. Roberto Lenton, Executive Director of the Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute at the University of Nebraska Lincoln and Michael Doane, Vice President of Sustainable Agriculture Policy at Monsanto, will be the featured panelists in this discussion. James W. Davis, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Washington University, will moderate the pane