The Summit was presented alongside Niman Ranch and the Broadway Green Alliance. Watch the full livestreamed event on Food Tank’s YouTube channel.

“Every farmer that we can keep on the land is another reason for a town to keep going; for a gas station to stay open; for a church to stay open; for a school to stay open,” says Ron Mardesen, a third-generation hog farmer from Elliott, Iowa, who has raised pigs with Niman Ranch for over 20 years using humane and sustainable practices. 

The evening was emceed by Academy Award-Nominated Actress Stephanie Hsu. Best known for roles in “Everything Everywhere All At Once” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” Hsu is a longtime food advocate and self-described “nerd for soil health and rege

nerative farming practices,” she told the sold-out crowd. 

“If there’s anything I know about farmers, they can really make any magic possible with just a seed,” she says. 

First onstage was Sea Matías, a regenerative farmer and community organizer growing culturally relevant crops at Serra Vida Farm, who shared powerful lessons from their grandmother.

“My abuela María…taught me that food isn’t just sustenance—it’s dignity. It’s love,” Matías says. “Land, like love, is not meant to be owned. It’s meant to be shared.”

Not everyone will become a farmer, Matías says, but everyone has a responsibility to care for the land and for one another.

“We aren’t separate from the environment,” Matías says. “We are the environment.”

Amid a precarious political moment for immigrants, people of color, and other marginalized groups, community is more important now than ever, says Karen Washington, an Activist, Farmer at Rise & Root Farm, and Co-Founder of Black Urban Growers.

There’s a lot of chaos and a lot of fear out there, but we have to hold onto hope. At this point in time, it’s clear that we must find community,” Washington says. “You see a person not being fed, you feed them. You see a person not being housed, you house them. You see a person not being clothed, you clothe them.”

“If you’re advocating for the rights of animals and plants and seeds, then advocate for people who look like me to be part of this farming community,” she says. “When we talk about agriculture, what we have lost is culture.”

Like Matías, other young farmers also learned from previous generations and felt a pull to give back to the land that raised them. 

“Growing up as an only child, the cows and the farm were my world,” says Olivia Fuller, a fourth-generation farmer at Fuller Acres in upstate New York, raising pastured livestock and maple products on protected land to build a resilient and diversified future.

For Sabrina Servais, Assistant Herd Manager at her family’s Organic Valley member dairy farm in Wisconsin, this is exemplified by the Tears for Fears song “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” Onstage, Servais sang the opening: “Welcome to your life; there’s no turning back.”

“What do we sacrifice when we choose money and power over everything else, over our passions? The earth? Its people? Our food systems?” she says. “There are billions of people in this world, and if we each do one little thing we can change the world.”

After growing up on her family’s pasture pig farm, April Wilson moved to a bigger city, but pig farming was always central to her identity, she says. The family’s farm was struggling, and her father was considering selling it—so Wilson took it over. Today, she’s a third‑generation hog and chicken farmer who continues her family’s ranching legacy at Seven W Farm, partnering with Niman Ranch.

“Pigs are incredible animals, and in my book, they are worth fighting for,” Wilson says. “Today, the struggle to keep pasture pigs is ongoing, but through the work my family is doing, we’re working to make sure (our farm) stays regenerative for the next generation.”

Several farmers also shared personal experiences of transforming their own lands into regenerative farms. Trained as a conventional wheat farmer in Montana, Bob Quinn was inspired nearly four decades ago to rethink his approach and embrace organics—“going from something that was becoming more dead to something that was becoming more alive.”

“If I look positively to the future, I see one filled with good food choices and good health, and that starts with how the farmers grow our food,” Quinn says, wearing a hat with a sprig of kamut, an ancient grain whose revitalization he pioneered. “We should be growing food that heals. Regenerative organic, minimally processed food is our best medicine. And farmers should be paid like pharmacists when they grow food that heals.” 

Brian Mattingly is Director of Star Hill Farm Operations for Maker’s Mark, where he manages 1,100 acres of regenerative farmland in Kentucky. For him, learning that agriculture is more than planting and harvesting—that the future of farming was not just maintaining the status quo but regenerating soils to be healthier than you found them—was a revelation.

“Healthy souls produce the most nutrient dense foods, not to mention the most flavorful whisky,” he says. “We’re never going to make a big difference if we don’t first make a small one.”

Farmers also must rely on one another to build a more nourishing future. In County Kerry, Ireland, dairy farmer William Dennehy is pushing back against the isolation of farming by building a multigenerational community of farmers to share experiences and expertise, including nature-based solutions to build back biodiversity. 

At the Samad Gardens Initiative in Connecticut, Azeem Zakir Kareem brings people together not only around food but also music, as a rapper who’s performed with Public Enemy and is a Wu Tang affiliate.

Building a community of regenerative farmers requires support, income, and consumer education, says Patrick Holden, farmer and Founding Director of the Sustainable Food Trust, whose 300-acre farm is the longest-running organic dairy farm in Wales. Over the past five years, he’s built up part of the farm into an educational platform to help people of all ages understand regenerative agriculture. 

In farming, there’s no such thing as being self-sufficient, says Caroline Radice, co-owner of Black Dog Farm & Catering in Northern California and co-founder of the Good Farm Fund, supporting small farmers with microgrants and EBT access.

“Farming and running a small business still feels completely magical, audacious, and revolutionary,” Radice says. “I hope you grow a garden. I hope you share a meal with your neighbor. I hope you find joy and laughter even in the face of great challenges.”

The post “We Are The Environment”: For Farmers, Stories Of Regenerative Food Systems Are Deeply Personal appeared first on Food Tank.

“Often we default to thinking about chefs through a narrow lens of people who feed us and delight us, but they’re diplomats, educators, and powerful changemakers,” says Clare Reichenbach, CEO of the James Beard Foundation. “Chefs can shape the supply chain, they can change consumer behavior, and they can drive systemic change through policy.”

Watch the full livestreamed event on Food Tank’s YouTube channel.

While many chefs today are highly engaged in public discourse and activism, this wasn’t always the case.

“I grew up in an era before you knew the name of a chef. Chefs were not significant,” says Florence Fabricant, Food and Wine Writer at The New York Times. “There’s been a complete 180-degree turnaround…And these chefs are prompting the new food approach to quality and sustainability and so forth.”

Ruth Reichl, former Editor‑in‑Chief at Gourmet magazine and six‑time James Beard Award winner, credits young chefs in the 1970s with the American farmers’ market movement.

“Americans went to Europe, ate local food, came home, and asked, ‘why do our tomatoes have no flavor?’” says Reichl. “These young American chefs said, ‘we can grow this food here.’ The growth of the farmers’ market movement, I think it comes directly from people going to restaurants and saying, ‘we can get this food [at home too].’”

A series of chefs took to the stage to discuss what’s working to drive impact within each of their kitchens and communities. 

“We’re not all saints here; we do have to make compromises and do what is best for the business ultimately, but we can be making more effort just to be more thoughtful about what we’re putting on that menu,” says Priyanka Naik, Chef, Author, and TV Host. “If it’s a cauliflower steak, what happens to the leaves or the core…Why not serve the whole vegetable?”

Rob Rubba, Chef at Oyster Oyster in Washington, D.C., invites chefs and eaters to imagine, “what else can food be?”

When Washington, D.C., stopped recycling glass, for example, Rubba bought a glass crusher for Oyster Oyster. Now, he crushes wine bottles and turns them into dinnerware. “It’s not just what’s on the plate; we can actually make plates,” says Rubba. 

Geoffrey Kie, Indigenous chef and founder of Kie’s Pies, says his Indigenous roots are at the heart of a range of sustainable, regenerative practices—ones that others can learn from. 

“It’s about being forward-thinking, thinking seven generations ahead,” says Kie. “I’m hoping our tribal leadership, state government, and federal government [realize], if you give opportunities to tribal communities, we can share a lot with the world.”

And Chef, TV Personality, and Author Eric Adjepong emphasizes the importance of sourcing directly from farmers—both within local communities and internationally, for culturally relevant ingredients: “It may cost extra, but to me it’s a dollar well spent.”

Panelists say that farmers are equally important as chefs in shaping a more resilient food system.

“Farmers can influence the types of food in restaurants and vice versa,” says Sheryll Durrant, Urban Farmer, Educator, Food‑Justice Leader, and Board President at Just Food and NYC New Roots. “One of the components of the work that we do is education…The food that we grow, we use it as a catalyst to teach people how to prepare food nutritiously and affordably for a family of four.”

And panelists agreed that it is more important than ever to build a connection between eaters and the farmers who grow their food. 

“The disconnect between the consumer and farmer is wider than it’s ever been,” says Abbie Corse, sixth-generation organic dairy farmer at The Corse Farm Dairy in Whitingham, Vermont, and an Organic Valley farmer. “Especially in these times of extreme weather and immense challenges that we’re navigating on a day-to-day basis, the average person doesn’t know what it’s like to be on the farm and how to navigate those decisions. Storytelling is really important.”

Journalists like Fabricant and Reichl play a critical role in bridging this gap, says Anne McBride, VP of Programs at James Beard Foundation: “So much of action needs to come from messaging…Make sure we have these really urgent messages in a way that is palatable.”

“There’s only so many people you can reach by cooking for them. There’s so many more by writing for them,” says Melissa Clark, Food Writer, Cookbook Author, and Columnist at The New York Times.

Finally, Liz Neumark, Founder and CEO of Great Performances, advises those working in the culinary and hospitality industries not to forget about the power of connection. Especially as political divides become deeper in the United States and globally, listening to those who see the world differently is a powerful act. 

“Right now, the biggest job for us is finding those moments of hope,” says Neumark. “We have to see other people, we have to listen to them.”

And, of course, food itself is a universal connector, says Samantha Sackin, VP of Marketing at Organic Valley. Food can serve as a vehicle for action throughout the day. 

“It’s easy for all of us to rush around every day, but one action we can all take is to connect more over food,” says Sackin. “Sitting down and talking to someone from a different point of view over food can be a powerful way to slow down, experience food, and connect.”

The post Chefs Are Rewriting the Recipe for a Climate-Resilient Future appeared first on Food Tank.

The Summit, presented alongside Better Food Future and Journey Foods, celebrated the intersection of food, climate, and the arts with changemaker panels, immersive tastings, and DJ performance by celebrity duo Nigerian-American rapper Jidenna and Grammy-winning producer Nana Kwabena.

In the modern age, “you have to really do the job right. There’s no place to hide,” says Erik Giercksky, the Head of Ocean Stewardship Coalition at UN Global Compact.

For business leaders, this means both establishing high standards and becoming familiar with the full extent of your supply chains, so you can verify everything meets those standards and build new connections.

That’s been our approach, to start from the origin,” says Mark Kaplan, the Co‑Founder & Chief Sustainability Officer at Wholechain and Lead at Better Food Future. “When you get to the origin, you discover these incredible things that you otherwise wouldn’t know if you’re just taking your distributor’s word for it.”

Technological innovations like artificial intelligence (AI) can provide powerful tools for developing transparency and traceability, which is a priority for Riana Lynn, Founder and CEO of Journey Foods and its research initiative, JourneyLabs. The company uses AI and other tools to help companies build more sustainable, nourishing, collaborative, data-driven supply chains.

But in order for any of these efforts to pay off, communication is key, panelists said. When bringing tech to farms, for example, businesses have a responsibility to make sure farmers understand what the innovations can do for them and how to ensure they reap the financial benefits, says Dr. Augusto Castro-Nunez, Head of Low-Emissions Food Systems Research at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT.

Alex Golub, Sustainability Director at Acme Smoked Fish, agrees.

“We have a transparency issue in sustainability,” she says. “The potential for traceability can unlock so much more value for seafood businesses. … If consumers know where their food is coming from, harvesters can really have those assurances, and that transparency can ripple through.”

By helping companies streamline their core operations, digital technology innovations can also help the private sector devote more resources toward creative solutions, said panelists including Eric Mittenthal, Chief Strategy Officer at the Meat Institute, and James O’Connell, Director of Agribusiness and Sustainability at Kerry Dairy Ireland.

“We all like to talk about forest protection, but those are habitats, and when you want to protect a habitat, you have to protect the top species,” Elena Piana, Group Sustainability Manager at Regal Springs, explains. “Food that’s produced with the best practices, with care and with patience, tastes good.”

And flavor is what helps build the case for traceability and sustainability among eaters, too. As Daniel Russek, CEO of Atarraya, says: “By making delicious food, that’s how you get their attention.”

Social media influencers also speak to massive captivated audiences and can be effective messengers for change. But in a world run by algorithms, transparency and authenticity in one’s own personality is necessary to cut through the noise. 

“The way to get people to be more sustainable, everything has to be trendy now. I’m sorry, but the internet runs everything,” says Georgia chef, painter, and comedian Eniá “Flava P” Patterson, who has nearly a combined half-million followers across social media platforms. “A lot of things that go viral, they’re not really good for us, so that’s when (people who care about sustainability) use our superpower: How can you make it funny?”

Flava P continued: “The future belongs to the people who put in the groundwork now, who set a great example, and who really put in who they are, relentlessly.”

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo by Ryan Rose for Food Tank.

The post Digital Tools Can Strengthen Transparency, Traceability, and Trust In The Future of Food appeared first on Food Tank.

Food Tank, in partnership with Arva and Kiss the Ground, hosted the “Regenerative Food Systems: Scaling Impact from Soil to Shelf” summit during Climate Week NYC 2025 to explore how regenerative practices can transform our food system, as well as the barriers to making this transformation a reality.

We’re optimized in our systems to produce cheap calories. Now, [regenerative agriculture is] showing a different pathway,” says Jay McEntire, CEO of Arva. “We need to empower the farmers. We need to think about how we do this at scale to give farmers options to become suppliers of environmental benefits and healthier foods.”

Panelists agreed that it is important to break down silos and not get caught up in labels around regenerative agriculture. Instead, they should focus on continuously evolving toward a better way of farming.

“When I look back on how Certified Organic looked in 1983 to today, it’s become night and day,” says Matthew Dillon, Co-Chief Executive Officer at the Organic Trade Association. “You have generational changes, and it’s good to challenge.”

Numerous sustainability certifications exist across the food, forestry, and textile industries. While new certifications like Regenerative Organic Certified could be seen as opposing Certified Organic, Dillon sees the two working together to uplift the entire food system. 

“It’s all hands on deck for our planet…a little competition is good,” says Dillon. “It’s one part collaboration and one part competition. Organic will be stronger because of the regenerative movement.”

Clara Coleman, a second-generation Organic farmer in Maine and Founder at Real Farmer Care, says that labels and certifications are important, but they must center on farmers.

“I’ve seen almost every term come and go…and I’m glad we somewhat agree on the term ‘regenerative.’ But while all these practices are so incredibly important, if we don’t take care of the farmer first, nobody’s going to be around to do that,” says Coleman.

Farmers need technical assistance, financial assistance, and markets to help offset the short-term risks and upfront costs of transitioning to more regenerative practices. Supporting farmers also means ensuring that projects and innovations aiming to scale regenerative agriculture are developed alongside them.

“The innovations have to be embedded in the challenges of the community, at which point they don’t need to be high-tech…but they will be durable,” says Evan Fraser, Director of the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph.

Steven Jennings of Ahold Delhaize USA, a family of food brands, says that food companies should rely on partnerships to help implement regenerative agriculture goals on the ground.

“It’s got to start in the soil. However, we don’t grow anything. We need to stay in our lane and not be something that we’re not,” says Jennings. “When we collaborate together, that’s when we bring real-world solutions to life. At the end of the day, we all have similar or the same goals.” 

Simply shifting the messaging around regenerative agriculture and climate change can accomplish a lot. Panelists agreed that messages are more effective when they connect with eaters on an emotional level, rather than focusing on data and statistics around global warming, soil health, or carbon sequestration. 

“Nobody knows what two degrees [Celsius] means. As a kid from Chicago, warming two degrees sounds great to me,” says Sam Kass, Partner at Acre Venture Partners. “The words ‘climate change’ are meaningless. But when you start understanding that coffee, wine, and chocolate are devastated now and [might no longer exist]…it connects with people’s lives and gives them a reason to care. It’s not political.”

Stories from the ground—especially stories of hope and success around regenerative agriculture—can help support farmers working to cultivate soil health and grow nutritious foods, while also empowering those across the food value chain who can support them. 

“Coming from a space of happiness and inspiration is how we solve big problems,” says Evan Harrison, CEO of Kiss the Ground. “Farmers are the rockstars of what we do at Kiss the Ground, and we amplify their stories every day to inspire people to think about where their food comes from.”

Watch the full livestreamed event on Food Tank’s YouTube channel.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo by Ryan Rose for Food Tank.

The post “All Hands on Deck for Our Planet”: Scaling Regenerative Agriculture With Collaboration appeared first on Food Tank.

At the “Food is Medicine and Eating for Health” summit during Climate Week NYC 2025, which Food Tank hosted in partnership with the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation, leaders in food, health, policy, and culture spoke about how food can strengthen communities and support a healthier future despite these challenges.

“It is baffling to me, in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, that we would force people to choose whether they are going to eat or get healthcare, have dinner or pay their rent, and that’s really what [these SNAP cuts are] going to do,” says U.S. Congressman Daniel S. Goldman. “But this actually provides us with a unique opportunity to reimagine how we want to provide healthcare and food assistance.”

Goldman adds that “the impact of all of this on our small businesses is exacerbating significant problems.” But according to Grace Young, James Beard Award-winning cookbook author and food historian, a food-is-medicine approach can also help sustain those small food businesses that need support now more than ever, as inflation and tariffs create economic uncertainty. 

“One of the great hidden secrets is to shop in Chinatown, where the quality is so high and the prices are so low, because Chinese customers are very frugal,” says Young. “You can find everything in Chinatown, and the fruits and vegetables are generally local. This is an opportunity to eat local and support mom and pop restaurants.”

Panelists agreed that food insecurity is a multidimensional issue, one that requires a multidimensional approach to solutions. 

“It’s no one discipline’s job to solve food insecurity,” says Dr. Christine Going, Senior Advisor at the Food Security Program Office within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “It’s rare for food insecurity to exist in isolation; if you’re food insecure, there’s probably something else happening.” 

For example, issues like “poverty [are] inextricable from this food as medicine conversation,” says Brandon Lombardi, Chief Sustainability Officer at Sprouts Farmers Market.

A‑dae Romero‑Briones, Vice President of Policy and Research at the First Nations Development Institute, also emphasized the systemic factors at play when it comes to health and food security. America is a highly individualized society, but health is a collective issue to solve.

“Health is not only dependent on what one person does, it’s dependent on what the community around you does and how healthy the environment is,” says Romero-Briones. “In America, when everything becomes an individual action or an individual fault, we really lose sight of all these other impacts that create a healthy person in a healthy community and a healthy environment.”

And any conversation about health in the U.S. must include gender and race, says Tanya Fields, Executive Director at The Black Feminist Project. 

“The medical system is invested in keeping Black women and children sick…we sterilize these conversations and make it seem like these discrepancies and disparities don’t exist,” says Fields. “This is happening because people are profiting from it.”

Fields sees food as a form of radical resistance. She works to uplift stories of successfully using food as medicine within her own community: “I’m so sick of people coming to the Bronx and only talking about us through the lens of pathology. There are good things happening in the Bronx,” says Fields, who urges the audience to fund organizations like The Black Feminist Projects and others led by women, immigrants, people of color, and members of the queer community. 

Finally, Lyndsey Waugh, Executive Director of the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation, challenged the audience to engage with the next generation about the interconnected issues discussed at the summit—and empower them to take action.

“What would it look like to pick out one thing from this panel that inspires you and talk to a young person about it?” says Waugh. “People are becoming more connected with how food makes them feel…Future voters, the kids who are out there seeing this swirl around them, they care, and I think it’s our responsibility to play a role in helping them see themselves as part of that work.”

Watch the full livestreamed event on Food Tank’s YouTube channel.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

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The post Food Is Medicine Requires Systemic Changes: “It’s No One Discipline’s Job to Solve Food Insecurity” appeared first on Food Tank.

The script, presented by Food Tank for a special invitation-only event on Sept. 23, was written by Bernard Pollack with dramaturgy by Elena Morris. 

“Catalyst Coffee” pulls back the curtain on the nuanced realities of worker organizing, corporate and legal tactics used to oppose unionization drives, and the deeply personal stories behind people’s choices to support or oppose the formation of a union. And it’s immersive: Everyone in the audience is a barista and gets to participate in the climactic union vote from their seats, which affects the play’s final minutes—and the characters’ futures. 

“(Characters) on both sides individualize these arguments and make them about themselves when, really, it’s much bigger than that,” Forbes journalist Chloe Sorvino said during a post-show talkback discussion. “That individual versus the collective, seeing how that tension played out was really powerful.”

The cast for the staged reading included accomplished Broadway, theatrical, television, and film actors Stacey Sargeant, Kalyne Coleman, Keshav Molidar, Erin Neufer, Alex Morf, Brooks Brantly, and Lakisha May. May also directed the reading, which received a standing ovation.

For Sorvino’s book “Raw Deal: Hidden Corruption, Corporate Greed, and the Fight for the Future of Meat,” she conducted deep research into meatpacking labor issues, and she shared reflections during the talkback.

“These unions are really keeping people safe and protected in ways no one else is,” Sorvino says. “There’s really a human cost to all that we eat. These workers need to be protected, and I’m really glad we can experience that in a way that sheds light on the humanity.”

Throughout Food Tank’s programming at Climate Week NYC, the arts have taken center stage in discussions of food and environmental justice. “Catalyst Coffee” was named “one of the best new shows of 2024” by The Arts Fuse. 

Food Tank’s first original theatrical production, called “WeCameToDance,” featured original music by Grammy-nominated Ghanaian artist Rocky Dawuni, Broadway artist-created dance, language consulting by “Game of Thrones” linguist David J. Peterson, and choreography production in partnership with award-winning House of Jack Studio in Leith, Edinburgh. The show debuted for a sold-out run at the 2021 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and was featured in the New York Times and BBC and performed live on Good Morning Britain.

During the Sept. 23 Climate Week NYC reading of “Catalyst Coffee,” a majority of the ‘barista’ audience members voted in support of the union, making the characters’ organizing efforts successful within the context of the play.

“I was blown away by the voting at the end,” said May, also a Broadway and TV actress and food justice advocate, during the post-reading talkback discussion. “I love being an artist because I get to live in the questions and explore different sides that I wouldn’t necessarily explore. Great works of art allow us to see the breadth of our humanity.”

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

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The post Immersive ‘Catalyst Coffee’ Reading During Climate Week Takes Attendees Inside Barista Union Campaign appeared first on Food Tank.

“There’s a big need and opportunity to evolve the food system to be more sustainable, everything from agriculture practices to (consumer packaged goods) chains to ingredients to restaurants,” says Jackson Morrow of Green Economy Banking Team at J.P. Morgan.

During the event, attendees tasted two cakes made by Ron Ben-Israel, celebrity cake maker and television judge, using strawberries from Oishii. In fact, as he told the crowd, he used the same recipe he’d used for his own recent wedding cake.

“When we talk about new products, it’s so hard to come up with something new, but this for us was a really nice adventure,” Ben-Israel said. “One thing I learn from events like this is to reuse food in different ways; it’s a different way to look at products.”

Businesses, especially ones led by mission-driven entrepreneurs, can be effective drivers of sustainable practices across entire industries. And sustainability is not just better for the planet—it’s better for business, too.

“It makes good business sense to have sustainable business models,” says Viraj Puri, Co-Founder and CEO of Gotham Greens. “Being able to revitalize and take non-arable, non-habitable land and turn it into productive green space and build jobs is a really cool part of our story.”

But at the end of the day, a business is a business, panelists said. And while new entrepreneurs might feel like focusing on the bottom line means neglecting a company’s social mission, panelists said a focus on capital and financial sustainability can actually be in service of more altruistic goals.

“If you’re driven by the desire to make change, you’re going to make it happen,” says Anna Hammond, Founder of Matriark Foods. At the same time, she says, “if it’s not going to work as a business, then you’re not going to be able to make the change you want to make.”

And when one business is financially strong, company leaders can use that success to elevate other food system stakeholders, too. Regenerative organic ingredient company SIMPLi, for example, works with 5,500 farmers across 13 countries.

“Long-term partnerships provide resilience in the good and the bad times,” says SIMPLi Co-Founder Sarela Herrada. “It’s incredible to see the power women hold on the farm and in communities.”

Similarly, Wholecain Co-Founder and Chief Sustainability Officer Mark Kaplan said, “the biggest incentive for sustainable practices is to bolster [the farmers’] livelihoods and support them in market access.”

Customers also play a major role in the food business landscape, in ways that bring both opportunities and challenges. For example, Michael Fox, Founder & CEO of Fable Food, said businesses like his have to push back against a public perception that a food product labelled “sustainable” might not taste good.

As Cecilia Chang, Chief Business Officer of Mission Barns, said, “People just aren’t willing to compromise for sustainability or ethics if the products don’t taste good.”

However, this is not to say that businesses should hide the positive work they do—customers are interested in it, but businesses need to be strategic in how messages are structured.

“We have to lead with nutrient density in the product attributes and what’s in it for me, rather than the incredible work we’re doing behind the scenes,” Herrada says. 

But soon, says Jay McEntire, CEO of Arva, “hopefully we’ll start to see a regenerative brand on the shelves soon and we can start to vote with our feet.”

As Julia Collins, Founder of Planet FWD, says, a joyful new perspective on food is key to successful sustainable businesses.

“The future that we need will not be won on a platform of sacrifice and austerity,” Collins says. “It’ll be one where sustainability tastes so irresistible that we demand it. Deliciousness is not a bonus—it is a design imperative.”

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

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The post Sustainable Foods Showcase Highlights The Power Of Food Entrepreneurship appeared first on Food Tank.

“School meals are a very powerful connector. They can really connect the plate, production, and everything that comes with it,” says Aulo Gelli, Senior Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute. “For every US$1 spent [on school meals], you’ve got a US$4 return…It’s a very good investment.”

School meals are a social safety net that improves attendance, academic performance, and critical nutrition for children. With regenerative school meals, these benefits extend far beyond the classroom: Locally and regeneratively grown crops produce significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions than conventional crops by enhancing soil carbon sequestration, reducing synthetic fertilizer use, and limiting shipping distance and storage time. This supports local economies while providing more nutritious meals to children.

“It’s human dignity and respect, everyone has the right to food, but it also makes good economic sense, to develop these communities, you have to start there,” says Paul Polman, the former CEO of Unilever and co-author of Net Positive.

Anna Lappé, Executive Director of The Global Alliance for the Future of Food, says that the return on investment speaks for itself: “One of the key messages is not to think about this transition [to regenerative school meals] as a burden or cost but an investment that will pay over and over again.” 

However, panelists stressed that school meal programs are at risk amid limited financial resources and a changing global climate.

“We are losing meals today, and we will be losing more meals tomorrow,” says Sara Farley, Vice President, Global Food Portfolio, The Rockefeller Foundation. “So what we’re really talking about here is how we future-proof our food system.”

Jennifer Burney, Professor of Environmental Social Sciences & Earth System Science at Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, presented data on how regenerative school meals offer a win-win opportunity for students and farmers. According to Burney, across Africa alone, 2.62 million more children could be fed in the current climate with regeneratively grown grains, and “for almost every country in the world, a switch to regenerative agriculture means higher yields.” 

However, speakers emphasized the complexity of building the infrastructure to grow, transport, prepare, and serve regenerative school meals so communities can reap these benefits. According to Tufts University, one in four school meals is of poor nutritional quality, with school kitchens relying on imported foods and ultra-processed snacks. There is a need for investment in regional supply chains as well as education around preparing and serving fresh, locally grown dishes at schools.

Mariana Mazzucato, a Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value at University College London, argued for tackling these challenges the way the United States tackled reaching the moon—with deep investment and involvement across numerous government agencies and sectors. 

“Imagine if the mission was to make sure that every child in the world had access to at least one, maybe two, meals a day from regenerative food, generated with local manufacturing,” says Mazzucato. “Imagine if we actually took the idea of school meals as an opportunity to do exactly what we did to go to the moon? As long as we just see school meals as part of the social safety net of the government, then it ends up being, by design, not taken seriously.”

Gerardo Martinez, Founder and Owner at Wild Kid Acres, presented a powerful case study of what’s working from Edgewater, Maryland. In 2019, Martinez bought five acres of cheap land—an “unofficial dump”—and set out to become a first-time farmer. He invested in regenerative agricultural practices and opened the farm up to the community, bringing children in to work and help build the strategic vision of the farm. Last year, the farm saw 50,000 children in total and fed the local school using donations. 

Several children from Wild Kid Acres took to the stage to discuss the questions that arose once they connected with the land: “I wonder why the food in my school tastes different from the farm’s food. Why aren’t there farmers who look like me? How do we grow food ethically and still care for our planet?” And finally, “Why isn’t anyone helping the farmers?”

Panelists agreed that producing healthy school meals is an incredibly complex challenge that requires participation across sectors, significant investment, and deep systemic changes. But Adam Met, a multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated musician with AJR and Founder of Planet Reimagined, argues that significant strides could be made—especially in reaching across political aisles—with simple tweaks to language.

“The language of climate change—of 1.5 degrees, sustainability, or even something like regenerative agriculture—that is not resonating with people,” says Met. “Effective policy is just as much about the policy itself and the implementation of it as the language that we’re using when we’re talking to people on the different sides of the political sector…We need to be creating more collaboration and talking to people who disagree with us.”

Watch the full event on Food Tank’s YouTube channel.

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Brazil made headlines earlier this year by lifting 40 million people out of food insecurity in two years, representing one of the fastest recorded improvements in the world. The country was removed from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Hunger Map, thanks in large part to policies including local and agroecological school meals, raised minimum wages, legal recognition of a right to food, and support for smallholder and Indigenous farmers.

First Lady da Silva says her husband, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is making agriculture and strong rural communities central to the government’s approaches to a variety of policy priorities.

“It has everything to do with public policy, and it all sums up to political will,” First Lady da Silva says, speaking in Portuguese with an English translator. “There has to be the will to do things, and this is the way that we are going to be able to fight hunger and have food security.”

The panel discussion was organized with support from Merijn Dols, Valeria Nicolini, and Aya Okawa of NOW Partners.

Building political will and addressing complex modern challenges means changing the ways we think about who’s involved in creating solutions, First Lady da Silva says.

“I try to do things differently. From the standpoint of my professional life, with my knowledge and wisdom, I try to not fit into a regular box,” she says.

Too often, she says, decision-making spaces and negotiation tables are filled with “white men in ties”—not women, who are frequently the ones most affected by extreme climate events like recent flooding in the southern portion of the country and drought conditions in the Amazon.

“These women are the ones suffering the violence,” First Lady da Silva says. “And they showed great resilience. They were able to reinvent themselves. This is very beautiful to see how they resist and transform; not just the farm women, but the water women, the forest women.”

To achieve that goal, the Brazilian government is about to launch guidelines requiring that companies, in order to be considered sustainable, will have to reach equity on gender and race.

“Since we have this potential to be a great leader on the topic of sustainability, we wanted to make it very clear that for us it’s not only about environmental and climate dimensions,” says Cristina Fróes de Borja Reis, Deputy Secretary for Sustainable Economic Development at the Brazil Ministry of Finance, during the panel discussion with First Lady da Silva. “Sustainability is also about economic and social dimensions. We have to grow and develop while we reduce inequalities.”

The country’s approach to COP30 is grounded in a philosophy of “mutirão,” an Indigenous word referring to shared work toward a collective goal. Sustainability discussions in Brazil also invoke the curupira, a forest spirit in Brazilian folk culture that guards rainforests and punishes humans for environmental destruction, de Borja Reis says.

“The message we want to pass on is that all people should protect forests and the biome and nature, for nowadays and future generations,” says de Borja Reis.

But as First Lady da Silva says, we cannot expect COP30 to end climate change altogether within the 12 days of the conference—just as, like Food Tank President Danielle Nierenberg said during the conversation with First Lady da Silva, commitments to sustainable action have to go beyond Climate Week NYC.

“COP is not just happening in Belem,” First Lady da Silva says. “COP has to be embedded in all of us, inside of us and in our territories around the world. It has to be embedded in everything that we do.”

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“The private sector, with the help of advocates and other changemakers, can help us envision the kind of food future we want to see,” says Food Tank President Danielle Nierenberg. “We need to make the business case for sustainability.”

However, big food companies like PepsiCo and Coca-Cola have retreated from climate commitments within the last year. According to a 2024 Accenture analysis, only 16% of the world’s largest companies are on track to meet their 2050 net-zero goals, with close to half continuing to increase carbon emissions. 

“CSOs are facing so many challenges, and often are alone in doing this work. Now is not the time to lower our ambitions. Now is the time to up our game,” says Nierenberg. 

Helena Bottemiller Evich, Founder and Editor‑in‑Chief of Food Fix, sat down with Nierenberg to discuss the rapidly increasing consumer interest in food and agricultural issues.

“All of a sudden, everyone’s talking about food, agriculture, health, and wellness,” says Bottemiller Evich. “In some ways, the folks who are in food maybe shouldn’t be surprised; we’ve seen more and more people asking about food…it’s entered the zeitgeist in a way that’s been slowly growing over time.”

While food is increasingly a part of mainstream headlines, Bottemiller Evich notes that agricultural lobbying has not slowed down: “What I’ve seen in the last six months is just an astonishing recognition of how powerful the agriculture industry is in Washington, and how less powerful the food industry is.”

Bottemiller Evich underscored the need to look at not just what the U.S. administration is saying but also what it is doing. For example, a Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission report raised concerns about pesticides in May 2025, yet its September 2025 strategy report notably omitted new regulations on pesticides.

“There is a big gap right now between the rhetoric of MAHA and the actual priorities of this administration,” says Bottemiller Evich.

Marion Nestle, Professor Emerita at New York University, sees four challenges facing the food industry right now: U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr., “because you have no idea what he’s going to do”; ultra-processed foods, “because they’re the big profit center of food companies”; GLP-1 drugs, “because we’ve already seen people buying less as a result of people taking these drugs”; and food prices, “which are staggering right now.”

In recent months, major food companies have agreed to remove artificial dyes from their products by 2027. The HHS is also taking steps to close the “generally recognized as safe” loophole, which currently allows food and chemical companies to declare their own ingredients safe for consumption without approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Nestle says these are big wins for food and health, but she wants to see much larger changes made. 

“If you take the color additives out of Froot Loops, they’re still Froot Loops. If you replace the high fructose corn syrup in Coca-Cola with cane sugar, it’s still Coca-Cola. I don’t see the MAHA movement focusing on what I think are issues that will make a real difference,” says Nestle. “In terms of the 20 to 30 percent of American kids who are overweight or obese, it’s trivial. It doesn’t do anything. I’m happy about it, but I want something bigger,” such as restrictions on marketing junk foods to kids.

The Sustainability Leadership Summit also included an open conversation with food brands about their challenges and how to navigate rapidly evolving current events. Attendees discussed issues ranging from the responsible use of artificial intelligence to reducing food waste in supply chains, uncertainty around global trade and tariffs, and rebuilding trust between brands and consumers.

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The invitation-only event explored how climate extremes—from floods to droughts to conflict-induced hunger—are impacting food systems worldwide, and how bold solutions in science, policy, innovation, and community action are responding.

Watch the full livestreamed event on Food Tank’s YouTube channel.

Throughout the afternoon, speakers emphasized the scale of the humanitarian crisis unfolding right now. In July, United Nations experts reported that close to 100 people were dying every hour since President Donald Trump suspended U.S. foreign aid. And recent reports project that ongoing U.S. funding cuts could result in more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030, including 4.5 million deaths among children younger than five years.

“It’s a very troubling period of time right now. I wish those who don’t understand the need for food aid could talk to the 300 million people around the world who are suffering from acute food insecurity. These are human lives, and I believe we have a moral and ethical responsibility to help those who are hungry,” says Barron Segar, President and CEO of World Food Program USA.

Chase Sova, Vice President of Advocacy & Engagement at World Food Program USA, says food insecurity further drives instability globally, leading to social unrest, political instability, and increased conflict.

“For the longest time, we’ve known that conflict produced hunger, and that’s true for every manmade crisis in human history. What we’ve been less interested in is how food insecurity itself can be a driver of instability,” says Sova.

“Hunger doesn’t just weaken bodies, it weakens states, it feeds unrest, and it fuels conflict,” says Cynthia Yue, Advocacy & Engagement Manager at World Food Program USA. “There is no better way to create disruption and to radicalize populations than exploiting people’s desperation.”

Yue pointed to the youth initiative of World Food Program USA, called Zero Hunger Generation, as a testament to the power of community-building in creating change.

“Young people everywhere are pitching in what they can to make a zero-hunger tomorrow a reality starting today. They are proving that food is more than just fuel or politics,” says Yue. “Food is a movement.”

Content creators also joined the stage to discuss the power of storytelling, particularly its ability to amplify the on-the-ground efforts already underway globally. 

“They’re doing the hard part, I just get to help amplify the incredible work and teach people why it’s important and interesting,” says Maddy DeVita, celebrated private chef and recipe developer, who serves on the Zero Hunger Activist Council for World Food Program USA. “I’m sharing sourdough bread and also talking about donating to this cause. It’s very integrated and helps put a face behind the people who care about this.”

DeVita and Detroit-based chef and cookbook author Jon Kung agree that positivity is critical at a time when the new cycle feels bleak to many young people. 

“A kind of nihilism has permeated through the young internet. But it’s OK to care. We have to try to make that cool,” says Kung. “As content creators, we can lead by example. Positivity can be the protest.”

Panel conversations covered a wide range of solutions, from AI to school meals, and emphasized the need for cross-sector collaboration to tackle these complex, multifaceted issues. Organizations cannot afford to work separately.

“The opportunity cost of siloed work is unacceptably high,” says Nick Cain, Vice President of Strategy & Innovation at the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation. “We as a sector need to reframe how we think about the opportunity in front of us to use the tools.”

But speakers agree that all solutions—including those developed through cross-sector collaboration—must be created alongside those working on the ground.

“If you’re going to design a solution, integrate into what farmers are already using, rather than trying to create something new that just would not get used,” says Alex Diaz, Head of AI for Social Good at Google.org.

And investing in communities through collaboration is not just the right thing to do, panelists say—it’s good business: “This isn’t philanthropic, this is an investment from a corporation to strengthen the supply chain,” says Kelly Goodejohn, Chief Social Impact Officer at Starbucks Coffee Company, which partners with World Food Program USA to improve food security and nutrition for Indigenous women and children in Guatemalan coffee-growing communities.

Andrew Zimmern, renowned American chef, restaurateur, and TV and radio personality, emphasizes that solutions to global hunger already exist—now is the time for action. 

“Hope is not abstract. Hope is operational,” says Zimmern. “The task that we have in front of us is scale and speed. And that’s not an easy task…but we already have programs that are working, we’ve already figured out how to solve the problem, and now we have to figure out how to scale it and speed the plow.”

However, Zimmern adds, there is no time to waste: “The window is narrow, but it’s open…Every season we waste is a season where someone is going hungry.”

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“Things are incredibly tough for farmers and ranchers,” says Jenny Lester Moffitt, Senior Fellow at American Farmland Trust and Former Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs at the USDA. “Now is the time to reinvest in agricultural communities.”

Watch the full livestreamed event on Food Tank’s YouTube channel.

Throughout the morning, conversations returned to the challenges resulting from U.S. federal funding cuts and uncertainty around future federal support for farmers—in addition to the impacts of a changing climate. 

“A year ago, no one really could have predicted what would have happened…we’re increasingly seeing farmers deal with extreme weather events, pollinator disruptions, and a number of economic events,” says John Piotti, CEO of the American Farmland Trust.

In Maine, farm viability is the top concern for U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree: “[I’m hearing] panic, total panic…There’s tremendous worry about programs that were there to help small and medium-sized farmers.”

But speakers also saw reason for hope.

“There have been some really good signs,” says Piotti. “I really feel there’s still common ground around many of these issues…Even in these crazy times, there’s still common sense, common ground policies.”

Despite federal funding cuts, farmers themselves are leading positive changes in fields across the U.S.

“Farmers by their nature are innovative,” says Bryan Hurlburt, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Agriculture. “They have got to be responsive. Farmers are working on soil health…they’re trying different seeds, doing little things that make a big, big difference for these extreme weather events. They’re also changing their mindset.”

Many of the changes focus on cultivating soil health, which provides a range of benefits for farmers, including improving plant growth and yields, increasing water retention and quality, reducing erosion and nutrient runoff, lowering costs by reducing the need for inputs, and providing habitat for wildlife.

“Whether you’re experiencing drought or flooding, so much of the key is soil health,” says Tim Fink, Vice President of Policy at the American Farmland Trust. 

But “if it were easy, it would be done,” Fink adds. It costs money to transition to these practices, and there is more demand for farmer assistance programs than there are resources, especially at the government level. Panelists agree that cross-sector partnerships have a critical role to play.

“It’s one thing to have land access, but how can you have a sustainable and viable business on the land? Partnerships are really key to being able to help the farms. Regional planning commissions, municipalities, nonprofits, and farming organizations are important,” says Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner Ashley Randle.

Panelists presented a powerful example of such partnerships through agrivoltaics, or the co-location of solar panels and agricultural activities on the same land, creating a dual-purpose system that generates both renewable energy and food, fiber, or forage.

“This is energy being harvested from the sun, but we’re also going to continue to maintain the farming that has been here in these thriving communities. Agrivoltaics is a way to create community resilience,” says Anna Toenjes, Associate Vice President of Impact & Business Development at Sol Systems, which partners with American Farmland Trust to deploy its solution. 

Lucy Bullock-Sieger, Chief Strategy Officer at Lightstar Renewables, says that she has seen agrivoltaic advocates emerge from those who were previously “anti-solar,” as they see it can benefit agriculture, energy, and communities alike. In the arid Western United States, for example, solar arrays can be designed to preserve soil moisture, allowing farmers to maintain their production using less water. 

“The farmers are excited, they came hip to hip with us, this is enabling them to invest in their family. Now the next generation sees a viable enterprise,” says Bullock-Sieger. “It’s a different way of farming, but farmers have pivoted from time immemorial…This is not a partisan issue. This is about farmers, food, energy, issues that we are all dealing with.”

Conventional agriculture needs to rebuild its reputation and regain the trust of eaters, according to Bianca Moebius-Clune, PhD, Climate and Soil Health Director at the American Farmland Trust: “We need the face of agriculture to change…a new conventional agriculture that everybody respects.”

Caitlin Leibert, Vice President of Sustainability at Whole Foods Market, agrees, adding that the movement toward regenerative agriculture must be inclusive: “When we talk about a new conventional, I want to strip out the elitism of regenerative agriculture and get back to the joy, beauty, and importance of farming.”

When everyone is invited to the table of holistic and regenerative farming, farming is more fun. Jay Goldmark, Farm Manager at Stone House Farm, describes connecting to a dynamic local farming community when he first learned about cover crops and other practices to boost soil health: “When you add diversity and cover crops and start to add your own nutrients to the farm, that’s self-reliance, and you become an artist. Being a farmer is an art. There’s an artistry in growing food, and I think we need to get back to that,” says Goldmark.

Alice Waters, Chef, Author, and Founder of Chez Panisse and the Edible Schoolyard Project, also sees artistry in growing food, and she finds hope in the opportunity to cultivate biodiversity and edible landscapes. 

“We don’t see the potential of an edible landscape…this opportunity that we have is delicious. Everywhere in this country, there are amazing food possibilities,” says Waters. “We have this opportunity to collaborate across the country and around the world.”

For U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat, the government has a lot of work to do to address the interconnected challenges that panelists discussed on stage. Rep. Espaillat, who advocates for a U.S. Climate Fund to support climate action projects globally, shared a call to action for legislators:

“We must lead by example [in the United States]. We cannot continue to point fingers to other countries for polluting the planet…You cannot be great if your people are starving.”

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The post Supporting Farmers Is Key to Combating the Climate Crisis appeared first on Food Tank.

The event, during Food Tank’s Climate Week NYC series of Summits, was hosted in partnership with the McKnight Foundation and the Broadway Green Alliance.

“More than anything, we have to show up in these times leading with culture, leading with care, and leading with collective action. And we believe the arts and culture bearers are vital in playing this role,” said Tonya Allen, President of the McKnight Foundation, an organization that focuses on environmental and social justice through the arts.

Take drag queen Pattie Gonia, for example. She has built a following by bridging environmental activism with drag performance and queer organizing. As we mourn what has gone wrong and act to make the world better, she told the sold-out crowd before launching into a lip-sync performance and dance number, we also need to put joy at the center of our advocacy.

“We need that storytelling; we need unconventional solutions,” she said. “I’m a big believer that different social justice and climate movements have different things to teach other ones, like ecosystems in nature.”

“The environment has always been the deepest teacher for me with music,” singer-songwriter Amber Rubarth said.

This was a lesson that visual artist Ricardo Levins Morales learned young, he said.

“My narrative began on a mountaintop in western Puerto Rico,” he said. “One of the things I carry is what I learned from the soil, about the interrelatedness of things. An open-ended cycle of complexity.”

And food and agriculture are powerful tools not only to build better soils and ecosystems but joyous interpersonal connection, too. At his Minneapolis restaurant Owamni, chef Sean Sherman is reshaping the connections between food service, local ingredients, and cultural history.

“I wanted to know, what were my ancestors eating, and why did we lose this knowledge? And why did I grow up on a reservation without that knowledge?” said Sherman, who is also the Founder of The Sioux Chef and the organization Native American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS) and is the author of an upcoming cookbook.

“What are the Indigenous foods of where we might be? In places like New York City, you can find food from all over the world—other than the land you’re standing on.”

Farming is a powerful bridge between ancestral knowledge and nourishing food, regenerative farmer Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin said onstage. Frogtown Farms, in St. Paul, Minnesota, was co-founded by public artist Seitu Ken Jones to carry out this mission.

“This is a farm created and designed by artists. Ain’t no straight rows,” Jones said. “And that wasn’t just that we were being creative—we were calling up ancient and traditional systems to make sure water is infiltrated into the soil.”

And going forward, creativity and imagination have to remain central to advocacy, presenters said.

“We have to face some of the facts, some of the hurdles, and have outrageous hope,” said award-winning actress Alysia Reiner. “That’s one of the magical things that art can do. It allows us to dream a little bit. It allows us to believe we are all one, that anything is possible.”

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The post There Can Be No Climate Advocacy Movement Without Arts, Culture, and Music appeared first on Food Tank.

“Our job is huge. We need to change the way we grow food, eat food, talk about food, and love food. We really need new food habits—and that requires a lot of change,” says Dorothy Shaver, Global Food Sustainability Lead at Unilever.

Watch the full livestreamed event on Food Tank’s YouTube channel.

Panel discussions highlighted bold ideas and tangible actions from across the food industry, media, policy, and culinary worlds to build a more resilient, joyful, and regenerative food future. To kick off the afternoon, Rasmus Munk, Founder and Head Chef at Alchemist and Spora, spoke about the power that chefs hold to drive change. 

“Chefs have a big voice out there, a lot of spotlight on us as well. We’re getting a lot of time to speak,” says Munk. “Restaurants are a big communicator and platform to try new things. With our craft, we can actually do things.”

Munk’s food research center, Spora, is part of an international consortium that converts carbon dioxide into protein-rich foods, a project backed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Novo Nordisk Foundation. This technology has moved from a conceptual stage to developing consumer-ready food prototypes—including chocolate truffles made without using cocoa products, which were passed out to Summit attendees.

Among Munk’s other food innovations are ingredients that push boundaries, he says, and inspire conversations at the dinner table, such as butterflies. 

“When you serve a butterfly that is farmed, people freak out,” says Munk. But “it contains about 3.5-times more protein than farmed chicken.”

Munk’s work shows that conversations about food innovations don’t necessarily have to be about technology. And when thinking about innovation in the food space, Chitra Agrawal, Co-Founder and CEO of Brooklyn Delhi and Author of Vibrant India, reminds attendees to look ahead by looking to the past.

“There’s so much ancient wisdom that is baked into the products that we are selling” at Brooklyn Delhi, says Agrawal.

Meanwhile, several organizations and brands attested to consumer preference for plant-forward menus—and often, these dishes are the most healthy, simple, and sustainable options.

“People want global flavors, they do want plant-rich foods, and often they want whole, plant-rich foods like beans,” says Eve Turow-Paul, Author, Founder and Executive Director at Food for Climate League. “When you say sustainable products, people think it’s expensive…rice and beans are sustainable, this doesn’t have to be something that’s inaccessible.”

Food can also be a powerful opportunity for self-care and connection, says Rachel Krupa, Founder and CEO of The Goods Mart. As many look to consume less amid rising economic uncertainty and environmental concern, “food is an affordable luxury that we can all connect with and relate to,” says Krupa.

But ultimately, “if you want food that is accessible, that has to be a nonprofit,” according to Mark Bittman, a New York Times bestselling author, former New York Times food writer, and chef. The Summit’s audience heard about Bittman’s new public restaurant model, Community Kitchen, which combines locally sourced, high-quality, and nutritious food with equitable access for all through a sliding-scale payment model.

“Good food is a universal right, we’re trying to demonstrate it’s possible,” says Bittman.

U.S. Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan emphasizes that the event itself—and the conversations on stage—is reason to maintain hope for a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient food future.

“The fact that we’re all in this room shows that we haven’t given up yet. Focus on where you can use your voice, where you can use your power, and together we will come through this,” says Rep. McClellan.

David Gelles, award-winning New York Times climate reporter, echoed the importance of hope: “We are in an intense moment for a lot of people, a lot of people are scared…Without stories of hope, we sacrifice the possibility of positive change in the world.”

The afternoon concluded with Gelles sharing the story behind his forthcoming book, Dirtbag Billionaire: How Yvon Chouinard Built Patagonia, Made a Fortune, and Gave It All Away. While Patagonia is a “unicorn,” Gelles says there are lessons all businesses can learn from Chouinard’s story. 

“I’m all for tasty food. But…real, durable systems change is going to come from the companies and entrepreneurs that have really bold visions—and sometimes unpopular ones—about how things fundamentally need to change, and then find the ways they can do that,” says Gelles.

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The post From Beans to Butterflies: Rethinking Food for People and Planet appeared first on Food Tank.

The invitation-only event brought together policymakers, scientists, food industry leaders, nonprofit organizations, and cultural influencers to explore the intersection of food loss and waste, climate action, consumer behavior, and scalable innovations. Panelists focused on how food waste solutions offer a win-win for multiple crises facing the world today. 

Watch the full livestreamed event on Food Tank’s YouTube channel.

“You can’t really talk about climate change without talking about food waste,” says Luiz Beling, CEO of Apeel Sciences. 

Speakers agreed that tackling food waste is one of the most immediately effective climate solutions that countries, communities, and individuals can implement right now.

“You get food out of landfills today, and you’re saving methane emissions within the year,” says Dana Gunders, President of ReFED, who is seeing positivity around food waste solutions from both sides of the political aisle in the United States. 

“It has to be a whole of society approach…We have to press upon the leaders of the world to work together on climate,” says Jamil Ahmad, Director, New York Office, UN Environment Programme.

Multiple speakers pointed to portion sizes as a low-hanging fruit in terms of reducing food waste. Research supports this: According to Gunders, 59 percent of people surveyed say they would go to a different restaurant if it offered different portion sizes. 

“The most impactful thing we can do to decrease food waste is changing portion sizes…Giving consumers options like that can enable them to make changes,” says Roni Neff, Professor at Johns Hopkins University, who researches ways to reduce food waste and address climate change through food systems.

And technology plays a big role: Harry Chrispin, Senior Manager of ESG EMEA at Hilton, uses the artificial intelligence system Winnow to track food waste in hotel kitchens automatically. With Winnow, “the previously invisible food waste in the bin is now visible, and chefs can make decisions based on that,” says Chrispin. “Just changing the way we cut fruit and portion fruit, all of these small changes can make a really big difference in food waste,” without compromising the customer experience.

Many factors influence what eaters do and don’t eat, and how they dispose of their food choices:  “We make at least 200 different food decisions in a day. Many of them you don’t know you’re making,” says Caleb McClennan, President of RARE. This creates opportunities throughout each day to make positive change. But while small changes like composting and repurposing leftovers and scraps are important tools for change, consumers should also go easy on themselves, says U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree.

“You’re not going to be perfect every day of the week,” says Rep. Pingree. “But the things that you do at home…changing our habits and getting into new habits…all of these things are important to do.”

Eaters can also look to their freezers to help make small but meaningful changes to reduce food waste at home.

“Take advantage of your freezer,” says Alison Bodor, President and CEO of the American Frozen Food Institute. “Whether that’s freezing your own leftovers or buying resealable packages. Be part of the solution because it will take all of us.”

Meanwhile, U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Dexter, MD, says that consumers should not forget the power of their voices: “Consumer behavior needs to drive the changes,” she says. “If we are demanding it, it’s easier for people like me to pass the laws.”

“As someone who represents about 800,000 people, getting that outreach really drives our perspective. Reaching out to your elected leaders, sharing what you want—even if you know they’re not aligned—is really important,” says Rep. Dexter. “Americans need to demand better from their government. Politicians need to demand more from themselves.”

Stacy Blondin, Behavioral Science Associate at the World Resources Institute, emphasizes that while there is a significant consumer will to reduce waste, eaters need support from the government, nonprofit, and private sectors. “A large percentage of Americans are already motivated to reduce food waste, but we need these underlying societal support systems” that will enable people to make meaningful change, says Blondin. 

The Summit’s conversations continually turned to collaborations as an effective way to amplify change across sectors. 

“Co-developing together a solution is truly energizing and powerful. Your coworkers have the answers and power; they meet the customers every day,” says Lorena Lourido Gomez, Head of IKEA Food, IKEA Retail Services, Ingka.

“Nobody really wants to waste food. People are looking for advice on how to do that,” says David Rogers, Director of International Development at WRAP. “And if you can reach people through the cities they live in or the shops they go to, you can really reach everyone.”

Michael Grunwald, Food  &  Climate Columnist at Canary Media and also a Contributing Writer for The New York Times Opinion, left the audience with a simple call to action for eaters:

“Eat less beef, waste less food. I can give you 50 things to do, and the other 48 combined wouldn’t have as much impact as that,” says Grunwald. And “right now, food waste is an area where we can actually make progress.”

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo by Ryan Rose for Food Tank.

The post Tackling Food Waste Is “One of the Most Immediate Solutions That We Can Be Doing Now” appeared first on Food Tank.

During the Summit—which opened with a special musical performance from Broadway’s Celia Hottenstein and Ryan Fielding Garrett—farmers, chefs, filmmakers, and business leaders discussed the importance of pushing the food industry toward more transparent, more authentic, more flavorful practices. 

“Regenerative agriculture and hope go hand in hand,” Brita Lundberg, Chief Storyteller at Lundberg Family Farms, said during the event. Her fourth-generation family farm wholeheartedly embraces climate-friendly techniques because “we believe the health of our bodies and our planet depend on it.”

Watch the full livestreamed event on Food Tank’s YouTube channel.

Delicious regenerative food has to start with a seed, said Dan Barber, Chef and Co-owner of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns and Founder of Row 7 Seed Company.

At Row 7, Barber and his collaborators are investing time, energy, and agricultural talent into using “old-world wisdom that can be sped up with technology,” he said, to innovate seeds that bridge taste and sustainability. 

“The industry cares about size, shape, color, yield…flavor is very low on the hierarchy,” Barber said. “But if you’re selecting for all that, you’re selecting against flavor and nutrition.”

While Barber spoke, the audience sampled Row 7’s koginut squash, which has been developed with more people- and planet-forward priorities in mind.

“Deliciousness and nutrition and ecological health are all the same,” he said. “They all go together.”

In recent years, as panelists discussed, important stakeholders within food production and distribution systems are pushing to change the food industry’s approach. A particularly important priority is ensuring that terms like “regenerative” have a standardized meaning, so consumers can recognize and trust the impact of their food purchases.

“There are many certification schemes out there. The profound danger we have is confusing consumers about what we are actually talking about,” said farmer Greg Swartz of Willow Wisp Organic Farm.

“If you have conventional agriculture and you add some good practices to it, that doesn’t make it regenerative,” added Paul Lightfoot, General Manager of Patagonia Provisions. “If you’re using chemicals, pesticides, and natural gas, it’s inherently not regenerative.”

That’s why farms like Lundberg Family Farms, which has been farming regeneratively since the 1930s, work so hard to tell their stories. With greater transparency, consumers can understand and recognize instances where sustainability is baked into producers’ daily lives, not simply a trend.

“The companies that are doing the right thing don’t mind letting you know the how and the why of what they’re doing,” says filmmaker Simon English, who with his brother Oliver English runs Common Table Creative. “They’re not afraid to show what’s happening behind the scenes. And a lot of companies putting food in grocery stores these days wouldn’t do the same.”

During the eveningtime Summit, celebrity chefs J.J. Johnson of FieldTrip and Marcela Valladolid of Matriarca Foods prepared bites showcasing ingredients like rice, landrace masa flour, and sustainable seafood that are produced carefully and intentionally. 

“If we want to drive change, we have to support our farmers,” says Jason Buechel, Chief Executive Officer at Whole Foods Market and Vice President of Amazon Worldwide Grocery Stores. “If they don’t have an outlet for their supply, it’s ultimately not a sustainable business.”

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo by Ryan Rose for Food Tank.

The post Stronger Regenerative Food Production Builds Consumer Trust—And Deliciousness appeared first on Food Tank.

“Chefs are on the frontlines of climate every day, sourcing from farmers, shaping what diners eat, and influencing how communities understand food. Their voices carry far beyond the plate,” says Anne E. McBride, Vice President of Impact at the James Beard Foundation. “That’s why bringing chefs into the climate conversation isn’t optional. It’s essential if we want real solutions that resonate with both policymakers and the public.”

“Independent restaurants alone employ nearly 4 million workers, generate US$75 billion in wages, and bring in more than US$209 billion in revenue, all while operating on the slimmest of margins. Climate change is already disrupting supply chains and driving up costs, threatening the survival of these businesses and the communities they sustain. Chefs’ leadership can help ensure that survival becomes resilience and growth,” says McBride.

Panel discussions will range from “Hearing Directly From Chefs” to “From Soil to City: Farmers, Chefs, and Food Justice,” exploring how chefs have the power to shape not only what we eat but also how we reimagine the future of food.

Held in the Greene Space at WNYC-NPR Studios, the event will feature breakfast at 9am and programming from 9:30am to 12:20pm, followed by lunch.

Confirmed speakers, moderators, and performers include Ruth Reichl, food writer and editor; former restaurant critic (Los Angeles Times and The New York Times), Editor‑in‑Chief at Gourmet magazine, and six‑time James Beard Award winner; Florence Fabricant, food and wine writer, The New York Times; Eric Adjepong, chef, television personality, and author best known for his standout appearances on Top Chef and as the host of shows on Food Network and HGTV; Priya Krishna, Journalist, The New York Times; Clare Reichenbach, CEO, James Beard Foundation; Sheryll Durrant, urban farmer, educator, and food-justice leader; Board President, Just Food and NYC New Roots; Melissa Clark, food writer, cookbook author, and New York Times columnist; Miguel Guerra, Chef at Mita, committed to celebrating Mexican culinary traditions while advancing sustainable and community-rooted food systems; Joshua McFadden, James Beard Award–winning chef and restaurateur known for seasonal cooking and sustainable food practices; Priyanka Naik, Food Network champion and sustainability advocate known for her globally inspired cooking; Anne McBride, Vice President of Programs, James Beard Foundation; Geoffrey Kie, Indigenous chef and founder of Kie’s Pies from the Pueblo of Laguna; Samantha Sackin, Organic Valley; Rob Rubba, Chef & Co-Owner, Oyster Oyster; Abbie Corse, sixth-generation organic dairy farmer at The Corse Farm Dairy in Whitingham, Vermont; and Ingrid Hoffmann, chef and host of Top Chef Estrellas (Telemundo/NBC), Simply Delicioso (Cooking Channel), and Delicioso (Univision), and Advisor to “The Humans Who Feed Us.”

“Chefs Change the World” will include a special musical performance by Brandon Burks, currently performing in the Broadway revival of Gypsy, alongside fellow vocal group Penthouse IV members James Caleb Grice, whose credits include the national tours of The Prom and Aladdin and the 2025 Off-Broadway revival of Heathers: The Musical; Mel Haygood, who has performed in Legally Blonde: The Musical at Stumptown Stages and in cabaret shows at 54 Below in New York; and Brandon J. Large, who appeared on Broadway in The Great Gatsby (2024) and in the national tours of The Prom and Aladdin. They will be accompanied on piano by Adam Cole Klepper, Associate Music Director, Associate Conductor, and pianist for the Broadway revival of Gypsy.

This summit will be streamed live on FoodTank.com and Food Tank’s YouTube Channel, here. Join the Food Tank newsletter list for reminders, and click here for Food Tank’s full lineup of events at Climate Week NYC 2025.

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The invite-only event will gather sustainability leaders, food industry executives, and bold changemakers for a morning of food and dialogue around climate solutions across retail, food service, hospitality, and beyond.

“Building a more just and climate-resilient food system requires the collective effort of all of us,” says Suzanne McDowell, Vice President of Impact at King Arthur Baking Company. “As an Employee-Owned, Vermont Benefit Corporation and certified B Corp, King Arthur is committed to working alongside farmers, companies, advocates, and consumers to grow a movement rooted in shared learning and bold collaboration. The Sustainability Leadership Summit is a powerful moment to come together and accelerate that collective impact.”

“Applegate has long, proudly, been a sustainability leader. As a mission-driven brand, we rely on partnerships and cooperation to change the food system. This gathering of changemakers offers the opportunity to share stories and collaborate for the greater good,” says Carolyn Gahn, Applegate’s Senior Director of Mission and Advocacy.

“The future of food depends on bold collaboration across sectors. Food Tank’s Sustainability Leadership Summit provides a platform for founders, scientists, and changemakers to exchange ideas and challenge conventional thinking. At Nature’s Fynd, we believe smarter protein, grown through fermentation and discovered in Yellowstone’s extreme environments, can help feed the world with fewer resources. We hope attendees leave inspired to rethink how we nourish people and the planet,” says Thomas Jonas, Co-Founder and CEO of Nature’s Fynd.

The morning will focus on collaborative action, breaking down silos across sectors to accelerate scalable climate solutions in food production, distribution, and consumption.

“As someone who works at the intersection of food, health, and environmental impact, I know we can’t solve these complex challenges in a silo. At ButcherBox, we know no single company has all the answers, and we’ve seen firsthand how powerful collective action can be through our recent advocacy work. The Summit is a great opportunity to continue moving beyond individual sustainability efforts and toward the collaborative action that actually drives change,” says Kelly Hilovsky, Senior Director of Impact and Sustainability at ButcherBox.

Discussions will also highlight strategies for fostering long-term partnerships that drive systemic change in food and agricultural systems.

“I hope attendees leave with not just new insights, but new relationships, new opportunities, and a shared commitment to tackle the work together, whether regenerative agriculture, equitable food access, or climate resilience. The solutions for the future will only come when we stop competing on mission and start collaborating for impact,” says Hilovsky.

“Our hope is that every attendee leaves inspired to take measurable steps in their businesses—whether that’s adopting more responsible sourcing practices, supporting farmers, finding new ways to reduce their carbon footprint, or investing in social initiatives. Not individualism but true collective leadership is what will drive systemic change,” says Giovanni Quaratesi, Head of Corporate Global Affairs at Certified Origins.

Held in the Greene Space at WNYC-NPR Studios, the event will feature breakfast at 9am, followed by programming from 9:30am to 12pm, and lunch.

Confirmed speakers include: Marion Nestle, Professor Emerita at New York University; Sean Carlson, journalist and the host of WNYC’s All Things Considered weekday radio broadcast; Helena Bottemiller Evich, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Food Fix; Sonya Gafsi Oblisk, Chief Merchandising & Marketing Officer at Whole Foods Market; Stephanie Grotta, VP, Responsible Sourcing & Sustainable Capabilities, Target; Thomas Jonas, Co-founder and CEO of Nature’s Fynd; Carolyn Gahn, Senior Director, Mission & Advocacy, Applegate; Amy Keister, Global Director of Sustainability, Compass Group; Justina Nixon-Saintil, Vice President & Global Chief Impact Officer, IBM; Kelly Hilovsky, Head of Impact and Strategy, ButcherBox; and Giovanni Quaratesi, Head Of Corporate Global Affairs, Certified Origins.

“The Sustainability Leadership Summit” will also include a special performance from Jennafer Newberry, an American actor and singer best known as the standby for Glinda in the Broadway production of Wicked, having previously played the role full-time on the National Tour. She will be accompanied by Cullen Curth, a New York–based pianist and music director whose credits include the pre-Broadway production of The Karate Kid: The Musical and An Evening with Ben Platt at the Perelman Performing Arts Center.

Click here for Food Tank’s full lineup of events at Climate Week NYC 2025.

The post Leading with Purpose: Food Tank’s Summit Bridges Sectors for Climate Action appeared first on Food Tank.

“Regenerative agriculture is the climate solution that should be the highest priority for both policymakers and the private sector. As we explore agriculture’s role in building resilient supply chains and achieving net-zero commitments, we see that the impact from investing in regenerative agriculture improves farmer livelihoods, builds resilient supply chains, and improves soil health,” says Jay McEntire, CEO of Arva.

People depend on agriculture not only for sustenance but also to produce fiber, feed, fuel, and biofeedstock derivatives for critical manufacturing, says McEntire: “Investing here produces benefits for society at a very competitive price relative to engineered solutions for carbon capture. Programs like ‘Regenerative Food Systems: Scaling Impact from Soil to Shelf’ are crucial for convening leaders in food, farming, and finance to discuss these powerful—and underutilized—climate solutions.”

Discussions will focus on collaborative solutions, with topics like “Collaborating Across Sectors: Regenerative Solutions That Work” and “AI + Agriculture: A Match Hidden in the Dirt,” as well as how to scale regenerative supply chains and how farmers are driving climate solutions.

“Awareness of regeneration has grown from 4% to 7% in just 18 months—a clear sign of momentum, yet reaching the Tipping Point requires collective action. Partnerships are essential to scaling regenerative solutions that restore healthy soil and nurture both human and planetary health,” says Evan Harrison, CEO of Kiss the Ground. “We’re excited to join Food Tank and Arva at Climate Week NYC to share insights and amplify impact from soil to shelf.”

Held in the Greene Space at WNYC-NPR Studios, the event will feature lunch at 1:30pm, followed by programming from 2pm to 4:30pm, and a reception from 4:30pm to 5:30pm.

Confirmed speakers with more to be announced include: David Moscow, actor, producer, and creator of the hit TV series “From Scratch,” known for his iconic roles in “Big” and “Newsies”; Sam Kass, Partner at Acre Venture Partners and Former Senior Policy Advisor for President Barack Obama’s Nutrition Policy, and Executive Director for First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Campaign; Evan Harrison, CEO of Kiss the Ground; Jay McEntire, CEO of Arva; Chloe Sorvino, food and agriculture journalist and author of Raw Deal: Hidden Corruption, Corporate Greed, and the Fight for the Future of Meat; Matthew Dillon, Co-Chief Executive Officer of the Organic Trade Association; Patrick Brown, fourth-generation farmer from Warren County, North Carolina, and Director of Farmer Inclusion at Nature for Justice, championing regenerative equity and climate-resilient practices among farmers of color; Kimberley Sundy, Senior Director of Global Sustainability at Kellanova; Michael Benedetti, Vice President of Quality, Regulatory, and Sustainability at Clover Sonoma; Vaughn Duitsman, Director of Sustainability at Bartlett; Steven Jennings, Stakeholder Relations and Brand Lead at Ahold Delhaize USA; Clara Coleman, second-generation organic farmer, formerly of Four Season Farm in Maine, who champions farmer self-care and year-round growing to build healthy soils and resilient local food systems; John Moore of St. Croix Farm in New York, who leads his family’s regenerative farm, raising pasture-based meats while conserving the land for future generations; Jamie Ager, fourth-generation farmer and managing partner at Hickory Nut Gap, a regenerative farm in Fairview, North Carolina; Alexia Akbay, CEO and Founder of Symbrosia, a marine biotech company pioneering red seaweed–based livestock feed that reduces methane emissions by more than 90 percent; Evan Fraser, Director of the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph and a leading expert on global food security and sustainable agriculture; and Gally Mayer, Co-founder and CEO of Buena Vida Specialty Coffee.

The afternoon will feature a special musical performance by Emily Kristen Morris, a celebrated NYC-based actor, singer, and popular online content creator with more than 2 million followers on Instagram and TikTok, best known for her work as the Elphaba standby on the Broadway National Tour of Wicked and for playing Bea on the Broadway National Tour of Something Rotten. Emily will be accompanied by Rebekah Bruce, a New York City–based pianist and music director whose Broadway credits include Mean Girls (Musical Director and Conductor), The Lehman Trilogy (Alternate Pianist), and Dead Outlaw (Music Director, Additional Arrangements, and onstage pianist, organist, and vocalist).

This Summit will be streamed live on FoodTank.com and Food Tank’s YouTube Channel, here. Join the Food Tank newsletter list for reminders, and click here for Food Tank’s full lineup of events at Climate Week NYC 2025.

The post Regeneration from Soil to Shelf at Climate Week NYC appeared first on Food Tank.

The play, named “one of the best new shows of 2024” by The Arts Fuse, was written by Bernard Pollack. Catalyst Coffee features a script that blends sharp drama with bold questions about power, solidarity, and survival.

“I believe the best artists are truth tellers, and the best actors live truthfully in imaginary circumstances. Catalyst Coffee, while deeply inspired by real unionizing efforts, is a play created by Food Tank. The imaginary circumstance in this play explores what’s best for the humans that serve us what we want and need,” says Director Lakisha May, who has been integral to the long-term development of the project. “During the pandemic, we all became aware of what jobs were essential. I love art that reminds us of what’s essential in this fleeting life.”

May hopes the play inspires a sense of deep questioning. For example, when grabbing a cup of coffee, May invites the audience to ask: “How do I engage with the person serving me my latte/tea/juice? Do I see them as a human being with needs and desires? Where did my beverage’s ingredients come from? What resources were needed to contain/hold the beverage that’s now in my stomach? Who cleans the toilets in the bathroom that I just ran into and used quickly?”

Catalyst Coffee was written by Bernard Pollack, with dramaturgy by Elena Morris and coaching by Jeff Crockett. A previous staged workshop reading in Boston received standing ovations from audiences, which included special guests including U.S. Congresswoman Ayanna Presley. Pollack and Food Tank are hopeful the play will be developed into a full theatrical production in the future.

Click here for Food Tank’s full lineup of events at Climate Week NYC 2025.

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