Alle afleveringen
113 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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Dire Straits: Hormuz, Fertilizers, and Food
14 oktober 2026 · 29 min
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted global flows of fossil fuels and fertilizers. But what does a shipping route in the Middle East have to do with the price of food? How are farmers coping? And what does this disruption tell us about our food system’s dependence on fossil fuels and synthetic fertilizers? Lees meer
Synthetic fertilizers tie food production to fossil fuels, leaving farmers exposed to price shocks and geopolitical disruption. In this episode, food systems experts unpack the risks of that dependence, the alternatives already taking shape, and how philanthropy can help build more resilient food systems.
Two years after the original Fuel To Fork podcast series, we return to the connections between food and fossil fuels to ask what has changed – and whether our food systems are any better prepared for the next shock.
Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.org
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/
episode107Listen to Fuel to Fork
Listen to Feeding 1 in 6: China and the Future of Food
Guests
Anna Lappé, Global Alliance for the Future of Food
Jennifer Clapp, IPES-Food
Lisa Tostado, Center for International Environmental Law
Joanna Larson, Prairie Gates Farm
Episode produced and edited by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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Plant protein without pretending
24 september 2026 · 30 min
What if the future of plant-based food isn't about faking meat, but inventing something entirely new? We go inside a student hackathon at Wageningen University (WUR) and follow the winning concept from whiteboard sketch to test kitchen to campus cafeteria. Along the way, food scientists and student organizers weigh in on the potential for the food industry to not always try to imitate meat. Lees meer
This episode was produced in collaboration with Wageningen Alt Protein Project (WAPP).
Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.org
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/
episode106Guest
Melania Zanforlin, Co-chair WAPP
Joaquin Fogel, Co-chair WAPP
Dr. Laurice Pouvreau, Senior Protein Scientist at WUR
Dr. Stacy Pyett, Program Manager at WUR
Andy Bingham, Senior Food Application Scientist and Executive Chef at Kalsec Europe
Dr. Raffaella Inchingolo, Lead Food Scientist at Kalsec Europe
Dr. Guido Sala, Researcher in food physics and Molecular Gastronomy at WUR
Episode written, hosted, produced and edited by Melania Zanforlin. Produced and edited by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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Bonus. The hidden costs of biosecurity
23 juli 2026 · 26 min
After the 2018 African Swine Fever outbreak led to the culling of over a hundred million pigs, China moved toward larger, more biosecure, high-rise hog farms. Human geographer Ray Chan takes us inside these operations. He argues that biosecurity isn't only about preventing disease. He calls it a form of governance, deciding whose risk gets prioritized and how both people and animals are expected to behave. Lees meer
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/
episode105Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.org
Guest
Dr Ray Chan, Human Geographer at Royal Agricultural University
Episode written, hosted, produced and edited by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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Bonus. The futures of China's countryside
9 juli 2026 · 42 min
China's countryside isn't heading toward one future. Sociologist Forrest Zhang walks us through four different scenarios: suburbanizing villages turned tourist destinations, industrial-scale grain belts managed by smart phones, intensive vegetable farms facing a looming labor crisis, and aging villagers returning to subsistence farming. We explore the shift from socialist to capitalist agriculture, and ask whether the next era may take a "sustainability turn,” a door opened by a shrinking population, food oversupply, and a rising public health crisis. Lees meer
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/
episode104Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.org
Listen to China's Food Future (Part 1).
Guest
Prof Qian Forrest Zhang, Singapore Management University
Episode written, hosted, produced and edited by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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Bonus. China's food future
25 juni 2026 · 44 min
China is currently the world's largest importer of agricultural products, buying 60% of globally traded soy. But a 2026 consultation paper by SystemIQ argues China may be approaching a turning point. In the coming decades, China could shift from being a net food importer to net food exporter of animal proteins. We dive into the analysis with the paper's authors to see how plausible that scenario might be, what it would take to get there including the role of alternative proteins in that future, and what might be the implications for global food systems. Lees meer
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/
episode103Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.org
Read the consultation paper: China's Food Future (SystemIQ, 2026)
Guests
Anna Morser, Director at SystemIQ
Alex Andreoli, Manager at SystemIQ
Fengwei Ina Liu, Director of FOLU China
Episode written, hosted, produced and edited by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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Feeding 1 in 6. Small mighty fish farms
11 juni 2026 · 51 min
In the 1980s, Deng Xiaoping's government decided not to regulate its fishing sector. What grew out of that space was extraordinary. Today China produces 76 million tonnes of seafood a year, and a mounting environmental cost. This episode follows the small farms and the global infrastructure that connects them, and asks what happens when a government tries to course correct a system it deliberately set loose. Lees meer
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/
episode102Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.org
Guests
Han Han, Founder and director of NGO China Blue Sustainability Institute
Xuefei Shi, Researcher at Chr. Michelsen Institute in Bergen, Norway
James Keeley, Food and agricultural development consultant and China specialist
Episode written, hosted, produced and edited by Matthew Kessler. Sound mixing by Martin Palmqvist. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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Feeding 1 in 6. Who grows the rice
3 juni 2026 · 44 min
One-third of the world's rice is grown in China, on less than a fifth of the world's rice-growing area, by farmers whose average age is over 55, in a countryside that is slowly emptying. This episode asks how that's possible, and how much longer it can last. Lees meer
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/
episode101Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.org
Guests
Lena Kaufmann, Social Anthropologist at Université de Fribourg
Li Zhang, Prof in Sociology and Environmental Studies at Amherst Colleage
Episode written, hosted, produced and edited by Matthew Kessler. Sound mixing by Martin Palmqvist. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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Feeding 1 in 6. Vertical pork
28 mei 2026 · 59 min
Today China produces roughly half the world's pork. Getting there required swine genetics from multiple continents, feed from Brazil, and a disease outbreak that wiped out hundreds of millions of animals. This episode asks how they did it, and what that cost - to the household pig, to the smallholder farmer, and to ecosystems thousands of kilometers away. Lees meer
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/
episode100Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.org
Guests
Ron Lane, Agricultural consultant in Beijing
Li Zhang, Prof in Sociology and Environmental Studies at Amherst College
Gustavo Oliveira, Prof in Geography at Clark University
Episode written, hosted, produced and edited by Matthew Kessler. Sound mixing by Martin Palmqvist. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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Feeding 1 in 6. Can you feed the people?
21 mei 2026 · 38 min
In sixty years China moved from catastrophic famine to feeding 1.4 billion people. This episode asks how that transformation happened - and what it set in motion. Lees meer
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/
episode99Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.org
Guests
Michelle King, Prof in Chinese History at UNC
Zhang Hongzhou, Prof in International Political Economy at RSIS
Fengwei Ina Liu, Director of FOLU China
Episode written, hosted, produced and edited by Matthew Kessler. Sound mixing by Martin Palmqvist. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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Feeding 1 in 6. China and the future of food (Trailer)
13 mei 2026 · 1 min
In sixty years, China has moved from catastrophic famine to now feeding one in six people on the planet. Following three foods - pork, rice, and fish - this series traces a transformation that has emptied the Chinese countryside, reshaped ecosystems from Brazil to the South China Sea, and produced the high-rise hog farm model that is being exported across the world. We examine the competing priorities driving this transformation, the distributed costs and benefits, and what it means for the rest of the world. Lees meer
"Feeding 1 in 6: China and the future of food" arrives in this feed on 21 May 2026.
More info here
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US Soy Farmer on “I can only control the things I can control”
2 april 2026 · 34 min
Soy looks different depending on where you sit. For Ryan Britt, who's farming soy, corn, wheat and cattle on over 2,000 hectares in North Central Missouri, it's the crop that reliably pays the bills. In 2025, Ryan found himself squarely in the middle of a global trade story he had very little control over. We talk about what he can control on the farm — cover cropping, no-till, rotations — and why he still advocates for farmers even when he'd rather be on a tractor. Lees meer
Register for the Bolivia soy webinar here
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/
episode97Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.org
Episode edited and hosted by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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Volts: Can fake meat solve climate change?
5 maart 2026 · 1 uur 30 min
After several hype years, plant-based and cultivated meat have faced growing skepticism. Lately, the media has written obituaries. And the market value is declining. Bruce Friedrich, founder and president of the Good Food Institute, offers a different view: the long view. Lees meer
Friedrich joined clean energy reporter David Roberts on the Volts podcast to discuss his new book, Meat: How the Next Agricultural Revolution Will Transform Humanity’s Favorite Food—and Our Future. It’s an honest conversation about a difficult topic, that's well worth listening to. Shared here on Feed with permission.
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/
episode96Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.org
Subscribe to the Volts podcast
Read Bruce Friedrich's new book: Meat
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The meat question
5 februari 2026 · 19 min
Why can reasonable people look at the same evidence on meat—and still eat very differently? Matthew Kessler shares a personal essay reflecting on his time working on livestock farms, conversations with experts across all sides of the issue, and on his own on-and-off relationship with eating animals. Lees meer
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/
episode95Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.org
Episode edited and hosted by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.
Tangle Essay: What we disagree about when we talk about meat
TABLE Podcast: Meat: the four futures
TABLE Report: Meat, Metrics and Mindsets
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Agroecology and Sustainable Intensification: the values beneath the science
22 januari 2026 · 26 min
What does “sustainable agriculture” actually mean, and why do scientists disagree about it? This episode explores how two influential scientific discourses - Agroecology and Sustainable Intensification - start from different values, ask different questions, and often talk past each other. Drawing on an interdisciplinary study at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, ecologist Riccardo Bommarco and ethicist Helena Rocklinsberg examine how those different approaches shape research, priorities, and solutions. The conversation turns to what might change when scientists begin to listen to each other across divides. Lees meer
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/
episode94Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.org
Episode edited and hosted by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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The future of food retail, made simple
11 december 2025 · 34 min
Most industries have a clear roadmap for transformation. The power sector goes renewable. Cars go electric. But food and agriculture? The world’s most impactful—and most damaging—industry still has no shared path to transformation. Food sustainability consultant and retail expert Mike Barry argues that the future of food hinges on one counterintuitive idea: simplification. And he explains how AI, smarter data, and design can potentially speed up change. Lees meer
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/
episode93Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.org
Episode edited and hosted by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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Can we eat better without paying more?
20 november 2025 · 27 min
Instead of tell people what to eat, what if we changed what food costs? With Jörgen Larsson (researcher from Chalmers University), we explore a cost-neutral tax reform, one that makes healthier and climate-friendly food cheaper without raising the overall grocery bill. We break down how it works, why it matters, and how to frame it in ways that avoid predictable backlash. Lees meer
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/
episode92Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.org
Episode edited and hosted by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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A three course meal in 2050
30 oktober 2025 · 34 min
We invite you to a three course meal in 2050, where climate breakdown has reshaped what and how we eat. Each of the courses is designed to provoke questions about the future of food through taste, visuals, and a bit of discomfort. It’s a story about eating possible futures — and noticing which ones feel delicious, or unsettling. In this episode, we take you behind the scenes of how the meal came together. Bon appétit. Lees meer
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/
episode91Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.org
Guests
Annie Faye Cheng, Cook, butcher and writer
Bryant Simon, History prof Temple University
Lily Consuelo Saporta Tagiuri, Ecosystemic Designer and Eco-futurist
Episode hosted by Jack Thompson. Produced by Jack Thompson and Matthew Kessler. Edited and mixed by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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Hunger on our doorstop (Part 2)
9 oktober 2025 · 36 min
Hunger on our Doorstep is a two part podcast about food poverty in the UK. It explores the issues and potential solutions through the eyes of three food campaigners with firsthand experience of food poverty in urban communities, as well as others working to tackle the problem. The often bleak picture of poverty, inequality and exclusion painted in episode one contrasts with inspiring stories of the solutions being put into practice across the country in episode two. Lees meer
This podcast is produced by TABLE with the support and contribution of the Food Foundation, a charity focused on changing food policy and business practice to ensure everyone, across the UK nations, can afford and access a healthy and sustainable diet.
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/
episode90Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.org
Guests
Ryan McShane, Food campaigner
Glory Omoaka, Food activist
Dominic Watters, Estate2Plate founder
Jonathan Pauling, former CEO of Alexandra Rose Charity
Dr Effie Papargyropoulou, Researcher at Leeds University
Ana María Narváez, Coordinator of 2025 The Broken Plate report
Host
Richard Kipling, TABLE
Ruth Mattock, TABLE
Episode edited and produced by Richard Kipling, Ruth Mattock and Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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Can we change what a society eats? (with Sarah Lake)
18 september 2025 · 32 min
What if changing what we eat wasn’t about persuasion, but about reshaping everyday food choices? With Sarah Lake, CEO of Tilt Collective, we explore how meat and ultra-processed foods came to dominate U.S. diets – and how Tilt Collective is building a future where healthy and sustainable foods compete on convenience, price, and accessibility. Lees meer
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/
episode89Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.org
Guest
Sarah Lake, CEO of Tilt Collective
Episode hosted, edited and produced by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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Why food needs a systems approach (with Corinna Hawkes)
4 september 2025 · 24 min
What do Yorkshire beaches, Sierra Leone’s new food strategy, and New York City school lunches have in common? For Corinna Hawkes, they all shaped her journey toward understanding how systems shape food. In this episode, we trace her path from a childhood fascination with shifting sands to her current role at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. Along the way, we ask: what does it actually mean to ‘take a systems approach’ to food? What type of leadership skills are needed to fix food systems today? And why do the best solutions sometimes require slowing down, not speeding up? Lees meer
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/
episode88Read the report: Transforming food and agriculture through a systems approach (FAO, 2025)
Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.org
Guest
Corinna Hawkes, Director of Agrifood Systems and Food Safety at FAO
Episode hosted, edited and produced by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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Hunger on our doorstep (Part 1)
31 juli 2025 · 39 min
"Hunger on our Doorstep" is a two part podcast about food poverty in the UK. It explores the issues and potential solutions through the eyes of three food campaigners with firsthand experience of food poverty in urban communities, as well as others working to tackle the problem. The often bleak picture of poverty, inequality and exclusion painted in episode one contrasts with inspiring stories of the solutions being put into practice across the country in episode two. Lees meer
This podcast is produced by TABLE with the support and contribution of the Food Foundation, a charity focused on changing food policy and business practice to ensure everyone, across the UK nations, can afford and access a healthy and sustainable diet.
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/
episode87Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.org
Guests
Ryan McShane, Food campaigner
Glory Omoaka, Food activist
Dominic Watters, Estate2Plate founder
Jonathan Pauling, CEO of Alexandra Rose Charity
Dr Effie Papargyropoulou, Researcher at Leeds University
Ana María Narváez, Coordinator of 2025 The Broken Plate report
Host
Richard Kipling, TABLE
Ruth Mattock, TABLE
Episode edited and produced by Richard Kipling, Ruth Mattock and Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions and Pixabay.
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What is food solutionism? And why does it limit us
12 juni 2025 · 40 min
Why are we drawn to simple fixes for the complex challenge of feeding the world sustainably? Researchers Colin Sage (formerly Cork University) and Garrett Broad (Rowan University) unpack what we're calling "food solutionism"—the tendency to promote single, sweeping solutions, whether high-tech or agroecological, while ignoring context and complexity. They argue for "complicating the narrative early and often", so we can move beyond binary thinking and better understand the trade-offs, limits, and realities behind competing visions for the future of food. Lees meer
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/
episode86Read the The Blue Sky Thread that prompted this episode
Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.org
Guests
Garrett Broad, Rowan University
Colin Sage, Cork University
Host
Jack Thompson, TABLE
Episode edited and produced by Matthew Kessler and Jack Thompson. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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Food Systems, Rice and Power in Southeast Asia (with Thin Lei Win)
22 mei 2025 · 31 min
Why does Myanmar, often called the "rice bowl of Southeast Asia," continue to struggle with high rates of malnutrition? In this episode, journalist Thin Lei Win helps us unpack how political decisions, land ownership, and regional power dynamics shape food systems in Myanmar and beyond. We explore how issues like palm oil expansion and rice production connect to wider challenges around climate and biodiversity—and why lasting change remains difficult without addressing structural inequalities. Still, there are reasons for cautious optimism. Thin shares why she’s inspired by a new generation of journalists and activists working toward more just and sustainable food futures across Southeast Asia. Lees meer
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/
episode85Check out and subcribe to Thin Ink
Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.org
Guest
Thin Lei Win, Food and Climate Journalist
Host
Jack Thompson, TABLE
Episode edited and produced by Matthew Kessler and Jack Thompson. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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Is this the future of food? (with Michael Grunwald)
10 april 2025 · 47 min
Can humanity feed nearly 10 billion people without frying the planet? That question is at the heart of journalist Michael Grunwald’s provocative argument in Sorry, This Is the Future of Food, his recent New York Times essay and the basis of his forthcoming book, We Are Eating the Earth. He warns that we’re clearing an acre of rainforest every six seconds to grow more food — and even if we quit fossil fuels, we won’t avert climate chaos unless we fix how we use land. In this episode, Grunwald makes the case that high-yield industrial agriculture, for all its flaws, might be our best chance to grow more food on less land. Lees meer
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/
episode84Pre-order We Are Eating the Earth by Michael Grunwald.
Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.org
Guest
Michael Grunwald, Journalist and author
Host
Jack Thompson, TABLE
Episode edited and produced by Matthew Kessler and Jack Thompson. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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Perils of Populism and Precarious Promise of Regenerative Agriculture (with Ken Giller)
20 maart 2025 · 25 min
Can we have more honest conversations about the future of food and agriculture? That’s the plea from Ken Giller, recently retired professor at Wageningen University, after four decades of witnessing both progress and setbacks in supporting farmers worldwide. We discuss the dangers of populist narratives that oversimplify agricultural challenges, how to reshape research incentives to embrace complexity and nuance, why he opposes carbon credit schemes for farmers, and more. Lees meer
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/
episode83Guests
Ken Giller, Wageningen University
Host
Matthew Kessler, TABLE
Episode edited and produced by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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TikTok masculinity and the Tradwife (with Feminist Food Journal)
27 februari 2025 · 39 min
What else should we consider when shifting to natural, whole foods—beyond just their health benefits? Feminist Food Journal co-founders Isabela Bonnevera and Zoë Johnson explore the deeper questions: whose labor makes these diets possible, who can afford them, and how culture and experience shape our food choices. We dive into these issues and uncover how a simple "natural foods" search on TikTok exposes striking gender dynamics. Lees meer
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/
episode82Guests
Isabela Bonnevera, FFJ + ICTA-UAB
Zoë Johnson, FFJ + GPPi
Host
Jackie Turner, TABLE
Episode edited and produced by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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From horses to AI: how fossil fuels shaped agriculture (with Jennifer Clapp)
13 februari 2025 · 34 min
Is the battle over who controls and owns agricultural data one of the most important—and least discussed—fights in 21st-century farming? In this conversation, Jennifer Clapp (prof at the University of Waterloo and member of IPES-Food) explores the deep ties between fossil fuels and our food system, tracing their influence from fertilizers and pesticides to farm mechanization and digital agriculture. She unpacks how fossil-fueled inputs have shaped—and continue to shape—modern farming. Lees meer
For more info and resources, please visit our episode webpage.
Guests
Jennifer Clapp, IPES-Food
Edited by Matthew Kessler. Audio engineering by Adam Titmuss. Cover art by The Ethical Agency. Music by Blue dot sessions.
Fuel to Fork is powered by TABLE, IPES-Food and the Global Alliance for the Future of Food.
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Is a Fossil Fuel Free Food System Possible? (Live recording at ORFC)
30 januari 2025 · 51 min
We gathered in Oxford to ask: Is a fossil free food system possible? 3 panelists: a farmer, an economist and biodiversity researcher, shared their expert perspectives. What technologies are on the horizon? What uncertainties do they bring? Is it better to farm differently, eat differently, plug in better tech, restrain environmentally damaging practices of food and agribusinesses, or all of the above? Lees meer
Visit the episode webpage for more resources.
This series is powered by TABLE, IPES-Food and Global Alliance for the Future of Food.
Guests
Helen Browning, Soil Association
Rupert Simons, SystemIQ
Emile Frison, IPES-Food
Produced by Matthew Kessler, Robbie Blake and Chantal Clément. Edited by Matthew Kessler. Audio engineering by Adam Titmuss. Cover art by The Ethical Agency. Music by Blue dot sessions.
View a 90 minute video of the full panel discussion
Learn more about the Oxford Real Farming Conference
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7. Transitioning to fossil free food
5 december 2024 · 48 min
What would a food system free of fossil fuels look like by 2050? What insights surprised the experts featured in this series? And what trade-offs must we navigate to shape this future? In our final episode, we shift from acknowledging the 'fossil fuel problem in food' to exploring actionable solutions. Lees meer
Visit the episode webpage for more resources.
This series is powered by TABLE, IPES-Food and Global Alliance for the Future of Food.
Guests
Raj Patel, IPES-Food
Anna Lappé, Global Alliance for the Future of Food
Darrin Qualman, National Farmers Union (Canada)
Galina Angarova, SIRGE
Molly Anderson, IPES-Food
Produced by Matthew Kessler, Anna Paskal and Nicole Pita. Edited by Matthew Kessler. Audio engineering by Adam Titmuss. Cover art by The Ethical Agency. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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6. Fossil fuels in our kitchens
28 november 2024 · 48 min
Fossil fuels are hiding in plain sight in our kitchens—powering stoves and cooling refrigerators, plus they're fueling supply chains. They shape how we cook, eat and connect with food. In this episode, we explore how to reduce reliance on fossil fuels in home and commercial kitchens. What counts as a 'clean' cooking fuel in Malawi versus the United States? And what would it take to transform the energy grid powering our food systems? Researchers, chefs, and activists weigh in. Lees meer
Visit the episode webpage for more resources.
This series is powered by TABLE, IPES-Food and Global Alliance for the Future of Food.
Guests
Christa Roth, Cleaner Cooking Coalition
Christopher Galarza, Forward Dining Solutions
Gabriel Eckhouse, Uppsala University
Galina Angarova, SIRGE
Nnimmo Bassey, Home of Mother Earth Foundation
Errol Schweizer, IPES-Food
Georgina Catacora-Vargas, IPES Food
Produced by Matthew Kessler, Anna Paskal and Nicole Pita. Edited by Matthew Kessler. Audio engineering by Adam Titmuss. Cover art by The Ethical Agency. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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5. Ultra-processed foods, plastics, transport
21 november 2024 · 55 min
When we talk about the future of food, we usually picture what's growing in the fields or what's on our dinner plates. But maybe we should pay a little more attention to everything happening in between. Processing and packaging consumes the largest share of fossil fuels in our food system— more than 40%. Our growing reliance on ultra-processed foods, and plastics across the supply chain is making food production more energy-intensive than ever before. Lees meer
Visit the episode webpage for more resources.
This series is powered by TABLE, IPES-Food and Global Alliance for the Future of Food.
Guests
Emma Priestland, Break Free From Plastic
Errol Schweizer, IPES-Food
Rachel Muncrief, International Council on Clean Transportation
Georgina Catacora-Vargas, IPES Food
Produced by Matthew Kessler, Anna Paskal and Nicole Pita. Edited by Matthew Kessler. Audio engineering by Adam Titmuss. Cover art by The Ethical Agency. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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Fossil fuels, food, and Columbus’s wicked legacy (with Raj Patel)
14 november 2024 · 33 min
What are the hidden costs of our current food system and its deep reliance on fossil fuels, a system that burdens citizens with financial, health and environmental consequences? With Raj Patel, research professor at the University Texas at Austin and IPES-Food panel member, we cover this and Christopher Columbus's wicked legacy, middle-class environmentalism, and what a food system free of fossil fuels could look like. Lees meer
We thought this extended interview with Raj Patel was so compelling we wanted to share it in its entirety.
For more info and resources, please visit our episode webpage.
Guests
Raj Patel, IPES-Food
Produced by Matthew Kessler, Anna Paskal and Nicole Pita. Edited by Matthew Kessler. Audio engineering by Adam Titmuss. Cover art by The Ethical Agency. Music by Blue dot sessions.
Fuel to Fork is powered by TABLE, IPES-Food and the Global Alliance for the Future of Food.
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4. Farm machinery, precision agriculture, big data
7 november 2024 · 40 min
Fossil fuels are woven into nearly every aspect of modern agriculture - from powering farm machinery to creating plastics and supporting data-driven tech like precision agriculture. But what would it take to reduce or even eliminate their use on farms? We dive into both replacement technologies and transformative food production methods like agroecology, exploring the obstacles and limitations of scaling different solutions. Lees meer
Visit the episode webpage for more resources.
This series is powered by TABLE, IPES-Food and Global Alliance for the Future of Food.
Guests
Darrin Qualman, National Farmers Union Canada
Pat Mooney, IPES Food
Jennifer Clapp, IPES Food
Swati Renduchintala, CIFOR-ICRAF
Produced by Matthew Kessler, Anna Paskal and Nicole Pita. Edited by Matthew Kessler. Audio engineering by Adam Titmuss. Cover art by The Ethical Agency. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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3. Do we need fossil agrochemicals to feed the world?
1 november 2024 · 48 min
Since 2020, over 120 million tonnes of nitrogen fertilizer have been produced annually—a number set to rise by 50% by 2050. It’s easy to assume this is non-negotiable, that without it, we’d face a food crisis. But do we really need all this fossil-based input? As it turns out, there are many ways we can reverse this trend - from curbing overuse and adopting alternative technologies to rethinking our diets and transforming farming practices. We explore a range of options to ease our dependency on fossil fueled agrochemicals. Lees meer
Register for our webinar: Fossil Fuels and Food Systems: A Policy Discussion for COP29
Visit the episode webpage for more resources.
This series is powered by TABLE, IPES-Food and Global Alliance for the Future of Food.
Guests
Lisa Tostado, CIEL
Joanna Larson, Prairie Gates Farm
Christine Delivanis, SytemIQ
Georgina Catacora-Vargas, IPES Food
Mamadou Goïta, IPES
Swati Renduchintala, CIFOR-ICRAF
Jennifer Clapp, IPES Food
Produced by Matthew Kessler, Anna Paskal and Nicole Pita. Edited by Matthew Kessler. Audio engineering by Adam Titmuss. Cover art by The Ethical Agency. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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2. The rise of fossil fuels in our food
24 oktober 2024 · 44 min
How did fossil fuels become so embedded in our food systems? We trace this journey from the industrial extraction of guano, through the game-changing Haber-Bosch process, to today’s globalized food system. Along the way, we uncover the hidden impacts on biodiversity, farmworkers, and our oceans—revealing the true cost of this reliance on fossil fuels. Lees meer
In Fuel to Fork, a new podcast series powered by TABLE, IPES-Food and the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, we expose and explore the fossil fuels in our food, speaking to farmers, chefs, food industry experts, scientists and campaigners. Each episode delves deep into a different step of the food supply chain.
Guests
Jennifer Clapp, IPES-Food
Darrin Qualman, National Farmers Union Canada
Pat Mooney, IPES-Food and Etc Group
Navina Khanna, HEAL Alliance
Rashid Sumaila, University of British Columbia
Produced by Matthew Kessler, Anna Paskal and Nicole Pita. Edited by Matthew Kessler. Audio engineering by Adam Titmuss. Cover art by The Ethical Agency. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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1. There's fossil fuels in our food?!
24 oktober 2024 · 37 min
“For many of us, how fossil fuels are integrated across the food chain is highly invisible.”
When we bite into a juicy apple, barrels of crude oil and natural gas cylinders might not spring to mind. But fossil fuels are the hidden ingredient behind all of our food. For every calorie that ends up on our plates, around 10 calories of fossil fuels are used. From the diesel powering the tractors to the fertilizer in the field and plastic packaging, fossil fuels are the lifeblood of the food industry. Lees meerIn Fuel to Fork, a new podcast series powered by TABLE, IPES-Food and the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, we expose and explore the fossil fuels in our food, speaking to farmers, chefs, food industry experts, scientists and campaigners. Each episode delves deep into a different step of the food supply chain.
Guests
Anna Lappé, Global Alliance for the Future of Food
Raj Patel, IPES-Food
Errol Schweizer, IPES-Food
Nnimmo Bassey, Health of Mother Earth Foundation
Christine Delivanis, SystemIQ
Produced by Matthew Kessler, Anna Paskal and Nicole Pita. Edited by Matthew Kessler. Audio engineering by Adam Titmuss. Cover art by The Ethical Agency. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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Introducing Fuel to Fork
16 oktober 2024 · 1 min
When we bite into a juicy apple, barrels of crude oil and natural gas cylinders might not spring to mind. But fossil fuels are the hidden ingredient behind all of our food. For every calorie that ends up on our plates, around 10 calories of fossil fuels are used. From the diesel powering the tractors to the fertilizer in the field and plastic packaging, fossil fuels are the lifeblood of the food industry. Lees meer
What are the options to phase out fossil fuels in food and what are the powerful forces standing in the way? To find out, subscribe to Fuel to Fork.
This series is powered by TABLE, IPES-Food and Global Alliance for the Future of Food.
Learn more at https://fueltofork.com/
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What biodiversity do you care about?
10 oktober 2024 · 35 min
Are food systems allies or enemies in the fight to save biodiversity? With our planet facing a biodiversity crisis, the answer depends on who you ask and what forms of life we prioritize. We speak with farmers, biophysical modelers, and biologists to explore whether producing food and conserving biodiversity can be achieved at the same time. We also discuss how our diets impact biodiversity, whether farming without soil can be better for biodiversity at large, and what it would take to effectively "shrink" the food system. Lees meer
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/
episode71Guests
Anna Lappé, Global Alliance for the Future of Food
Els Hegger, Aardigh
Silvia Quarta, La Junquera Farm
Bernd Blossey, Assoc Prof at Cornell University
Adrian Müller, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL)
Episode edited by Ylva Carlqvist Warnborg and Matthew Kessler. Produced by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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Animal welfare and ethics (with Tamsin Blaxter)
5 september 2024 · 49 min
How do philosophers, animal welfare scientists, and farmers differ in their understanding of what a good future for farmed animals looks like? TABLE researcher Tamsin Blaxter discusses the complex relationships between humans and non-human animals and how these connections shape our food choices. We talk about who gets to speak with authority on these topics, the connections between scientific research and animal welfare regulations, and our own experiences with eating and not eating meat. Lees meer
Read TABLE explainer: Animal welfare and ethics in food and agriculture (2024)
Register/watch TABLE event Rethinking animals in agriculture: welfare, rights and the future of food (10 September 2024)
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/episode70
Guests
Tamsin Blaxter, Writer and researcher at TABLE, University of Oxford
Episode edited and produced by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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Valuing nature in our economies (with Adan Martinez Cruz)
22 augustus 2024 · 29 min
Environmental economist Adan L. Martinez-Cruz (Senior Lecturer at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences), argues that markets are a fundamental aspect of human society. He suggests that assigning a monetary value to natural resources can provide environmental benefits and create economic incentives to achieve them. In this episode, we discuss concept of non-market valuation, consider whether nature has inherent value, and examine whether markets are the best way to ensure fairness in the cost of food for both consumers and producers. Lees meer
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/episode69
Guests
Adan L. Martinez-Cruz, Environmental Economist at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Episode edited and produced by Matthew Kessler and Ylva Carlqvist Warnborg. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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There is no master metric for biodiversity (with Ville Lähde)
15 augustus 2024 · 40 min
Philosopher and environmental researcher Ville Lähde (with the Finnish BIOS Research Unit) argues that we need to understand biodiversity differently at a fundamental level in order to preserve it. Biodiversity loss is much more than the list of extinct and endangered species. In our conversation, we talk about the myriad food systems and their different relationships with biodiversity, what are the hidden costs of simplifying biodiversity, and why Ville feels closest to biodiversity when working with his compost pile. Lees meer
Read the Life Matters Everywhere essay
For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/episode68
Guests
Ville Lähde, Philosopher and environmental researcher at BIOS
Episode edited and produced by Matthew Kessler and Ylva Carlqvist Warnborg. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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Nature knows best: Naturalness in the Ultra-Processed Foods Debate
8 augustus 2024 · 54 min
The idea that more natural food – food which hasn’t been transformed by human and industrial intervention – is best for us is a powerful one. Psychologists have found a strong preference for that which is “natural”, even when people differ in what they understand that term to mean. But naturalness is a muddle – we are often signalled by advertising to see heavily manufactured foods as “natural”; the pioneers of cereal manufacturing were the greatest advocates of “natural” food in the early 20th century; and it’s rare that crops, which have been manipulated by human breeding over millennia, are seen as “unnatural”. Lees meer
If naturalness is a slippery idea, though, it is still undeniably compelling. At the moment, nowhere is the preference for naturalness when it comes to the food we eat more prevalent than in concerns expressed over ultra-processed foods (UPFs). But does the idea that naturalness is inherently best set up a misleading dichotomy between nature and technology that doesn’t serve the interests of a more sustainable and equitable food future? Does a narrow focus on processing itself misplace bigger questions of power and agency on the one hand, and unhelpfully dismiss scientific techniques on the other?
TABLE writer and researcher Hester van Hensbergen explores these questions in our latest explainer, Nature Knows Best? Naturalness in the Ultra-Processed Foods Debate. She reads it out loud for you on the podcast.
You can find the written explainer here.
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Presenting "Less And Better?: Ep 1: Its Complicated"
11 juli 2024 · 34 min
It feels like one of the biggest questions of our time: what do we do about meat? Rather than choosing either extreme – business as usual, or ruling out meat altogether – some people suggest the best approach is one of ‘less and better meat’. But how much less is ‘less’? And which meat is ‘better’? How do we even begin to answer these questions? Lees meer
"Less and Better?" is an eight-part podcast series co-hosted by Katie Revell and Olivia Oldham at Farmerama Radio. Listen to the rest of the series here or wherever you get your podcasts.
More info, resources and transcript can be found here.
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Women Scientists from Global South on Food Security (Part 3)
27 juni 2024 · 26 min
500 scientists from 60 countries gathered at the 5th Global Food Security Conference in Leuven, Belgium. Instead of saying, "you had to be there," we bring you voices and reflections from the conference. Host Matthew Kessler recorded dozens of interviews, asking experts what key messages they want to deliver to those with the power to change food systems, what are the economics of food systems transformation, and which solutions to make food systems more resilient deserve more attention. Lees meer
This is Part 3 of a 3-part series, featuring six of the seven women scientists from the Global South awarded the 2023 OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Awards. This year's focus was on Food security. This episode was made with the support from ‘shout it out’, an instrument of the Global Minds program.
For more info and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/episode65
Help nurture food debates and take TABLE's 2024 survey
Watch the video featuring the Award Winning scientists
Guests
Carla Fabiana Crespo Melgar, Researcher at Universidad Mayor de San Andrés
Eugenie Kayitesi, Prof at University of Pretoria
Yeyinou Laura Estelle Loko, Researcher at the National University for Science, Technology and Mathematic in the Republic of Benin
Munkhjargal Tserendorj, Researcher at Mongolian University of Life SciencesRenuka Attanayake, Prof at University of Kelaniya
Haneen Dwaib, Chairwoman of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics Department at Palestine Ahliya University
Conference Organizers
Elsevier
KU Leuven
Wageningen University and Research
TABLE
Episode edited and produced by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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Economics of Food System Transformation (Part 2)
13 juni 2024 · 40 min
500 scientists from 60 countries gathered at the 5th Global Food Security Conference in Leuven, Belgium. Instead of saying, "you had to be there," we bring you voices and reflections from the conference. Host Matthew Kessler recorded dozens of interviews, asking experts what key messages they want to deliver to those with the power to change food systems, what are the economics of food systems transformation, and which solutions to make food systems more resilient deserve more attention. Lees meer
This is Part 2 of a 3-part series, made with the support from ‘shout it out’, an instrument of the Global Minds program.
For more info and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/episode64
Subscribe to TABLE's newsletter Fodder
Guests
David Laborde, Director of the Agri-food Economics and Policy Division at FAO
Charlotte Janssens, Researcher at KU Leuven
Koen Deconinck, Economist in Trade and Agricultural Directorate at OECD
Steven Lord, Researcher at U Oxford
Purnima Menon, Sr Director for Food and Nutritional Policy at IFPRI
Ewout Frankema, Prof at Wageningen U
Conference Organizers
Elsevier
KU Leuven
Wageningen University and Research
TABLE
Episode edited and produced by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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Is Global Food Security a Solvable Puzzle? (Part 1)
30 mei 2024 · 33 min
500 scientists from 60 countries gathered at the 5th Global Food Security Conference in Leuven, Belgium. Instead of saying, "you had to be there," we bring you voices and reflections from the conference. Host Matthew Kessler recorded dozens of interviews, asking experts what key messages they want to deliver to those with the power to change food systems, what are the economics of food systems transformation, and which solutions to make food systems more resilient deserve more attention. Lees meer
This is Part 1 of a 3-part series, made with the support from ‘shout it out’, an instrument of the Global Minds program.
For more info and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/episode63
Subscribe to TABLE's newsletter Fodder
Guests
Martin van Ittersum, Conference co-chair, Professor at Wageningen University
Tessa Avermaete, Conference co-chair, Project Manager at KU Leuven
Ramya Ambikapathi, Scientific committee member, Senior Researcher at Cornell U
Gerard Govers, Programme committee mebmer, Vice-rector of Science, Engineering and Technology and Vice-rector of Sustainability at KU Leuven
Joanna Trewern, Conference Keynote, Director of Partnerships and Institutional Engagement at Pro Veg International
Maitre d’hotel at Coeur Catering, responsible for food served at the conference
Conference Organizers
Elsevier
KU Leuven
Wageningen University and Research
TABLE
Episode edited and produced by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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Is cultivated "meat" unnatural? Is meat today natural? (with Cor van der Weele)
9 mei 2024 · 36 min
While many wonder about the technological hurdles preventing cultivated meat from entering commercial markets, fewer ask a more basic question: will people actually eat it, or will they find it too unnatural? In this episode, we're joined by Cor van der Weele, emeritus professor in philosophy from Wageningen University, who has had a front-row seat to the past 15 years of shifting perceptions of this technology. We'll dive into how a philosopher thinks about “naturalness”, what are the public concerns and the idealistic visions of a cultivated meat future, and why mixed feelings about this innovation could be a healthy sign of progress. Lees meer
For more info and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/episode62
Guests
Cor van der Weele, Professor Emeritus Endowed Chair at Wageningen University.
Episode edited and produced by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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Does CRISPR make our food unnatural? (with Lauren Crossland-Marr)
2 mei 2024 · 30 min
If more and more gene-edited foods become common on our plates, is that a sign of a promising or worrying food future? With Dr. Lauren Crossland-Marr, food anthropologist and host of the podcast A CRISPR Bite, we unpack whether it’s fair to call CRISPR a natural way of "speeding up the breeding" process, whether technological innovations such as gene editing are addressing root causes of food systems challenges, and if there’s space for middle ground on such a polarizing issue. Lees meer
For more info and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/episode61
Guests
Lauren Crossland-Marr, Assistant Professor at the University of La Verne
Resources
First Fruit by Belinda Martineau
Channa Prakash on GMs, Golden Rice and the Green Revolution
Episode edited and produced by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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What's a natural diet? (with Richard Tellström)
25 april 2024 · 19 min
What influences the meals we enjoy today? Meal historian and cultural researcher Richard Tellström from Stockholm University suggests that the surrounding natural environments and ecosystems only play a minimal role. Instead, he argues that our choices are primarily shaped by cultural, political and economic forces. This episode dives into the dramatic shifts in Swedish diets over the past century, highlighting how changes such as new food preservation methods in the 1970s, Sweden's entry into the European Union in the 1990s, and shifting cultural trends throughout have redefined what's fashionable, and therefore possible, to eat. Lees meer
This is the second installment of a two-part series, following our first episode with archaeological chemist Amy Styring who investigates what our ancestors ate during periods of significant societal transitions. Listen to Part 1.
For more info and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/episode60
Guests
Richard Tellström, Associate Professor at Stockholm University
Episode edited and produced by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.
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What's a natural diet? (with Amy Styring)
18 april 2024 · 26 min
Around 6000 years ago in Northwest Europe, our ancestors transitioned from hunter-gatherer societies to sedentary farming. How did their diets change during this time? The field of archaeological sciences and chemistry teamed up to shed new light on this question. Lees meer
In this episode, we ask Amy Styring, archaeological chemist at the University of Oxford, what's her take on a natural diet, whether we overestimate the role of meat in our past diets, and what lessons can we learn today if we have a better understanding of how people produced and ate food in the past?
This is the first of a two-part series. Next week we hear from a meal historian on the role culture plays in informing what we eat.
For more info and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/episode59
Guests
Amy Styring, Associate Professor at the University of Oxford
Episode edited and produced by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.