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

Doing Good Through Food

Data driven insights and solutions to food waste - with Katy Franklin of ReFED

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

How to stop food being wasted in offices - with Alyson Parkes and Chiara Gianusso of The Food Waste Project

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

Getting food to vulnerable children while schools are closed - with Naomi Duncan of Chefs in Schools

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

Food, drink, hospitality and marketing during the shutdown - with Mark MCC of Supersonic Inc

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

Plant remedies backed by science - with HILMA founders Hilary Quartner, Nina Mullen and Lily Galef

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

Using food waste to make a resource negative cleaning product - with Amanda Weeks of Ambrosia

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

Food Waste vs Food Packaging... how to reduce the environmental impact of our food choices - with Dr Lilly Da Gama ("The Food Waste Doctor")

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

Reducing food waste and improving safety through inclusive design - with Solveiga Pakštaite of Mimica Labs

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

How to look and feel your best if you have very little spare time - with Serena Sabala of Whole Shift Wellness

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

Ending hunger worldwide by 2030 - with Paul Newnham

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

Stylish Sustainable Living - with Georgina Wilson-Powell

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

Change Please! How your morning coffee could change lives - with Cemal Ezel

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

Fighting food waste while improving food access – with Courtney Bell of Ungraded Produce

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

How Antibiotics Created Modern Agriculture and Changed the Way the World Eats - with Maryn McKenna

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

Why sustainable grocery stores are essential for a sustainable food system - with Peter Cooke of Manomet

This podcast is about how catering can be a force for good in the world. Hosted by Alex Coffin, the show's core themes are health, sustainability, education and community all viewed through the lense of catering and hospitality.Each episode, Alex talks with a different industry figure about what Doing Good Through Food means to them, what they see as the main challenges and opportunities facing the industry, how they got to where they are and the advice they would give to those just starting their careers.The show will open the eyes of young catering professionals to the opportunites around them, and provide the inspiration and motivation to make a positive difference. It may do the same for not-so-young caterers too!

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Doing Good Through Food

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