Knowledge is power. In this series of podcasts, we talk to some of the leading researchers exploring the future of food. We also speak with university centers and institutes on how they are fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and spurring innovation.
University of Greenland
For millennia, the Inuit people have managed to survive off the land of Greenland, an extreme Arctic environment. Assistant Professor Aviaja Lyberth Hauptmann has been conducting a two-year postdoc on the Greenlandic Diet Revolution, which looks at the microbiomes of traditional Greenlandic foods, an almost exclusively animal-based diet. Aviaja’s work encompasses culture, climate change, nutrition, microbiology, biotech, big industry, and politics. Full of fascinating insights, this conversation will get you thinking about what health really means for humans and the planet and how the two can and can’t be connected. It’s also an important conversation to consider how vulnerable communities fit into our global climate solutions. See full show notes here.
Ellen MacArthur Foundation
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation was launched in 2010 to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. In 2019, they launched a food initiative focused on convening food brands, producers, retailers, governments, innovators, and waste managers to make the food systems of our cities sustainable, resilient, and more diverse. Emma Chow – the Project Lead for the Food Initiative – walks us through how they are doing this and why cities are major levers for change.
Parsons New School – DEFT Framework
Raz Godelnik is Assistant Professor of Strategic Design and Management at the Parsons School of Design New School where he is exploring new business models and design solutions. In this episode, we discuss the DEFT framework, which provides a model for designing and implementing climate solutions. Find show notes here.
Danish Technical University – FoodLab
Roberto Flore is the Manager of DTU FoodLab. Rolling Stone Magazine cited him as one of 25 innovators who are changing the world. As the former Head of R&D of the Nordic Food Lab, the open-source laboratory founded by Rene Redzepi of Restaurant Noma, Roberto’s career has focused on testing new food ideas in a real-world context. In this episode, we discuss how DTU FoodLab is sparking radical innovation by using food to build bridges between disciplines and address the grand global challenges. See full show notes here.
Baltic Studies Center
Dr. Mikelis Grivins is a senior researcher at the Baltic Studies Centre, a research institute focused on studying sustainable rural and regional development, agro-food systems, farming and innovations. We dive into Dr. Grivins work on alternative food networks, foraging, and wild foods across Europe. We also discuss similarities and differences between the Nordic and Baltic food systems. There’s lots of food for thought in this episode as we explore history, philosophy, regulation, black markets, and new perspectives. Find show notes here.
Stockholm Resilience Centre
In this episode, we address what we know from science when it comes to adopting diets that support a healthy, sustainable food system. My guest is Amanda Wood who is a researcher at the Stockholm Resilience Centre. Launched in 2007, the Centre’s vision is to advance a world where social-ecological systems are understood, governed and managed to not only enhance human well-being, but also enable the sustainable co-evolution of human civilizations with the biosphere. See show notes here.
Nordic Food Policy Lab
The Nordic Food Policy Lab was launched by the 5 prime ministers of the Nordic countries in 2017 to curate and share examples of Nordic food policy for health and sustainability. They do this through global partnerships and dialogues. Their goal is to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals through food policy. They also help other countries in achieving the goals. In this episode, Marie Persson provides an overview of what is happening within food policy across the Nordics. We also take a look at the COP25 UN climate negotiations from a Nordic angle and what a sustainable, healthy diet looks like.