

509. Dan Barber And Jason Buechel On How Grocery Retail Can Support Sustainability, How Chefs And Farmers Can Imagine A More Sustainable Food Future.
Sep 22, 2025
Dan Barber, a chef and co-owner of Blue Hill, champions regenerative agriculture and flavorful farming, sharing the journey of creating innovative seeds. He emphasizes that sustainability and taste go hand in hand. Jason Buechel, CEO of Whole Foods Market, discusses how grocery retailers can foster sustainability through support for farmer transitions and reducing food waste. Both guests highlight the importance of collaboration in ensuring a resilient food system and call for actionable steps for a sustainable future.
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Flavor, Nutrition, And Ecology Are Aligned
- Flavor, nutrition, and ecological health align and reinforce one another rather than conflict.
- Selecting for industrial traits like yield often removes flavor and nutritional quality.
Chef Challenges A Breeder — Kogi Nut Breakthrough
- Dan describes challenging a squash breeder to breed for flavor and tasting the resulting breakthrough squash.
- That new butternut hybrid was initially rejected by distributors before gaining wide adoption.
Modern Breeding Can Democratize Flavorful Seed
- Modern breeders can rapidly improve heirloom genetics for flavor, yield, and disease resistance without GMOs.
- Investment in organic-tailored breeding is sparse despite clear agronomic and taste benefits.