The Circular Economy Show Podcast

Food for thought | How do we fix our broken food system?

Feb 11, 2025

Wendy Schmidt, President and Co-Founder of the Schmidt Family Foundation, focuses on philanthropy's vital role in food system innovation. Douglas McMaster, the Michelin-starred chef and owner of Silo, shares insights from participating in the Big Food Redesign Challenge, advocating for a rethink of our entire food production. Together, they discuss how to transform the food industry, enhance biodiversity, and design eco-friendly practices that regenerate nature rather than deplete it.

23:51

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Episode guests

Douglas McMaster

Wendy Schmidt

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Quick takeaways

The Big Food Redesign Challenge highlights the potential of innovative collaboration to create sustainable food products that enhance biodiversity and reduce waste.

Transforming consumer demand and promoting systemic change in the food industry can lead to significant shifts towards a more regenerative food economy.

Deep dives

The Big Food Redesign Challenge Overview

The Big Food Redesign Challenge, initiated 18 months ago, aims to align food production with circular economy principles to enhance biodiversity, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve health outcomes. The challenge successfully engaged 400 organizations, resulting in 141 innovative products being showcased at a prominent event in London. These products span a range of food items, from breakfast to dinner, and are set to be available in various markets, including the UK and Brazil. This initiative exemplifies how collaborative efforts can lead to substantial progress in transforming the food system.

Intro

2min

Revolutionizing Food for a Sustainable Future

3min

Revolutionizing Dining: The Zero Waste Restaurant Concept

3min

Transforming Waste into Umami: The Power of Koji Fermentation

3min

The Case for a Circular Food System

2min

Reforming the Food System: Hope and Innovation

11min

The food industry is one of the biggest drivers of biodiversity loss and accounts for a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. But what if food could be designed to regenerate nature rather than harming it?

That’s the vision behind the Big Food Redesign Challenge.

In this episode of The Circular Economy Show, our guest host Lucy Parker, Senior Partner and Sustainable Business Global Lead at Brunswick Group, explores how we can take learnings from the Challenge to create a food system that is better for people, nature and climate.

We hear from:

Jonquil Hackenberg, CEO of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, who shares insights about the Big Food Redesign Challenge and what it has helped achieve
Wendy Schmidt, President and Co-Founder of the Schmidt Family Foundation, who supported the Challenge, explores the power of philanthropy as a catalyst for innovation
Douglas McMaster, Michelin-starred chef and owner of the world’s first zero waste restaurant, Silo, who was a participant in the Challenge, tells us why it’s important to ask the question ‘what if we could do the whole thing differently?’

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review or a comment on Spotify or YouTube. Your support helps us to spread the word about the circular economy.

Learn more about the Big Food Redesign Challenge and explore products that keep nature in mind.

Find out more about the Challenge participants, or watch a video version of this episode, on our YouTube channel.

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The Circular Economy Show Podcast

Food for thought | How do we fix our broken food system?

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

The Big Food Redesign Challenge Overview

Waste and Opportunities in the Food System

Collaboration and Market Signals for Change

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts