The Next Big Idea A Food Crisis Is Brewing. Are We Ready?
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Oct 16, 2025 
In an eye-opening discussion, Sam Kass, former senior food policy advisor to President Obama and author of The Last Supper, dives deep into the looming food crisis. He highlights the shocking vulnerability of our food supply due to climate change affecting everything from almonds to chocolate. Cass argues that fixing our food system could unite us, emphasizing the need for culture-driven policy shifts. He shares insights on promising agricultural technologies like CRISPR and AI, while maintaining a cautious optimism about our ability to overcome these challenges.
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Last Supper Dinners In The White House
- Sam Kass cooked weekly dinners for the Obamas and designed menus highlighting ingredients threatened by climate change.
- He called these climate-vulnerable menus the "Last Supper," which inspired his book of the same name.
Family Dinners In The White House
- Sam described simple White House family dinners that created normalcy: one dish, a grain, and a vegetable at 6:30 pm.
- Obama made a point to leave global responsibilities at the door and be fully present at family meals.
Food System Built On Fragile Foundations
- Our modern food system depends on a stable climate and a tiny set of crops and animals for most calories.
- Climate volatility plus loss of soil and water creates extreme vulnerability because we have too few genetic and crop diversities.
