Feed: a food systems podcast

Mike Barry, a former retail sustainability director and co-founder of Planetary Alliance, discusses the urgent need for food system transformation. He argues for simplification, advocating for shorter supply chains and fewer choices to enhance sustainability. Barry highlights the potential of AI and digital twins to model changes, promote lower-impact shopping habits, and ensure ethical data use. He also emphasizes the importance of diverse brand models like Bold Bean Co. that prioritize both taste and equity, while stressing simplification shouldn’t mean consolidation.

Instead of tell people what to eat, what if we changed what food costs? With Jörgen Larsson (researcher from Chalmers University), we explore a cost-neutral tax reform, one that makes healthier and climate-friendly food cheaper without raising the overall grocery bill. We break down how it works, why it matters, and how to frame it in ways that avoid predictable backlash.For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/episode92Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.orgEpisode edited and hosted by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.

We invite you to a three course meal in 2050, where climate breakdown has reshaped what and how we eat. Each of the courses is designed to provoke questions about the future of food through taste, visuals, and a bit of discomfort. It’s a story about eating possible futures — and noticing which ones feel delicious, or unsettling. In this episode, we take you behind the scenes of how the meal came together. Bon appétit.For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/episode91Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.orgGuestsAnnie Faye Cheng, Cook, butcher and writerBryant Simon, History prof Temple UniversityLily Consuelo Saporta Tagiuri, Ecosystemic Designer and Eco-futuristEpisode hosted by Jack Thompson. Produced by Jack Thompson and Matthew Kessler. Edited and mixed by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.

Hunger on our Doorstep is a two part podcast about food poverty in the UK. It explores the issues and potential solutions through the eyes of three food campaigners with firsthand experience of food poverty in urban communities, as well as others working to tackle the problem. The often bleak picture of poverty, inequality and exclusion painted in episode one contrasts with inspiring stories of the solutions being put into practice across the country in episode two. This podcast is produced by TABLE with the support and contribution of the Food Foundation, a charity focused on changing food policy and business practice to ensure everyone, across the UK nations, can afford and access a healthy and sustainable diet. For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/episode90Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.orgGuestsRyan McShane, Food campaignerGlory Omoaka, Food activistDominic Watters, Estate2Plate founderJonathan Pauling, former CEO of Alexandra Rose CharityDr Effie Papargyropoulou, Researcher at Leeds UniversityAna María Narváez, Coordinator of 2025 The Broken Plate reportHostRichard Kipling, TABLERuth Mattock, TABLEEpisode edited and produced by Richard Kipling, Ruth Mattock and Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.

In this engaging discussion, Sarah Lake, CEO of Tilt Collective and expert in climate and food systems, explores how to reshape society's eating habits. She delves into the historical dominance of meat and ultra-processed foods and outlines Tilt's vision for making healthy, plant-based options more accessible. Sarah emphasizes the importance of strategic pressure on retailers and the government to promote better dietary choices. She also highlights effective communication strategies and parallels between food and tobacco reduction, urging a collective effort for change.

What do Yorkshire beaches, Sierra Leone’s new food strategy, and New York City school lunches have in common? For Corinna Hawkes, they all shaped her journey toward understanding how systems shape food. In this episode, we trace her path from a childhood fascination with shifting sands to her current role at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. Along the way, we ask: what does it actually mean to ‘take a systems approach’ to food? What type of leadership skills are needed to fix food systems today? And why do the best solutions sometimes require slowing down, not speeding up?For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/episode88Read the report: Transforming food and agriculture through a systems approach (FAO, 2025)Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.orgGuestCorinna Hawkes, Director of Agrifood Systems and Food Safety at FAOEpisode hosted, edited and produced by Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions.

"Hunger on our Doorstep" is a two part podcast about food poverty in the UK. It explores the issues and potential solutions through the eyes of three food campaigners with firsthand experience of food poverty in urban communities, as well as others working to tackle the problem. The often bleak picture of poverty, inequality and exclusion painted in episode one contrasts with inspiring stories of the solutions being put into practice across the country in episode two. This podcast is produced by TABLE  with the support and contribution of the Food Foundation, a charity focused on changing food policy and business practice to ensure everyone, across the UK nations, can afford and access a healthy and sustainable diet. For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/episode87Want to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.orgGuestsRyan McShane, Food campaignerGlory Omoaka, Food activistDominic Watters, Estate2Plate founderJonathan Pauling, CEO of Alexandra Rose CharityDr Effie Papargyropoulou, Researcher at Leeds UniversityAna María Narváez, Coordinator of 2025 The Broken Plate reportHostRichard Kipling, TABLERuth Mattock, TABLEEpisode edited and produced by Richard Kipling, Ruth Mattock and Matthew Kessler. Music by Blue dot sessions and Pixabay.

Why are we drawn to simple fixes for the complex challenge of feeding the world sustainably? Researchers Colin Sage (formerly Cork University) and Garrett Broad (Rowan University) unpack what we're calling "food solutionism"—the tendency to promote single, sweeping solutions, whether high-tech or agroecological, while ignoring context and complexity. They argue for "complicating the narrative early and often", so we can move beyond binary thinking and better understand the trade-offs, limits, and realities behind competing visions for the future of food.For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/episode86Read the The Blue Sky Thread that prompted this episodeWant to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.orgGuestsGarrett Broad, Rowan UniversityColin Sage, Cork UniversityHostJack Thompson, TABLEEpisode edited and produced by Matthew Kessler and Jack Thompson. Music by Blue dot sessions.

Why does Myanmar, often called the "rice bowl of Southeast Asia," continue to struggle with high rates of malnutrition? In this episode, journalist Thin Lei Win helps us unpack how political decisions, land ownership, and regional power dynamics shape food systems in Myanmar and beyond. We explore how issues like palm oil expansion and rice production connect to wider challenges around climate and biodiversity—and why lasting change remains difficult without addressing structural inequalities. Still, there are reasons for cautious optimism. Thin shares why she’s inspired by a new generation of journalists and activists working toward more just and sustainable food futures across Southeast Asia.For more info, transcript and resources, visit: https://tabledebates.org/podcast/episode85Check out and subcribe to Thin InkWant to share your reflections on the episode? Send us an email or voice memo to podcast@tabledebates.orgGuestThin Lei Win, Food and Climate JournalistHostJack Thompson, TABLEEpisode edited and produced by Matthew Kessler and Jack Thompson. Music by Blue dot sessions.

Michael Grunwald, an accomplished journalist and author of the upcoming book We Are Eating the Earth, tackles the urgent question of whether we can feed nearly 10 billion people without devastating the planet. He argues that while high-yield industrial agriculture has its flaws, it may be key to maximizing food production on limited land. Grunwald also explores the complex power dynamics of the food industry, the often-overlooked impact of meat consumption, and the need for sustainable farming solutions in addressing climate change.