E291: Pathway to Market is Complicated for Cell-Cultivated Protein

February 24, 2026

How can we meet the demand for meat as the global population grows? Today we are discussing cell-cultivated protein, a new meat production option that could compliment conventional livestock husbandry and seafood harvesting. Cell-cultivated protein is a real meat that is grown from animal cells. The production process involves taking cells from an animal, multiplying them in a nutrient rich medium, and forming muscle and fat tissues. Like any other food, cell-cultivated proteins are subject to US and state level regulations before they are made available to US consumers for purchase and consumption. Proponents of cell-cultivated proteins say it offers a slaughter free option for protein that may also reduce land use, produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce the harvesting impact on marine fisheries compared to traditional approaches. Food science for cell-cultivated protein is still evolving and the sector faces challenges such as scaling the technology for large scale production and achieving an affordable product for consumers. Questions remain around what to call these manufactured meats and how to accurately – and yet enticingly – label them for consumers.
Our guests today are Kate Consavage Stanley from Duke University and Katariina Koivusaari from North Carolina State University, both post-doctoral researchers with the Bezos Center for Sustainable Proteins at North Carolina State University. Kate and Katariina, together with our research team recently published an article examining policy activity across the United States titled Exploring the US Regulatory and Legislative Landscapes for Cell-cultivated Meat and Seafood in the journal Trends in Food Science and Technology.

Related podcasts: Agriculture & Tech | Alternative Proteins | Climate Change, Environment & Food | Fisheries & Food Policy |

 

E255: Reducing food waste: Less seafood wasted than thought in US

November 18, 2024

The U. S. is the largest importer of aquatic foods, which includes fresh and saltwater fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and aquatic plants served in restaurants and homes. A critical piece of this global market is the cold chain, keeping these foods chilled or frozen during storage and transport to market. With 44 percent of aquatic foods sold live or fresh globally, the percentage of fresh over frozen aquatic foods creates an extra logistical cold chain challenge. What’s more, most aquatic foods become, well, fishy from cold chain disruptions, which can cause perceived food safety concerns, potentially resulting in food getting tossed into the bin. Until recently, research to understand just how much aquatic food gets wasted or lost has been spotty. However, in a recent Nature Food article, researchers argue that aquatic food loss and waste in the United States is actually half of earlier estimates. And that’s good news that we’ll explore today. This interview is part of an ongoing exploration of food loss and waste.

Related podcasts: Agriculture & Tech | Climate Change, Environment & Food | Diet & Nutrition | Fisheries & Food Policy | Food Safety & Food Defense |

 

E248: Climate-smart strategies for small-scale fishing communities

September 26, 2024

Join host Norbert Wilson and co-host Kerilyn Schewel in the latest episode of the Leading Voices in Food podcast as they dive deep into the world of small-scale fisheries with two distinguished guests: Nicole Franz from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and John Virdin from Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability. Discover the significant role small-scale fisheries play in food security, economic development, and community livelihoods. Learn about the unique challenges these fisheries face, and how community-led climate adaptation alongside top-down national policies can help build resilience. This episode also highlights collaborative efforts between academia and organizations like FAO, painting a comprehensive picture of the state and future of small-scale fisheries.

Related podcasts: Agriculture & Tech | Climate Change, Environment & Food | Community & Economic Development | Fisheries & Food Policy | Food Insecurity | Food Policy | International Food & Ag Policy |

 

E133: Measuring Fish for Food & Nutrition Security – Improving Metrics to Advance Policy

July 8, 2021

Public Policy relies on strong data and measurements. So if you want to improve a development target like nutrition, you need to be able to measure that. But with fisheries and aquaculture, we often don’t have the metrics we need to make sound policy decisions. This podcast is a part of a series on fisheries and nutrition and a movement to bring fisheries into international food policy and programming.

Related podcasts: Diet & Nutrition | Fisheries & Food Policy |

 

E131: Fisheries Need Stronger Role in Food Policy and Food Security Planning

June 9, 2021

Fish is food, right? Well, it hasn’t always been treated that way in policy dialogues and development funding, according to a recent paper in AMBIO. Fisheries management practices and policies most often treat fish as a natural resource or a trade commodity, rather than an important contributor to food security. At the same time, food security policy and funding have focused primarily on agriculture instead of fish. This podcast is part of a series on fisheries and nutrition and a movement to bring fisheries into international food policy and programming.

Related podcasts: Climate Change, Environment & Food | Diet & Nutrition | Fisheries & Food Policy | Food Policy |

 

E107: Fish Need a Stronger Role in Global Food Security Planning

January 19, 2021

In a recently released January 2021 paper, scientists urge global policy makers and funders, to think of fish as a solution to food insecurity and malnutrition, not just as a natural resource, that provides income and livelihoods. The research team argues that fish can play a larger role in addressing global hunger and malnutrition, but fisheries governance would need to change. Welcome to the Leading Voices in Food podcast. Our guest today is lead author Abigail Bennett, an assistant professor of Global Inland Fisheries Ecology and Governance at Michigan State University.

Related podcasts: Diet & Nutrition | Fisheries & Food Policy | Food Policy | International Food & Ag Policy |

 

E102: Lyla June on Returning to Native American Agricultural Traditions

December 15, 2020

What if we cultivated our environment instead of intensive crop planting and animal farming, and in turn created an abundance of food to meet our needs? Is this what First Nations people did here in the Americas? This concept is the focus of doctoral research of today’s guest, Indigenous musician, scholar, and community organizer, Lyla June. June is an Indigenous woman of Dine (Navajo), Tsetsehestahese (Cheyenne) and European lineage. She’s pursuing a doctoral degree at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. And she’s fascinated by the intersection of Indigenous food systems and Indigenous land management.

Related podcasts: Advocacy & Food | Agriculture & Tech | Climate Change, Environment & Food | Equity, Race & Food Justice | First Nations Food Issues | Fisheries & Food Policy | Food Policy | History & Food |