E191: Is today’s food waste a consequence of historical public policy?

December 14, 2022

Today’s podcast is part of a series on food waste. When farmers produce more of a product than people are willing to buy, or when the demand for a product falls unexpectedly, food is wasted. What role do agricultural policies and politics play in creating and perpetuating cycles of supply challenges? Our guest today is Dr. Garrett Graddy-Lovelace of American University. Garrett is an agricultural policy expert and she studies the problem of food gluts through the lens of social sciences, international affairs, history and analysis of USDA data.

Related podcasts: Agriculture & Tech | Food Industry Behavior & Marketing | Food Policy | Food Waste & Implications | International Food & Ag Policy |

 

E181: UK Stands Firm in Ruling Against Kellogg Cereals

September 21, 2022

In July, 2022 food giant Kellogg lost a court challenge of the United Kingdom’s high sugar cereal rule. The multinational food company had argued that the UK government’s inclusion of their serials among and I quote, less healthy foods is unfair because it doesn’t take into account the milk that is usually added to the cereals. The UK court dismissed the claim and is enforcing regulations, is limiting the promotion of foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar in UK supermarkets as part of their efforts to curb obesity. Here to speak with us today about the implications of this ruling is Anna Taylor, executive director of The Food Foundation in London.

Related podcasts: Advocacy & Food | Childhood Obesity | Diet & Nutrition | Food Industry Behavior & Marketing | Food Policy | Food, Psychology & Neuroscience | International Food & Ag Policy |

 

E169: Ending Childhood Malnutrition is Within our Grasp

June 1, 2022

So what percentage of the world’s children do you believe suffer from physical or mental stunting due to nutrition and food shortages? How lasting do you think these effects are and what can be done? Today’s guest is Sharman Russell, author of the new book, Within Our Grasp: Childhood Malnutrition Worldwide and the Revolution Taking Place to End It. Among the reviews for the book, The Sunday Times of London said “Every page holds a revelation.”

Related podcasts: Child Development & Nutrition | Childhood Obesity | Diet & Nutrition | Equity, Race & Food Justice | Food Insecurity | Food Policy | International Food & Ag Policy |

 

E161: New Movie “El Susto” Tackles the Tragedy of Sugary Drinks in Mexico

March 29, 2022

Consumption rates of sugared beverages in Mexico are extraordinary and take a very real toll on the health and well-being of the people who live there. Today’s guest tells that story in a film called “El Susto.” In response to the health crisis precipitated by soda consumption, the Mexican government passed a soda tax in 2014. While Mexico is one of more than 50 countries with such taxes, it is a place where the story has been told in the most detail, in a combination of scientific studies, press coverage, and now the film “El Susto.” This award winning film was created by documentary filmmaker, Karen Akins, who joins us today.

Related podcasts: Addiction & Food | Advocacy & Food | Food Policy | International Food & Ag Policy | Movies & Food | Soda Taxes | Weight Stigma |

 

E138: Inside the International Dietary Data Expansion Project

August 30, 2021

Researchers and policy makers in agriculture, food security and nutrition share a common need for accurate and timely information on the what, when, where, and why people eat and what they eat, of course, this is particularly true in low and middle income countries where the data infrastructure is less well developed. To put this challenge in perspective, in 2015 the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition reported that, and I quote “more than half of the countries in the world do not collect the statistics, which are needed to assess whether or not they are making progress toward their nutrition goals.” So today we’re talking with two researchers who are working to solve this very data challenge. Our guests are food policy and applied nutrition researcher, Jennifer Coates, Associate Professor at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition, Science, and Policy and senior researcher Winnie Bell. Jennifer and Winnie are leading development of the International Dietary Data Expansion Project

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

 

E126: Global Development Financing – What Can the Agriculture Sector Learn from Healthcare

April 22, 2021

If the world is ever going to end hunger, ensure food security and embrace sustainable agriculture practices, we’ve got to invest more in agriculture. Particularly, in developing countries. Now, governments and international organizations do invest in agriculture of course, but less than in healthcare, for example. And we wondered why? It turns out it’s not so much a question of why healthcare receives more funding, it’s how such funds are raised and distributed that makes a difference. In this podcast, we’re going to explore findings from our new report on agricultural development financing and highlight some innovative practices from healthcare sector that could be used to boost resources for agriculture in low and middle income countries. Our guests are global health policy professor Gavin Yamey of the Duke University Center for Policy Impacting Global Health and global health financing and policy expert, Marco Schaeferhoff of Open Consultants.

Related podcasts: Agriculture & Tech | Food Policy | International Food & Ag Policy | Philanthropy & Food Systems |

 

E117: Society’s Hunger Conundrum: Who is to blame, and who is responsible now?

February 25, 2021

Food and security, poses one of the most pressing development and human challenges in the world. This has been true for a very long time. And still there is a little social consensus on who ought to do what to solve the hunger problem. Today we’re talking with Dr. Michelle Jurkovich, Author of a new book entitled “Feeding The Hungry Advocacy and Blame in the Global Fight Against Hunger.” She argues that food is a critical economic and social right, and presents a toolkit of ideas for more effective rights advocacy. Dr. Jurkovich is a Political Scientist on the Faculty of the University of Massachusetts in Boston.

Related podcasts: Equity, Race & Food Justice | Food Insecurity | Food Policy | International Food & Ag Policy |

 

E109: The FABLE of International Sustainable Development

January 28, 2021

To meet the challenge of feeding the world’s growing population and safeguarding the planet’s land and resources in perpetuity, nations are going to have to work together like never before. Today’s guests are part of a 20 country research consortium, dubbed FABLE, which stands for Food, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Land-Use and Energy. Guests: environmental policy specialist, Jordan Poncet, who coordinates FABLE for the Sustainable Development Solutions Network and Justin Baker, Associate Professor and forest resource economist at North Carolina State University.

Related podcasts: Agriculture & Tech | Climate Change, Environment & Food | Food Policy | International Food & Ag Policy |

 

E108: Can we Trust Industry to Reformulate Food for Health?

January 26, 2021

When the food industry promises to police itself and pledges to improve nutrition in public health, can it be trusted to make meaningful change or must government mandate those changes? Our two guests today have done groundbreaking work to help address this very question. Dr. Jessica Fanzo, Professor of Global Food and Agricultural Policy and Ethics at Johns Hopkins University, and Dr. Jennifer Harris is Senior Research Advisor for Marketing Initiatives at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut.

Related podcasts: Advocacy & Food | Diet & Nutrition | Food Industry Behavior & Marketing | Food Policy | Food Safety & Food Defense | International Food & Ag Policy | Ultra-processed Food & Additives |

 

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 |