Hardly a month has gone by in the past two years without a large food or agriculture corporate announcing a pledge to go carbon neutral by some future date. Given the food and agriculture industries contribute over a third of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, these commitments are certainly welcome. But as we increasingly learn about the industry’s potential to be a solution to reversing climate change through carbon sequestering farming practices, the question quickly became: is carbon neutrality enough? Shouldn’t these corporates have higher goals and be targeting carbon removal from the ..read more

Plant-based meat and dairy alternatives may have exploded onto the food scene in recent years but the hype is catching up, consumer sales have been lackluster and investors are turning away. Questions have emerged about whether plant-based alternatives are the climate solution they claim to be, or an ethical choice throughout their supply chains. Are they even taking the right approach by aiming for replicas, or do we need new protein formats altogether? To tackle these questions and more we hosted a very special live show at New Hope Network’s Natural Products Expo West, with a panel includin ..read more

Regenerative agriculture has become a buzzword in the food world, but there is actually no formal definition of it. Broadly it means a set of practices that aim to improve land while cultivating crops and livestock, instead of depleting it like industrial practices often do. But it means so much more than that to many and is wider-ranging than its potential to sequester carbon from the atmosphere. In this episode, we explore philosophies of regeneration and ask our guests how they define regenerative agriculture, how we can make sure regenerative farms are actually doing what we need them to ..read more

There’s enormous potential for agriculture to help reverse climate change through its potential to sequester carbon from the atmosphere. But are we asking farmers too much? Already laden with debt and the pressure to produce more with less, how might we support already cash-strapped and stressed farmers in their transition to regenerative agriculture? Should it be their responsibility alone? In this episode, we continue our exploration of regenerative agriculture, its potential, and its challenges with Benedikt Bösel, Germany’s first regen ag Farmer of the Year and owner of Gut&Bösel; Jenn ..read more

Do we need to design a US food system without European influences? What can we learn from indigenous peoples to ensure food sovereignty and reverse our climate crisis?  This week, we discuss this and more with Oglala Lakota Sioux chef, entrepreneur, author, and speaker Sean Sherman. Sean is the founder of "The Sioux Chef," a catering company and food education business committed to revitalizing and reclaiming Native American cuisine. His main culinary focus has been on bringing indigenous food systems like land stewardship and wild food usage to a modern culinary context. His restaur ..read more

New frontiers in biotechnology and fermentation are being deployed to reduce the environmental impact of our animal-based food system. But do developments in cellular agriculture, fermentation, and biotech foods – for the creation of meat and dairy analogues – take ethics into account? In this week’s episode, we speak with four leading thinkers in the industry about how we might use biotechnology to engineer foods in a way where everyone wins. This week’s episode is the first of our Roundtable formats, featuring a diverse panel of voices, including: Isha Datar, executive director of New Harves ..read more

Regenerative has become a buzzword, with companies big and small making commitments to launch regenerative products. But what does regenerative product design actually look like? And how do we measure the impacts of product design and ingredient choices on people and our planet?  This week, we discuss this and more with Ethan Soloviev, farmer and chief innovation officer at HowGood, a food sustainability rating company. His work with international retailers and CPG brands combines on-the-ground agricultural expertise in 34 countries with sustainability-driven market insights. Ethan has de ..read more

The food and agriculture industries are major contributors to today’s social and environmental crises. Companies across all industries are being forced to rethink the way they do business, and food and agriculture are no exception. Businesses big and small want to do better and become more resilient, but how? In this episode, we take you on a journey through a few existing and emerging alternative business models that companies and farmers are exploring today that decentralize power, distribute value more equitably across all stakeholders, and aim to have a better impact on our planet.  T ..read more

Is exponential growth possible on a finite planet? How might we balance growth and profit with maximum social and ecological benefit? This is a huge topic that we’re just beginning to scratch the surface of. In today’s bonus finance episode, we share two differing viewpoints on growth from regenerative economics pioneer John Fullerton and venture capitalist Manuel Gonzalez.  We also include a discussion with Sara Eckhouse, executive director of Foodshot Global, about using Integrated Capital investment models that combine funding from multiple types of financial instruments to fund soluti ..read more

Happy Holidays from New Food Order!  This week we’re bringing you a holiday gift. So many of you have told us that you love our beautiful podcast theme music, so as a special treat we’re sharing the theme song in full with an added bonus interview with our composer, Rodrigo Barberá.  Rodrigo is a Mexico City-based pianist, musician, and composer, who has been composing music for film, television, and advertising for the past 30 years. We’re so honored to have collaborated with him to create the sound of this podcast. We hope you enjoy listening to this piece of music as much as we do ..read more