Best TABLEdebates.org Podcasts (2024)

1
Presenting "Less And Better?: Ep 1: Its Complicated" 34:11

1d ago34:11

34:11

It feels like one of the biggest questions of our time: what do we do about meat? Rather than choosing either extreme – business as usual, or ruling out meat altogether – some people suggest the best approach is one of ‘less and better meat’. But how much less is ‘less’? And which meat is ‘better’? How do we even begin to answer these questions? "L…

1
Women Scientists from Global South on Food Security (Part 3) 25:53

13d ago25:53

25:53

500 scientists from 60 countries gathered at the 5th Global Food Security Conference in Leuven, Belgium. Instead of saying, "you had to be there," we bring you voices and reflections from the conference. Host Matthew Kessler recorded dozens of interviews, asking experts what key messages they want to deliver to those with the power to change food s…

1
Economics of Food System Transformation (Part 2) 40:20

27d ago40:20

40:20

500 scientists from 60 countries gathered at the 5th Global Food Security Conference in Leuven, Belgium. Instead of saying, "you had to be there," we bring you voices and reflections from the conference. Host Matthew Kessler recorded dozens of interviews, asking experts what key messages they want to deliver to those with the power to change food s…

1
Is Global Food Security a Solvable Puzzle? (Part 1) 32:40

1M ago32:40

32:40

500 scientists from 60 countries gathered at the 5th Global Food Security Conference in Leuven, Belgium. Instead of saying, "you had to be there," we bring you voices and reflections from the conference. Host Matthew Kessler recorded dozens of interviews, asking experts what key messages they want to deliver to those with the power to change food s…

1
Is cultivated "meat" unnatural? Is meat today natural? 36:03

2M ago36:03

36:03

While many wonder about the technological hurdles preventing cultivated meat from entering commercial markets, fewer ask a more basic question: will people actually eat it, or will they find it too unnatural? In this episode, we're joined by Cor van der Weele, emeritus professor in philosophy from Wageningen University, who has had a front-row seat…

1
Does CRISPR make our food unnatural? 29:38

2M ago29:38

29:38

If more and more gene-edited foods become common on our plates, is that a sign of a promising or worrying food future? With Dr. Lauren Crossland-Marr, food anthropologist and host of the podcast A CRISPR Bite, we unpack whether it’s fair to call CRISPR a natural way of "speeding up the breeding" process, whether technological innovations such as ge…

1
What's a natural diet? (with Richard Tellström) 18:43

3M ago18:43

18:43

What influences the meals we enjoy today? Meal historian and cultural researcher Richard Tellström from Stockholm University suggests that the surrounding natural environments and ecosystems only play a minimal role. Instead, he argues that our choices are primarily shaped by cultural, political and economic forces. This episode dives into the dram…

1
What's a natural diet? (with Amy Styring) 25:37

3M ago25:37

25:37

Around 6000 years ago in Northwest Europe, our ancestors transitioned from hunter-gatherer societies to sedentary farming. How did their diets change during this time? The field of archaeological sciences and chemistry teamed up to shed new light on this question. In this episode, we ask Amy Styring, archaeological chemist at the University of Oxfo…

1
Can we eat enough white-tailed deer to restore forest ecosystems? 31:08

3M ago31:08

31:08

Is it possible to eat enough white-tailed deer to keep their populations low enough to restore ecosystems? We posed this question to Bernd Blossey, professor at Cornell University who specializes in the management of invasive species and the restoration of disrupted ecological relationships. In this episode, we look at the history of white-tailed d…

1
Eating invasive crayfish - a solution to our ecological mess? 21:15

3M ago21:15

21:15

Are invasive species natural? If we introduced them, do we have some responsibility to manage them? What if we could reduce their numbers through the natural process of eating? In this episode, Jackie Turner (TABLE) joins crayfish trapper Bob Ring to see if we can eat our way out of one of the environmental problems we’ve created - the spread of in…

1
Grasshoppers - agricultural pest or sustainable food? 25:06

4M ago25:06

25:06

What if we shifted our perspective from seeing some animal species as a problem to seeing them as an abundant and tasty source of food? Over the next few episodes, we’ll hear three "problems" in three regions: grasshoppers as pests in Mexico, invasive crayfish in London and overpopulated white-tailed deer in the United States. With a rising trend f…

1
Should food systems be more natural? 44:05

4M ago44:05

44:05

“Is a microbe less natural than a cow?” This season we ask scientists, farmers, technologists and philosophers about how natural our food systems should be. In this age where industrial technology has profoundly transformed our eating habits and the landscapes around us, we explore whether we should let nature be our ultimate guide or fully lean in…

1
Sofia Wilhelmsson on pig transport and human-animal relations (rebroadcast) 31:52

4M ago31:52

31:52

Sofia Wilhelmsson researches a very specific and stressful time for farmed pigs: the loading and transport of pigs on their way to slaughter. She not only considers the welfare of the animals, but also the well-being of the pig transport drivers. In our conversation we chat about the relationships that humans have with animals; what food systems ac…

1
What is rewilding? (rebroadcast) 30:26

5M ago30:26

30:26

Imagine a world where nature reclaims its place in the landscape. What would that mean for food systems? Walter Fraanje joins Feed co-hosts to talk about his new publication, "Rewilding and its implications for agriculture" co-authored with Tara Garnett. The explainer introduces the concept of rewilding, compares different rewilding strategies acro…

1
Neena Prasad on the power of ultra-processed foods 41:32

6M ago41:32

41:32

People across the world are consuming more ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Will Latin American countries and elsewhere follow the path of the US and the UK, where over half of calories consumed now come from UPFs? Dr Neena Prasad, director of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Food Policy Program, joins us to talk about the power of and the power behind UPFs.…

1
Jessica Duncan on COP28 and who shapes food policy 54:43

7M ago54:43

54:43

Food systems are finally getting more attention at global climate conversations. But who is at the table shaping our food futures? We caught up with Jessica Duncan, Associate Professor on the Politics of Food Systems Transformations at Wageningen University, to hear her thoughts and concerns about COP 28. Then we re-air our conversation with Jessic…

1
Presenting A CRISPR Bite: Wine 23:47

8M ago23:47

23:47

Is CRISPR the solution to controlling the pest plaguing California’s wine industry? In this episode of A CRISPR Bite, we take you to a lab where researchers are using CRISPR technology to genetically modify a frightening insect called the Glassy-winged sharpshooter responsible for spreading a bacteria and killing vines. CRISPR bites is five-part po…

1
9. Will you join the insect revolution? 27:33

9M ago27:33

27:33

There are over 2,000 types of insects that people eat across the world. Some of these species could have the potential to be cultivated at scale using less land, less water, and fewer greenhouse gas emissions while supplying a nutritious protein source to many. But what does scaling insect production look like, and will people actually eat them? In…

1
Will you join the insect revolution? 27:33

9M ago27:33

27:33

There are over 2,000 types of insects that people eat across the world. Some of these species could have the potential to be cultivated at scale using less land, less water, and fewer greenhouse gas emissions while supplying a nutritious protein source to many. But what does scaling insect production look like, and will people actually eat them? In…

1
Narrowing the yield gap in Sub-Saharan Africa 39:29

9M ago39:29

39:29

The yield gap refers to the difference between the potential agricultural yield that could be achieved under ideal conditions and the actual yield that farmers harvest. In sub-Saharan Africa, the yield gap is in some cases 80% meaning that farmers have the potential to double, triple or even quadruple their harvests. The causes of the yield gap are…

1
Presenting M4F: Ep8. Looking back, looking forward 36:44

10M ago36:44

36:44

Presenting the Meat: the four futures series final episode. -- Over the last few months, we explored what the future of meat and livestock could look like. We’ve talked about how our values, ethics and where we live in the world can impact our desired futures for meat. And we did a deep dive into four potential futures - efficient meat, alternative…

1
Presenting M4F: Ep7. Health, biodiversity, animal ethics 53:57

10M ago53:57

53:57

We continue featuring the Meat: the four futures series with episode 7. -- We've heard four distinct visions for the future of meat and livestock. But realistically, won't they all play a role? As we wrap up the series in the next two episodes, we’re going to review what’s in conflict between the four futures and how parts of them might co-exist. I…

1
Presenting M4F: Ep6. Plant based 1:18:31

11M ago1:18:31

1:18:31

We continue featuring the Meat: the four futures series with our fourth and final exploration of four different futures for meat - Plant based no meat. -- Should we remove animals from agriculture and our diets altogether? What if all the land that produces animal feed now could instead produce human food--or be rewilded? Would this be a planet fri…

1
Presenting M4F: Ep5. Less meat 1:09:45

11M ago1:09:45

1:09:45

We continue featuring the Meat: the four futures series with our third exploration of four different futures for meat - Less meat. -- What if we had a more compassionate approach to farming animals, where we raised and ate fewer animals - and so meat cost more? We speak with farmers, researchers and campaigners who don’t see farmed animals only as …

1
Presenting M4F: Ep4. Alternative "meat" 56:35

12M ago56:35

56:35

We continue featuring the Meat: the four futures series with our second exploration of four different futures for meat - Alternative "meat". -- What do some entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, animal activists, and environmentalists have in common? They each envision a future where meat alternatives can tackle the environmental impacts and animal s…

1
8. Looking back, looking forward 35:37

12M ago35:37

35:37

Over the last few months, we explored what the future of meat and livestock could look like. We’ve talked about how our values, ethics and where we live in the world can impact our desired futures for meat. And we did a deep dive into four potential futures - efficient meat, alternative “meat”, less meat and no meat. To wrap up the series, we hear …

1
Presenting M4F: Ep3. Efficient meat 53:29

12M ago53:29

53:29

We continue featuring the Meat: the four futures series with our first exploration of four different futures for meat - Efficient meat 2.0. -- Today we farm and eat meat at a scale not matched in human history. We raise 80 billion animals a year for food at a really low cost to the consumer. Here we look at how technology, research, and innovation …

1
Presenting M4F: Ep2. A complicated relationship with meat 41:55

1y ago41:55

41:55

Today we are presenting the second episode in the Meat: the four futures series. What are your first thoughts when you see a piece of steak on a plate or a big pot of chicken soup - healthy meal? piece of animal flesh? comfort food? In this episode we explore how our values, ethics and where we live impacts our relationship with meat and livestock.…

1
7. Health, biodiversity, animal ethics 53:13

1y ago53:13

53:13

We've heard four distinct visions for the future of meat and livestock. But realistically, won't they all play a role? As we wrap up the series in the next two episodes, we’re going to review what’s in conflict between the four futures and how parts of them might co-exist. In this episode we ask three experts to consider different arguments present…

1
6. Plant-based - Planet friendly or unnatural? 1:18:05

1y ago1:18:05

1:18:05

Should we remove animals from agriculture and our diets altogether? What if all the land that produces animal feed now could instead produce human food--or be rewilded? Would this be a planet friendly future--or impoverished and unnatural? In this fourth and final scenario: the plant-based no meat future, we explore the motivations, the evidence an…

1
5. Less meat - Win, win, win or elitist? 1:09:13

1y ago1:09:13

1:09:13

What if we had a more compassionate approach to farming animals, where we raised and ate fewer animals - and so meat cost more? We speak with farmers, researchers and campaigners who don’t see farmed animals only as producers of meat and milk, but instead highlight their ability to manage landscapes and to recycle waste and nutrients. They cannot i…

1
4. Alternative 'meat' - Utopia or dystopia? 56:08

1y ago56:08

56:08

What do some entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, animal activists, and environmentalists have in common? They each envision a future where meat alternatives can tackle the environmental impacts and animal suffering caused by global livestock production. But in this futuristic vision of replacing livestock with plant-based substitutes and cultivatin…

1
Presenting M4F: Ep1. Meat the four futures 33:20

1y ago33:20

33:20

Here we present the first episode of a podcast that Feed co-host Matthew Kessler has been creating with TABLE and the SLU Future Food over the last year: Meat the four futures Food has this incredible ability to bring people together. But it can also divide us. And how can it not? The same foods that some find so nutritious, that give us such a str…

1
3. Efficient meat - Problem or solution? 52:54

1y ago52:54

52:54

Today we farm and eat meat at a scale not matched in human history. We raise 80 billion animals a year for food at a really low cost to the consumer. Here we look at how technology, research, and innovation have made animal agriculture much more efficient. Do you see efficiency improvements in animal agriculture as essential for feeding a growing p…

1
2. A complicated relationship with meat 41:06

1y ago41:06

41:06

What are your first thoughts when you see a piece of steak on a plate or a big pot of chicken soup - healthy meal? piece of animal flesh? comfort food? In this episode we explore how our values, ethics and where we live impacts our relationship with meat and livestock. We dig into the history of the diet humans evolved to eat, visit Burkina Faso an…

1
1. Meat the four futures 31:56

1y ago31:56

31:56

Food has this incredible ability to bring people together. But it can also divide us. And how can it not? The same foods that some find so nutritious, that give us such a strong sense of who we are - are also believed by others to be at the center of so many existential concerns - global malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and inequali…

1
What did we learn about power? (with Tara Garnett and Sigrid Wertheim-Heck) 49:59

1+ y ago49:59

49:59

For our last episode of the second season of Feed, we speak with TABLE director Tara Garnett of the University of Oxford, and TABLE strategic director Sigrid Wertheim-Heck of Wageningen University to reflect on our past 15 episodes. We talk about what surprised us, what we learned, and what we missed across the season. Our wide ranging conversation…

1
Food in prisons (with Lucy Vincent and Linda Kjær Minke) 1:05:23

1+ y ago1:05:23

1:05:23

As this season on power in the food system comes to a close, we wanted to focus on how food is consumed in institutions - places where people typically have less agency over their own food choices. In this episode we’re focusing on food in prisons in the United Kingdom and Denmark. We're joined by Lucy Vincent, Chief Executive and Founder of the ch…

1
Ken Giller on the Food Security Conundrum (rebroadcast) 35:04

1+ y ago35:04

35:04

Why does agricultural research often fall short of addressing food insecurity challenges in sub-Saharan Africa? In this conversation with Ken Giller, we explore this wicked problem from a systems perspective examining the diverse drivers and experiences of smallholder farmers and the socio-ecological systems in which they are embedded. Ken provides…

1
Philip McMichael on the "Corporate Food Regime" 51:28

1+ y ago51:28

51:28

What is the corporate food regime? And are we still living in it? We put these questions to our guest Phliip McMichael, emeritus professor at Cornell University who, alongside Harriet Friedman, coined the term Food Regime in 1989. In our conversation we talk about how a historical sociologist thinks about power, what voices were included and exclud…

1
Jason Clay on "Building and flying the plane as we go" 48:32

1+ y ago48:32

48:32

Jason Clay is the Executive Director of the Markets Institute at World Wildlife Fund. He comes with decades of unique experiences and a big picture view of global food systems. In our conversation we ask him how power needs to be shifted to transform the food system, what the future looks like for small farmers, and whether we should be intensifyin…

1
Sofia Wilhelmsson on "Pig transport and human-animal relations" 36:18

1+ y ago36:18

36:18

Sofia Wilhelmmson recently completed her PhD from in 2022 from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in the department of Animal Environment and Health. She researches a particular and especially stressful time for farmed pigs: the loading and transport of pigs on their way to slaughter. She not only considers the welfare of the animals, …

1
Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin on "the power of regenerative movements" 36:44

1+ y ago36:44

36:44

Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin is the founder and director the Regenerative Agriculture Alliance. He moved to the US from Guatemala in the 1990s. In our conversation we talk about the power of movements, why small-scale farmers in the United States are rarely successful, and the difference between ‘feeding’ the indigenous mindset versus the colonizer …

1
Jeremy Brice on "Investment, Power and Protein in sub-Saharan Africa" 49:17

1+ y ago49:17

49:17

Who is investing in the food system and what are they investing in? What should the future of food, specifically protein, look like in sub-Saharan Africa? These are questions that Jeremy Brice explores in his new report: Investment, Power and Protein in sub-Saharan Africa. They are also highly relevant to the food and climate discussions happening …

1
Blain Snipstal on "Battling plantation agriculture today" 48:38

1+ y ago48:38

48:38

Blain Snipstal, former youth advocate for La Via Campesina, has thought a lot about power. We talk about how Blain sees the legacy of the plantation model of agriculture still lingering today; how the dialogues and exchanges between peasant farmers can uncover a deep analysis of the food system; and he shares from his many experiences as a farmer, …

1
Vincent Ricciardi on Challenging Assumptions (rebroadcast) 41:37

1+ y ago41:37

41:37

In our discussion, data scientist Vincent "Vinny" Ricciardi challenges the assumptions and evidence that are built into food systems debates. We talk about a few of the recent papers that Vinny co-authored, including one that asks how much of the world’s food supply is produced by smallholder farmers, a 50-year meta-analysis that compares how do sm…

1
M4F: Trailer 3:03

2y ago3:03

3:03

Join us as we explore four VERY different visions for what the future of meat and livestock could look like: No meat, more meat, alternative 'meat', and less meat. For more info, visit: https://tabledebates.org/meatBy Matthew Kessler

1
What is rewilding? (with Walter Fraanje) 30:20

2y ago30:20

30:20

TABLE staff member Walter Fraanje joins Feed co-hosts to talk about his new publication, "Rewilding and its implications for agriculture" co-authored with Tara Garnett. The explainer introduces the concept of rewilding, compares different rewilding strategies across the globe, explores their relationship with agriculture and unpacks some of the rel…

1
Giuliana Furci on "Without fungi we wouldn't have food" 41:24

2y ago41:24

41:24

This is not a typical conversation for Feed. We're still talking about food systems, and we're still talking about power, but we're focusing on the more-than-human world, specifically, mushrooms. Giuliana Furci, founder and executive director of the Fungi Foundation, joins us to talk about how fungi are as diverse as the animal and plant kingdom; w…

1
Joachim von Braun on an 'IP for Food' 40:59

2y ago40:59

40:59

Joachim von Braun, former Chair of the Scientific Group for the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, lays out the importance of an inclusive process and multi-disciplinary scientific collaboration to meet the calls for food system transformation. Dr von Braun joins us to talk about his experience as Chair, what he sees as the successes of the summit, and w…

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