Episodes

  • Kate Krueger on Cultivating a Better Protein Supply

    Kate Krueger on Cultivating a Better Protein Supply
    Dec 14 2021
    Cultivated meat brings to mind different associations for everyone, but one thing is clear: it isn’t science fiction anymore. It’s here, it’s now. At the close of 2020, after a year ravaged by one of the worst zoonotic disease outbreaks we’ve ever seen, Singapore became the first country in the world to approve the commercial sale of cultivated chicken bites. But we still have a long way to go when it comes to increasing investment in R&D and driving down the cost of producing cultivated meat. Luckily, competitions like the XPRIZE Feed the Next Billion are designed to do exactly that. If you’ve been listening to previous episodes, you will recall that the prize offers $15 million to finalists who come up with innovative solutions to combat challenges within the smart protein ecosystem..To go a step beyond and understand what exactly we need from a technological standpoint when it comes to building a viable future for cultivated meat, our host, Varun Deshpande, sits down with Dr. Kate Krueger. The founder of Helikon Consulting and a technical expert for XPRIZE, Kate tells us about her pioneering work around advancing cellular agriculture, making smart protein accessible — particularly in the developing world — and her hopes for the impact that the XPRIZE’s diverse participants can have on our food systems. Resources for further reading:XPRIZE Feed the Next Billion and the competition’s semifinalists(https://www.xprize.org/prizes/feedthenextbillion)(https://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Article/2021/07/14/XPRIZE-unveils-semi-finalists-in-15m-global-Feed-the-Next-Billion-competition)Eat Just’s mission to serve up cultivated chicken in Singapore (https://thespoon.tech/eat-just-makes-the-worlds-first-sale-of-cultured-meat/)The science behind cultivated meat and the impact it has on the environment(https://gfi.org/science/the-science-of-cultivated-meat/#:~:text=Cultivated%20meat%2C%20also%20known%20as,and%20farm%20animals%20for%20food.)(https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/cultivated-meat-has-92-lower-climate-impact-will-reach-price-parity-by-2030-says-new-research/)McKinsey’s report on cultivated meat, highlighting consumer insights and industry concerns(https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/agriculture/our-insights/cultivated-meat-out-of-the-lab-into-the-frying-pan)Follow Kate:Twitter: twitter.com/KateKruegerPhDLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ktkruegerYou can connect with Varun Deshpande:LinkedIn | TwitterFind GFI on Social Media:Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTubeYou can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: IVM Podcasts - Apps on Google Play or iOS: ‎IVM Podcasts, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featuredSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    41 mins
  • Bernhard Kowatsch on Transformative Food Innovation

    Bernhard Kowatsch on Transformative Food Innovation
    Dec 14 2021
    When we think of the future of food, transformative technology, or game-changing innovations, we assume that advancements will arise out of traditional tech hubs in the Global North. This isn’t necessarily true. The Global South holds tremendous potential and competitions like the XPRIZE Feed the Next Billion — discussed in the previous episode — are proving exactly that. With multiple semi-finalists from APAC and South Asia, it’s clear that innovative solutions can come from anyone, anywhere.. In this episode of Feeding 10 Billion, we’re joined by Bernhard Kowatsch, who champions this notion through his work at the Innovation Accelerator at the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). As head of the accelerator, Bernhard is on a mission to identify, support, and scale startups working towards eradicating hunger and his work is closely aligned with our Mission for Smart Protein. Join our host, Varun Deshpande, and listen to Bernhard deftly join the dots between climate change, poverty, hunger, and nutrition.Resources for further reading:The World Food Programme’s Nobel Peace Prize: What does hunger have to do with peace?(https://www.wfp.org/nobel-laureate#:~:text=This%20year%2C%20WFP%20was%20awarded,as%20a%20weapon%20of%20war%22.)XPRIZE Feed the Next Billion and the competition’s semifinalists(https://www.xprize.org/prizes/feedthenextbillion)(https://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Article/2021/07/14/XPRIZE-unveils-semi-finalists-in-15m-global-Feed-the-Next-Billion-competition)The importance of innovation in fighting world hunger (https://innovation.wfp.org/blog/forbes-how-innovation-helping-fight-global-hunger)How innovation can emerge from resource-constrained markets(https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/21420357/kenya-mobile-banking-unbanked-cellphone-money)How smart protein can create leapfrog economics(https://www.forbes.com/sites/charlesrtaylor/2019/08/29/one-womans-quest-to-help-africa-leapfrog-to-plant-based-foods/?sh=622b67634fc4)Find Bernard on Social Media:Twitter: twitter.com/bkowatschLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bernhardkowatschInstagram: instagram.com/bernhardkowatschYou can connect with Varun Deshpande:LinkedIn | TwitterFind GFI on Social Media:Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTubeYou can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: IVM Podcasts - Apps on Google Play or iOS: ‎IVM Podcasts, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featuredSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    40 mins
  • Lisa Sweet on Future-Proofing Food Systems

    Lisa Sweet on Future-Proofing Food Systems
    Dec 14 2021
    We have a long way to go when it comes to fixing our food systems. That’s why challenges like the XPRIZE Feed the Next Billion competition exist. With a $15 million prize — and the chance to safeguard planetary health — on the table, the competition’s innovative solutions are aimed at meeting the growing global demand for protein in a just, sustainable way.

    And this episode’s guest, Lisa Sweet, is a driving force behind the challenge, paving the way for the future of food. In conversation with our host, Varun Deshpande, Lisa lays out what it will take to feed 10 billion and how we can get this right.

    While there are no silver bullets when it comes to solving our public health crises, environmental degradation, and climate change, Lisa emphasizes the immense potential that smart protein holds. Listen in to learn about how diversifying our protein supply can impact livelihoods, health, environment, and more.

    Resources for further reading:XPRIZE Feed the Next Billion, and the competition’s semifinalists(https://www.xprize.org/prizes/feedthenextbillion)

    (https://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Article/2021/07/14/XPRIZE-unveils-semi-finalists-in-15m-global-Feed-the-Next-Billion-competition)

    The Great Reset and insights on building back better with smart protein(https://www.weforum.org/great-reset/)

    (https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6680172874264920064/)

    World Economic Forum’s Meat: The Future report, highlighting smart protein (http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_White_Paper_Roadmap_Protein.pdf)

    Market momentum in smart protein, covered by BCG and Bloomberg(https://www.bcg.com/en-in/press/23march2021-alternative-protein-market-reach-290-billion-by-2035)

    (https://www.bloomberg.com/company/press/plant-based-foods-market-to-hit-162-billion-in-next-decade-projects-bloomberg-intelligence/#:~:text=New%20York%2C%20August%2011%2C%202021,by%20Bloomberg%20Intelligence%20(BI))

    A public health and food systems perspective on plant-based and cultivated meat(https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2020.00134/full)

    Find Lisa on LinkedIn
    (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-sweet-074b284/)

    You can connect with Varun Deshpande:

    LinkedIn | Twitter

    Find GFI on Social Media:

    Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube

    You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: IVM Podcasts - Apps on Google Play or iOS: ‎IVM Podcasts, or any other podcast app.

    You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featured

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    47 mins
  • Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh on Re-Imagine-ing Our Relationship with Meat

    Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh on Re-Imagine-ing Our Relationship with Meat
    Dec 14 2021
    You know them from all your favorite Bollywood movies, but Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh’s latest venture is part of a different world altogether: the smart protein ecosystem. Over the last few years, the Bollywood-superstars-slash-entrepreneurs have been working with GFI India to cook up something big. Their startup — Imagine Meats — is set to change the way we eat. They, along with the host of Indian smart protein companies that have been cropping up recently, are bringing alternatives to animal protein to market, tailor-made for the Indian palate. In this lightning episode of Season 2.5, Riteish, Genelia, and our host Varun Deshpande delve into India’s meat eating habits, chat about serving up plant-based meat with an Indian spin on it, and discuss how the smart protein ecosystem can support local flavors, farmers, and food supply.Riteish and Genelia also share their own experiences with making the switch to a plant-based diet, their cravings for ‘meat on a Mangalvar’, and their appreciation for the diversity found within India’s food and culture. Tune in to catch the conversation! Resources for further reading:Building the plant-based meat category in India with a splash:Coverage by the Indian Express on Imagine Meats (https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/food-wine/genelia-and-riteish-deshmukh-announce-plans-to-launch-plant-based-meat-products-6514952/)A Twitter thread explaining the importance of big-splash category creation((https://twitter.com/varund7/status/1363528357665673216))Coverage by the Indian Express on Domino’s India launching their own plant-based meat pizza (https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/food-wine/would-you-like-a-slice-of-vegetarian-chicken-pizza-7116625/)Sustainability implications of plant-based meat, collating international data of launched companies globally, from The Good Food Institute(https://gfi.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GFI-Plant-Based-Meat-Fact-Sheet_Environmental-Comparison.pdf)Indian consumers’ receptivity to smart protein, from Penn State University and The Good Food Institute India(https://agfundernews.com/no-market-for-meat-alternatives-in-veggie-india-think-again-study-says.html)(https://gfi.org.in/new-study-highlights-plant-based-and-cultivated-meat-acceptance-in-the-u-s-china-and-india/)Follow Ritesh & Geneila:Twitter: twitter.com/riteishd & twitter.com/geneliadInstagram: instagram.com/riteishd & instagram.com/geneliad You can connect with Varun Deshpande:LinkedIn | TwitterFind GFI on Social Media:Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTubeYou can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: IVM Podcasts - Apps on Google Play or iOS: ‎IVM Podcasts, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featuredSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    19 mins
  • Indra Nooyi on Smart Protein’s Breakout Moment

    Indra Nooyi on Smart Protein’s Breakout Moment
    Dec 14 2021
    Indra Nooyi needs no introduction. But what does she think about smart protein? If you’re following along, you know that by investing in plant-based, fermentation-derived, and cultivated alternatives to animal-sourced meat, eggs, seafood, and dairy products — what we call smart protein — we stand a chance to vastly transform the future of food for the better. And Indra agrees with us. In this first episode of Season 2.5, The Good Food Institute’s Varun Deshpande sits down with Indra Nooyi as they put their heads together to deliberate the massive benefits that smart protein brings to personal and planetary health. They discuss how we can improve our food supply, change our relationship with livestock, and prevent future pandemics. Indra also emphasizes the need for smart protein to be accessible, ubiquitous, and affordable. Tune in to listen about how she thinks we’ll get there, what her thoughts on conscious capitalism are, and who she thinks the champions of the future might be. Resources for further reading:Corporate partnerships in smart protein, emerging out of PepsiCo and Unilever(https://www.pepsico.com/news/press-release/pepsico-and-beyond-meat-establish-the-planet-partnership-llc-a-joint-venture-to-01262021)(https://www.unilever.com/news/press-releases/2021/unilever-steps-up-plant-based-protein-innovation-in-partnership-with-enough.html)Market momentum in smart protein, covered by BCG and Bloomberg(https://www.bcg.com/en-in/press/23march2021-alternative-protein-market-reach-290-billion-by-2035)(https://www.bloomberg.com/company/press/plant-based-foods-market-to-hit-162-billion-in-next-decade-projects-bloomberg-intelligence/#:~:text=New%20York%2C%20August%2011%2C%202021,by%20Bloomberg%20Intelligence%20(BI))Planetary health imperatives, covered by the World Economic Forum, Observer Research Foundation, The Lancet, and The Hindu(https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/01/how-can-we-produce-enough-protein-to-feed-10-billion-people)(https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/feeding-india-the-case-for-smart-protein/)(https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(19)30023-3/fulltext) (https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/embracing-alternative-protein/article31750635.ece)Follow Indra Nooyi onTwitter | LinkedIn | InstagramYou can connect with Varun Deshpande:LinkedIn | TwitterFind GFI on Social Media:Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTubeYou can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: IVM Podcasts - Apps on Google Play or iOS: ‎IVM Podcasts, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featuredSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    28 mins
  • Smart Protein’s Breakout Year?

    Smart Protein’s Breakout Year?
    Dec 14 2021

    Alongside transitioning our energy supply, transitioning to smart protein and away from animal-derived agriculture is the most important thing we can do to preserve our link with our heritage, and safeguard our future - put differently, to have our meat and our planet too. In the face of climate change brought on by excessive land, water, and energy use, a world scrambling for food security, and global health crises like antibiotic resistance and future pandemics, can we build back better? We’re here to discuss exactly that in Season 2.5 of Feeding 10 Billion.

    In this introductory episode, GFI India Managing Director Varun Deshpande and GFI India Communication Associate Ayesha Marfatia sit down to discuss the incredible growth the smart protein sector has seen over the last 18 months, even during the depths of a pandemic. They also lay out what this fast-paced, mini-season 2.5 has to hold - with episodes featuring Indra Nooyi, Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh, Lisa Sweet, Bernhard Kowatsch, and Kate Kruger.

    Resources for further learning:

    Explore GFI India’s resources

    (https://gfi-india.org/resources/)

    Watch videos from the Smart Protein Summit 2021 for a deep understanding of the business, science, and policy behind smart protein - and its impacts on public and planetary health.

    (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkUczvBheXjME7IRgvOKmUZBYJCFj0Xyw)

    You can connect with Varun Deshpande:

    LinkedIn | Twitter

    Find GFI on Social Media:

    Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube

    You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: IVM Podcasts - Apps on Google Play or iOS: ‎IVM Podcasts, or any other podcast app.

    You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featured

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    23 mins
  • S02 E10: Plagues, Pestilence, Smart Protein: Our Resilient Food Future

    S02 E10: Plagues, Pestilence, Smart Protein: Our Resilient Food Future
    Aug 25 2020
    In the final episode of Feeding 10 Billion Season 2, we contend with some of our enduring questions - what will humans eat in a world that is rapidly warming and exposed to the worst effects of climate change? And how do we preserve our links to tradition and the foods we love to eat in this new world? A dystopian future threatening those traditions is already rearing its head in a multitude of ways. Alternating extreme weather cycles like drought caused by water scarcity or floods caused by sudden storms are already stripping the soil of its ability to sustain us. While we stay in to fend off the worst pandemic our generation has seen, we’ve also witnessed biblical proportions of pestilence ravaging our crops. This year, parts of East Africa, Iran, and India witnessed their most disruptive locust swarms in decades, while the UK’s unprecedented weather reduced wheat yields to their lowest levels in 40 years, threatening to convert it from an exporter to a net importer. If we want to prioritise food security, we will need all the answers we can find - all technologies, communities, and platforms that can help us build a more resilient food supply. Today’s guest is an entrepreneur working on exactly the kind of foods that can enable us to reverse - or, at the very least, withstand - the ravages of climate change and public health crises. Thomas Jonas is CEO and cofounder of Nature’s Fynd, a company whose story is as fascinating as any science fiction you’ve ever read - it involves NASA, space exploration, and the world’s largest supervolcano. Nature’s Fynd has big plans for fueling the planet sustainably with complete protein from fungi - learn more on the season finale of F10B.NOTES:Companies Mentioned:Nature’s FyndBibliographyBiblical, on steroids, and across generations: The coming food and nutrition crash can be averted if we act now to counter the COVID-19 crisis, IFPRI BlogClimate crisis: Extreme weather means UK faces worst wheat yields in 40 years, farmers’ union says, IndependentBeyond vegan burgers: next-generation protein could come from air, methane, volcanic springs, ReutersDo These Tiny Organisms Hold the Key to Lab-Grown Food? BloombergFood Startup Takes Microbes From the Volcano to the Table, The Wall Street JournalNature's Fynd (formerly Sustainable Bioproducts) raises $80m to grow food from microbes, Food Navigator USANASA’s Small Investments in Small Businesses Pay Big Dividends, NASAFor Further Reading:Sustainable Bioproducts Makes Animal-Free Meat with Volcano Microorganisms, GFI BlogBeyond Plants: Using Fermentation, Fungi, Algae, and Bacteria to Create Novel Proteins and Ingredients, The Good Food Conference, 2019See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    51 mins
  • S02 E09: Building the Bio Revolution

    S02 E09: Building the Bio Revolution
    Aug 18 2020
    We tend to focus on the fact that in the year 2050 we will have to feed 10 billion human beings on this planet but we won’t be the only species we have to worry about. We are currently witnessing an unprecedented loss of biodiversity as climate change makes this planet inhospitable for all species. We need to find a way to feed not just ourselves but also ensure other species thrive on Earth without being too extractive from nature. It is clear that biotech is going to be key to this transformation, and will rule the world just as software did for the last few decades. And there are a few people building the future of food at the vanguard of this development.Our guest this week is one of the most prolific investors, and early stage funders of numerous biotech companies in the alternative protein space. Ryan Bethencourt is the CEO of Wild Earth that makes pet food from fermentation-based protein. He is also a partner at Babel Ventures, an early stage consumer biotech venture capital fund. As the co-founder, and CEO of incubators, and seed funds like IndieBio (an SOS Ventures backed accelerator, and early stage seed fund), Berkeley Bio Labs, a startup incubator, and sector builder, as well as the head of life sciences at the XPRIZE foundation, Ryan has funded well over a 100 companies. The list includes notable alternative protein companies like Shiok Meats, Memphis Meats, New Wave Foods, Clara Foods, Finless Foods as well as Mumbai’s plant-based egg company, Evo Foods. Ryan’s aim overlaps with ours at GFI India - we want to positively impact the lives of billions of people, and animals!NOTES:Companies Mentioned:Wild EarthIndieBioBabel VenturesBerkeley Bio LabsXPrize FoundationBibliography:Why Wild Earth Cofounder Ryan Bethencourt Is Applying The Science Of 'Vegan Biohacking' To Pet Food, Forbes.Eat For The Planet #71 - Ryan Bethencourt: Reinventing Pet Food and Building the Post-Animal Bio Economy, EFTP.This biotech startup is growing protein-rich vegan pet food in a lab, FastCompanyShiok Meats takes the cultured meat revolution to the seafood aisle with plans for cultured shrimp, TechCrunch.Tour the San Francisco lab that’s growing meat in a petri dish, CNBCA foodtech EVO-lution: this startup is set to disrupt India’s plant-based food market with its ‘clean’ egg substitute, YourStoryFor Further Reading:Ryan Bethencourt’s writing on Medium.Ryan’s videos on the Singularity University page.What does it take to create a conducive environment for scale-up of new protein companies? Future of Protein Summit, YouTube Channel.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    42 mins