Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg (by Food Tank)

On Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg, Dani speaks with Lisa Moon, President and CEO of The Global FoodBanking Network. They discuss the thriving grassroots network of food banks operating around the world, the large void left by foreign aid cuts, and the support that food banks offer communities as crises, from natural disasters to conflict, continue to increase.

Plus hear about the workforce reduction at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the most recent proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and new research that demonstrates the importance of traditional and indigenous African crops to...

Food Tank, in partnership with the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation, recently hosted a special series on “Food is Medicine and Eating for Health.” This webinar features conversations  from Part 2 of the event as panelists come together to discuss avenues to scale Food is Medicine programs at the state level, the importance of ensuring communities have access to culturally relevant foods, and why the best Food is Medicine programs serve eaters, farmers, and the planet.

Speakers include Katie Garfield, Harvard Law School’s Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation; Devon Klatell, The Rockefeller Foundation; Radha Muthiah, Capital Area Fo...

Food Tank, in partnership with the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation, recently hosted a special series on “Food is Medicine and Eating for Health.” This webinar features conversations from Part 1 of the event as panelists come together to discuss what it means to implement holistic approaches to improving access to healthy, nourishing foods; the empowerment of youth; and how we ensure that the opportunities presented by Food is Medicine aren’t wasted.

Speakers include Erika Allen, Urban Growers Collective; Dr. Kofi Essel, Elevance Health; Rachel Fisher, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Kathleen Merrigan, Swette Center for Su...

On Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg, Dani speaks with Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Managing Director of CGIAR, the world's largest global agricultural innovation network. They talk about the impact of global events on farmers, the hope that science brings and why it’s so  important to invest in research, and the technology that will make careers in agriculture more appealing to young people.

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On Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg, Dani speaks with Will Masters, a Professor in the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, with a secondary appointment in Tufts University's Department of Economics. They talk about U.S. tariffs on imported goods, how measuring the cost of a healthy diet can drive policy change, and the frustrating setback the world is seeing in efforts to advance global food and nutrition security. Plus hear about the recent remarks from the U.S., calling for a “back to basics” approach at the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, where funding for humanitarian aid...

On Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg, Dani speaks with Andy Jarvis, Director for the Future of Food at the Bezos Earth Fund. They discuss the kind of solutions emerging in response to today’s crises, the need to re-orient existing money to drive food and agriculture systems transformation, and Jarvis’ faith in human ingenuity. Plus, hear about author and nutritionist Marion Nestle’s on the Make America Healthy Again movement, the steps that one chef is taking to strengthen Indigenous foodways, and the growing uncertainty about the future of USDA and the agricultural communities they serve.

While you’re...

On Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg, Dani speaks with Kimber Lanning, Founder and CEO of Local First Arizona. They discuss the value of desert-friendly crops in a changing climate, the fear that many immigrant business leaders are living with, and the power that communities can build through place-based, local economies. Plus, hear about the limited U.S. response to the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 2,000 in Myanmar and the devastating effects that a reduction in aid from countries in the Global North will have on hunger and child mortality.

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On Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg, Dani speaks with Dr. Antony Chapoto, Executive Director of the African Network of Agricultural Policy Research Institutes (ANAPRI) Secretariat. They discuss the importance of localization and capacity building to improve food and agriculture systems across Africa, the effect that soil degradation has had on farmers’ productivity, and the importance of providing a pathway for young people to retain talent in Africa.

Plus, hear how farmers are responding to the U.S. government’s recent funding decisions, how Mexico is taking a stand against genetically modified corn to protect biodiversity and the coun...

On Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg, Dani speaks with Alissa Viera and Lindsay Williams of the Toledo, Ohio-based ice cream manufacturer Swanky Scoops. They discuss the grants that allow local economies to flourish, the impact that delays in the reimbursement of funds can have on small food businesses, and how federal grant freezes — even when temporary — can undermine trust.

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Food Tank, in partnership with Driscoll’s and Huston-Tillotson University and with the support of Organic Valley, recently hosted the “All Things Food” Summit at SXSW. This bonus episode of Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg features two conversations from the event.

First, Dani sits down for a fireside chat with Sam Acho, an author, humanitarian, ESPN analyst, a nine-year NFL veteran, and the Director of Human Capital at AWM Capital. They discuss how Acho worked with young entrepreneurs in Chicago to transform a liquor store into a food mart, the importance of letting the ego die to drive...

On Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg, Dani speaks with Kerstin Plehwe, President of the Physicians Association for Nutrition (PAN) International Foundation. They discuss why nutrition education for doctors is still lagging, the link between diet and mental health, and the efforts underway to make sure that hospitals are serving healthier, more climate-friendly food.

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On Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg, Dani speaks with Mark Lewis, a Managing Partner at Trailhead Capital. They discuss what ag-tech investors can learn from the renewable energy sector; collecting the proof to demonstrate the social, environmental, and economic benefits of regenerative farming; and why Lewis remains an “eternal optimist.”  

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On Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg, Dani speaks with author and historian Toni Tipton-Martin. They talk about what happens when any essential community is left out of the conversation, the stories embedded in recipes, and the value of empathy as they dive into the new cookbook “When Southern Women Cook.” Plus, learn how the foreign aid freeze is already impacting global hunger and public health, what’s happening with USDA funding, and the progress taking place to safeguard biodiversity and local knowledge.

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On this special episode of Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg, Dani and Patrick Holden sit down for a conversation about the future of food and farming systems. They talk about reckoning with the idea that business as usual is no longer working, the fragility of food systems, and the value of measuring—and finding solutions to address—the true cost of food.

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On Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg, Dani speaks with Gerardo Reyes Chavez, a key leader of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW). They discuss the abuses that many farm workers in the U.S. face, the development of the CIW’s Fair Food Program and its model of worker empowerment, and what recent attacks on immigrant communities could affect the farm workers who put food on our plates.

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On Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg, Dani speaks with Tom Philpott, a Senior Research Associate at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. They talk about the forces that have affected food and agriculture news coverage and opportunities to equip journalists with the training they need to cover this sector, what President Trump’s cabinet picks may mean for the future of food policy in the U.S., and why consolidation in the food system is an attack on democracy.

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Food Tank, in partnership with Nespresso, recently hosted the “All Things Food and Environment” Summit, held during Sundance 2025. This episode of Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg features two conversations from the event highlighting the inspiring stories of food systems transformation that can be told through film.

First, Chef Pierre Thiam, an author and the Founder of Yolélé, and Anne Marie Hagerty, the Host and Founder of The Envoy Show, sit down with Dani to discuss the forthcoming episode of a new docuseries focused on the power of fonio. They talk about the importance of scaling production of tra...

On Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg, Dani speaks with Jessica Padula, Vice President of Marketing and Head of Sustainability for Nespresso. They discuss the environmental and economic benefits of knowledge sharing between coffee farmers and agronomists, efforts to manage packaging waste and create a more circular economy, and initiatives that can help producers overcome challenges caused by natural disasters or political conflict to establish resilient coffee farms.

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On Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg, Dani speaks with Joel Salatin, a farmer and Co-owner of Polyface Farm about his hopes for the future of farming systems under the new Trump Vance Administration. They touch on regulatory and policy changes that Salatin believes can help entrepreneurs in the agri-food sector, the potential impact of mass deportations on producers, and the importance of regional processing for greater food systems resilience.

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On Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg, Dani speaks with Brita Lundberg, a fourth-generation
farmer and the Chief Storyteller at Lundberg Family Farms. They talk about what it means to
read the rice and care for the crops without chemically herbicides, how a holistic approach to
farming can heal soils while supporting wildlife, and the work Lundberg Family Farms is carrying
out to show that regenerative organic agriculture is possible to achieve at scale.

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Dani kicks off a new year of Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg by sitting down with Kim Severson, an award-winning national food correspondent for the New York Times, to talk about what to expect for food and agriculture systems in 2025. They discuss what’s happening to portion sizes in restaurants as GLP-1s like Ozempic become more popular; how the changing political landscape in the U.S. may impact everything from agricultural research to the future of journalism; and the foods and flavors that Severson expects to see more of, including why 2025 is the year of sauce.

Plus, a...

On Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg, Dani speaks with Dr. Bram Govaerts, the Director General
of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). They talk about the
information and other resources farmers need to grow resilient crops and support soil health,
what an additional climate shock will do to a fragile food and agricultural system like the one we
have today, and the ambitious goals that must be set to protect the world’s most vulnerable
communities.

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On “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg,” Dani speaks with Jose Mai, the Minister of Agriculture,
Food Security, and Enterprise for Belize and Dr. Rattan Lal, a Distinguished Professor of Soil
Science at The Ohio State University. They discuss the spirituality of soil, the responsibility
placed on producers as stewards of the land, and the resources needed to ensure that no
farmer is left behind in the transformation of food and agriculture systems.
This conversation was part of a fireside chat organized by Food Tank and the Inter-American
Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture at the...

On “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg,” Dani speaks with Dr. Andrew Bremer, Director of the Office of Nutrition Research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). They talk about the concerning state of nutrition security today, why it remains difficult to link foods to specific health outcomes, and the opportunity the U.S. has to transform the country’s food system into one that doesn’t only fill eaters up, but also nourishes them.

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On “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg,” Dani speaks with Sophia Hosain, Zero Waste Manager
for Baltimore City’s Department of Public Works. They talk about how Baltimore is creating the
programs and tools they need to slash food waste in the city, why Hosain believes everyone’s
immediate future is tied to one another, and what it means to be a steward of our collective
environment.

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On “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg,” Dani speaks with Dr. Sara Roszak, Senior Vice President of Health and Wellness Strategy and Policy for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and President of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation. They talk about why pharmacists are so well positioned to support Food Is Medicine initiatives, the infrastructure that can scale these programs faster, and how the Association is contributing to the White House’s efforts to tackle diet-related illnesses.

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On “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg,” Dani speaks with Betty Chinyamunyamu, the CEO of the
National Smallholder Farmers' Association of Malawi (NASFAM). They discuss what the
Association is doing to ensure food producers receive a fair price for their food, the impact of
extreme weather events on the country’s farmers, and the far-reaching social and economic
benefits that can be seen when space is created for women to assume leadership roles.

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On “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg,” Dani speaks with author and journalist Carey Gillam.
They discuss a recent investigation that reveals how agrochemical industry leaders are
downplaying the risks of pesticides and working to discredit journalists, scientists, and others
who have been critical of pesticides or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The
conversation dives into the shocking findings that a team of journalists uncovered, the harms
caused by exposure to pesticides and herbicides, and the policies that are — or aren’t — in
place to protect people from them.

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On “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg,” Dani speaks with Dr. Christine Going, Senior Advisor in
the Food Security Office at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. They discuss the barriers
that can prevent veterans from seeking support, what the Veterans Health Administration is
doing to help those experiencing hunger, and the innovative partnerships the Office of Food
Security is developing to advance their mission.

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On “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg,” Dani speaks with Liz Neumark, Founder and CEO of Great Performances and the Founder of the Sylvia Center. They discuss how the climate crisis is affecting farmers and what that means for chefs, how the hospitality industry can lower greenhouse gas emissions, and the policies that can build resilience in our food and agriculture systems.

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Food Tank recently traveled to Toronto Canada for the official 2024 North America World Food Day Celebration. This episode of “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg” features three fireside chats from the event, moderated by Dani, that dive into the right to food, financing food systems transformation, and the need to center equity in everything we do. You’ll hear from Thomas Pesek, Senior Liaison Officer for FAO North America; Jahan-Zeb Chowdhury, a Lead Technical Specialist and the Environment & Climate Cluster Coordinator at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); and Lasse Bruun, Director of Climate and Food at the UN Foundation. <...

On this episode of “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg,” Dani sits down with Dr. Marion Nestle, an author, nutritionist and the Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, Emerita, at New York University and Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and the Director of the Food is Medicine Institute at the Friedman School at Tufts University for a conversation about Food is Medicine. During the fireside chat, they dive into how effectively the U.S. healthcare system can help us address food and nutrition security through Food is Medicine programs, the politicization of the Dietary Guidelines for Amer...

During Climate Week NYC, Food Tank hosted a series of Summits to position food and
agriculture as a key solution to the Climate Crisis. This episode features two conversations from
these events.

First, hear from John Kerry the 68th U.S. Secretary of State and former U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, moderated by John Piotti, President and CEO of American
Farmland Trust. During their fireside chat, which was part of a Summit hosted by Food Tank and American Farmland Trust, they discuss the efforts to put food and agriculture front and center a...

During Climate Week NYC, Dani sat down with Jason Buechel, CEO of Whole Foods Market.
They discuss how emerging companies can differentiate themselves from their competitors in
the marketplace, the value of a clear and powerful story when trying to reach eaters, and how
brands can navigate an acquisition without losing sight of their mission.
This conversation was part of a Summit for mission-driven brands co-hosted by Food Tank,
Oatly, Vital Farms, Tony’s Chocolonely, and King Arthur Baking Company.

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During Climate Week NYC, Dani sat down with author, activist, educator, and the Founder of
Third Act, Bill McKibben and the Executive Director of the Global Alliance for the Future of Food
Anna Lappé. During the fireside chat, they discuss the link between our food and agriculture
systems and fossil fuel industry, how storytelling can be used for both good and bad, and the
limited time remaining to act and stop the worst of the climate crisis from unfolding.
This conversation was part of a Summit, co-hosted by Food Tank and the James Beard

On “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg,” Dani speaks with Chef Valerie Chang, the Chef and
Owner of Maty’s in Miami, Florida and the recipient of the 2024 James Beard Award for Best
Chef: South. They discuss what a sustainable career in the hospitality industry looks like, what it
means to be a part of a culinary team that succeeds collectively, and why honesty and
transparency matter both inside and out of the kitchen.

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On “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg,” Dani speaks with Ken Cook, President and Co-Founder
of Environmental Working Group. They talk about getting around the partisan politics that so
often stymie progress, a roadmap to reduce contamination from forever chemicals, and why
support for climate-smart farming must be preserved.

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On “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg,” Dani speaks with farmer, memory keeper, and artist
Nikiko Masumoto of Masumoto Family Farm. During the conversation, they discuss the
philosophy of farming, grounded in inclusivity, that Masumoto inherited; the synergy that can
emerge when working with family units on the farm; and why tenderness is fierce and should be
seen as a strength, not a weakness.

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Food Tank, in partnership with Niman Ranch, recently hosted their Education Summit at the
annual Hog Farmer Appreciation Celebration, an event that recognizes and honors the contributions of independent family farmers in the U.S. This episode features two conversations from the day.

First, Dani speaks with Ambassador Ertharin Cousin, Founder and CEO of Food Systems for the Future about the infrastructure that agriculture communities need, the kind of capital required to overcome the pain points in food and agriculture systems, and why investors in the food system must learn that change won’t come in a singl...

On “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg,” author and journalist Roger Thurow talks about his new
book Against the Grain: How Farmers Around the Globe Are Transforming Agriculture to
Nourish the World and Heal the Planet. During the conversation, they discuss the link between
the environmental and hunger crises, how farmers around the world are turning to practices that
heal the soil and restore biodiversity, and becoming comfortable with new relationships that will
put the Earth back in balance.

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