On “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg,” Bloomberg journalist Deena Shanker joins Mark Bittman, author of the book How to Cook Everything and editor-in-chief of Heated, to talk about how to fix the food system. “You can’t fix food without fixing everything else. We’re talking about systems change, we’re not talking about making more nutritious food,” says Bittman.
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“The answer is to make food so that people can afford it. That’s a really big change: to make good food that people can afford universally without abusing the land,” says Bittman. In his work and a forthcoming book, Bittman details how food has shaped humanity—and how humanity will shape the future. “We need to make small changes, but they need to be changes that move in the right direction,” says Bittman.
Technological solutions, startups, and food innovation can help, but cannot transform a system on a foundation of ineffective policy, says Bittman. He notes that stakeholders in the food system need to emphasize eliminating abusive practices, reducing agrochemicals, and improving biodiversity. “That’s what truly makes policies and companies good for eaters, supply chains, and animals,” says Bittman.
One of the most impactful changes needs to come from policy—and the consumers that pressure politicians to change policies for better health. “Consumers aren’t following up with companies, politicians aren’t talking about it enough,” says Bittman. “We need policy that enables us all to eat well. Consumer choices and decisions are ‘small beans’ in comparison to policy,” says Bittman.
Photo courtesy of Richard Storm, NYPhotoNY
