This episode was recorded as a live broadcast on the 17th January 2022.
Event description:
Our current food and agriculture system exceeds planetary boundaries. It depletes soil health,
contributes massively to greenhouse gas emissions, causes a decrease in biodiversity, and contributes to malnutrition. With a global population predicted to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050, we need to change our approach to how we produce and consume food.
Is it as simple as stopping eating meat? The mass production of soy and other crops for plant-based
products strain the Earth too – encouraging deforestation and soil depletion. Could we eat local
instead, supporting sustainable and local farming? Or should we turn to cell-cultured meat – the
show-stopping potential alternative to factory and large-scale farming? If so, what will be the impact
on the meat and traditional farming industries? What do chefs have to say about this – can cellbased meat development meet the same standards of high-end dining? Will consumers be sceptical
of innovative food technologies – and what needs to be done to encourage uptake?
Moderator:
Marisa Drew – Chief Sustainability Officer & Global Head Sustainability Strategy, Advisory and Finance for Credit Suisse. Previously, Marisa served in several other capacities at Credit Suisse including as the CEO of the Impact Advisory and Finance Department and the Co-Head of the EMEA Investment Banking and Capital Markets (IBCM) Division. She has been in the investment banking business for over 30 years and joined Credit Suisse in 2003, to establish the Leveraged Finance Origination Group. Prior to joining Credit Suisse, Marisa worked for Merrill Lynch for eleven years and was instrumental in the formation of Merrill Lynch’s European Leveraged Finance Group. Marisa is also active in recruitment, diversity and philanthropic initiatives in the industry. She sits on the Harvard Women’s Leadership Board and is a Trustee of the Credit Suisse Foundation. She also sits on the advisory boards of Room-to-Read and the Lessons for Life Foundation.
On the panel:
Bernat Añaños Martinez – Co-Founder of Heura Foods and food activist. Bernat has an international career that ranges from institutional communications at the European Parliament, to launching start-ups in China. His passion is devoting his energy and time into projects that have a positive impact. He has a background in activism and created Heura together with Co-Founder Marc Coloma. In April 2017, Heura hit the Spanish market, and as it stands today, it´s present in 17 countries around the world. Bernat is currently leading the Social Movement department of the start-up.
Sedef Köktentürk – Managing Partner and the Chief Operating Officer of Blue Horizon. Sedef is the Impact Partner on Blue Horizon investment teams and leads on firmwide impact management and ESG integration, client operations and technology. Sedef has 20 years of capital markets experience from leading global investment firms including Generation Investment Management and Goldman Sachs. She started her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers in financial advisory and holds an MBA from the Columbia Business School in New York.
Philip Hambling – Head of Food and Farming for the National Farmers Union, based in Stoneleigh. He heads up the team of Chief Advisers responsible for supporting the work of each of the National Sector Boards, Animal Health and Welfare and the NFU Food Chain Unit. Philip joined the NFU in April 2017 from Sainsbury’s. Previous roles include head of procurement and account management for a leading UK meat processor, after technical and agriculture manager for the British Meat Processors Association. Philip also undertook a number of policy lead roles at Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs including market support measures, animal disease control and an regional operational role in the Government response to foot and mouth in 2001. Philip studied Zoology at Newcastle University, graduating in 1998.
Jorge Thomas – Founder, Swaledale Butchers. Jorge’s passion for food comes from a background working in restaurants. Jorge founded Swaledale Butchers in 2009, with one sole purpose; to produce exceptional meat to cook and eat for some of the best chefs in the UK. Swaledale Butchers now works alongside 30 passionate farmers based in the Yorkshire Dales, specialising in traditional breeds of livestock and supplies over 200 restaurants nationally, including many iconic restaurants, such as London’s St. JOHN, and launched its retail website in November 2020. Swaledale Butchers has grown over the last 13 years developing into a specialist butchery team with a whole-carcass, nose-to-tail philosophy. The team not only produces nutrient-dense meat with exceptional flavour, but strives for sustainability and traceability, achieved through Swaledale’s close working relationships with small scale, traditional breed, local farms. By working with small scale farmers, Swaledale Butchers is also able to support free range, outdoor reared and grass-fed farming, with all the associated benefits. Swaledale Butchers’ philosophy is to provide all its customers with a high quality, sustainable meat product, and to support a change in the culture of meat-eaters who see meat as a ‘treat’ or speciality to be savoured as opposed to something consumed daily. Swaledale Butchers enables its customers to enjoy a reduced meat consumption diet, with an emphasis on quality and sustainability.
Elena Walden – Policy Manager at the Good Food Institute Europe. Elena works with policymakers, NGOs, industry and consumer groups to secure clear and transparent sustainable protein labelling policies that support consumer choice across Europe. She is based in Brussels, Belgium, and her background includes political and NGO roles in London, Paris and Brussels, and experience in both the UK and European Parliaments.