Welcome to Fork The System — a podcast spotlighting the innovators, researchers, and advocacy leaders reimagining how we feed the world.

Our fifth guest is Kartic Bajpai. Kartic is currently studying for a Master's in Food Systems at the University of Hohenheim. Kartic has past internship experiences in the traditional dairy R&D space and is interested in applying these experiences to make an impact in the sustainable dairy production space, particularly in India.

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Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WboT7eY60yPXzi0rwukUKDbgKDXLrsyVODLJm_YedYo/edit?usp=sharing

Substack Recap: https://open.substack.com/pub/forkthesystem/p/a-recap-of-fork-the-system-episode-dd9?r=5s965p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Welcome to Fork The System — a podcast spotlighting the innovators, researchers, and advocacy leaders reimagining how we feed the world.

Our fifth guest is Max Tham, a current Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the National University of Singapore. Max started his research journey working on anticancer agents, but now leads a research group investigating the molecular reactions of Heme, a molecule in animal meats that gives meat its distinct flavour. Max is now commercializing this research through the tHEMEat Company, a food tech start-up producing a Heme-based flavour catalyst called Veme to give alternative protein products the same smell and taste as meat.

Resources:

• tHEMEat company website: https://www.themeatsg.com/
• Max’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/max-tham-891426190

Feedback Form: bit.ly/forkthesystemfeedback

Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WboT7eY60yPXzi0rwukUKDbgKDXLrsyVODLJm_YedYo/edit?usp=sharing

Substack Recap: https://open.substack.com/pub/forkthesystem/p/a-recap-of-fork-the-system-episode-ce5?r=5s965p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Welcome to Fork The System — a podcast spotlighting the innovators, researchers, and advocacy leaders reimagining how we feed the world.

Our fourth guest is Oscar Barrero Leal. Oscar recently finished his Doctorate in International Economic Law at Middlesex University and is now an Assistant Professor at the University of Ibagué in Colombia. Oscar teaches and conducts research in the intersections of global food systems, food security, public policy, and economic law. Oscar wrote his thesis on the rice trade — specifically, how international policies governing the global rice trade affected domestic Colombian rice markets.

Feedback Form: bit.ly/forkthesystemfeedback

Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15mzuxvfSZW6C5Fv85Bn8pLgqx6OqvGrs_9RdaAqrFFQ/edit?usp=sharing

Substack Recap: https://forkthesystem.substack.com/p/a-recap-of-fork-the-system-episode-4cc?r=5s965p

Welcome to Fork The System — a podcast spotlighting the innovators, researchers, and advocacy leaders reimagining how we feed the world.

Our third guest is Rikard Saqe, a current Master’s of Chemical Engineering student at the University of Waterloo. Rikard started off his research journey working on drug discovery and healthcare technology. He has since transitioned into cultivated meat research and is particularly interested in cell-based seafood and potential applications of artificial intelligence in the field. Rikard has received over $700,000 in research grants and has worked with institutions like the Good Food Institute and New Harvest.

Feedback Form: bit.ly/forkthesystemfeedback

Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15vWPLXz-HoRxZ_VQndgcC0jLxUSMVPz73guLzqf4sWc/edit?usp=sharing

Substack Recap: https://open.substack.com/pub/forkthesystem/p/a-recap-of-fork-the-system-episode-b1c?r=5s965p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Resources:

• The Good Food Institute: https://gfi.org/
• Plant Futures: https://plantfuturesinitiative.org/
• Canadian Alternative Protein Symposium: https://canadaaltprotein.ca/
• New Harvest Canadian Student Activation Fund: https://www.new-harvest.org/canadian-student-activation-fund/
• Rikard's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rikard-saqe/

Welcome to Fork The System — a podcast spotlighting the innovators, researchers, and advocacy leaders reimagining how we feed the world.

Our second guest is Jeffray Behr, an Engineering Project Manager at New School Foods. New School Foods is a Toronto-based company producing whole-cut seafood made entirely from plants, with their inaugural product being a plant-based filet that looks, cooks, tastes, and flakes like salmon. Jeffray graduated with a Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Waterloo in 2020.

NOTE: Since this episode was recorded, New School Foods has recently announced their expansion beyond salmon into steak and ribs! Check out this article to learn more: https://betakit.com/new-school-foods-to-expand-beyond-plant-based-salmon-to-other-meat-alternatives/

Feedback Form: bit.ly/forkthesystemfeedback

Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fVikBLIrEHDuGK0mMHUFvZY2T3J-UlwIUIgobiLJPZw/edit?usp=sharing

Substack Recap: https://open.substack.com/pub/forkthesystem/p/a-recap-of-fork-the-system-episode-9e8?r=5s965p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Resources:

• New School Foods: https://www.newschoolfoods.co/
• Talist Job Board: https://talist.org/
• The Good Food Institute: https://gfi.org/
• Animal Advocacy Careers: https://animaladvocacycareers.org/
• Cultivating Career in Alternative Proteins (Jeffray's Podcast): https://www.buzzsprout.com/1884302
• Career Guide for Ending Factory Farming: https://www.altprotein.ca/career-guide-2
• Jeffray's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffray-behr/

Welcome to Fork The System — a podcast spotlighting the innovators, researchers, and advocacy leaders reimagining how we feed the world.

Our first guest is Cogie Cogan, a passionate leader in the animal welfare space. They’re a recent Western University graduate who studied Animal Ethics and Sustainability Leadership, where they took on animal welfare and climate advocacy roles with organizations like the United Nations and ProVeg International. Cogie is also a 2025 Cansbridge Fellow, who will be interning in Thailand this summer for Swees, a plant-based cheese company. They’re currently in the process of launching Prookie, a vegan protein cookie company.

Feedback Form: bit.ly/forkthesystemfeedback

Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QQI_gA8m33LZfEm81tgNxeT-XKr9FgcOJzY4Eu9HT8I/edit?usp=sharing

Substack Recap: https://open.substack.com/pub/forkthesystem/p/a-recap-of-fork-the-system-episode?r=5s965p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Resources:

• Prookie Instagram: @prookie_proteincookie
• The Good Food Institute: https://gfi.org/
• The Waterloo Alt Protein Project: https://www.altprotein.ca/

Welcome to Fork The System — a podcast spotlighting the innovators, researchers, and advocacy leaders reimagining how we feed the world. Each episode will feature a professional from the growing fields of alternative proteins and animal advocacy, working to build sustainable and ethical food systems.

New episodes every other Tuesday with your host, Sherry Shu, an incoming fourth-year student at Western University’s Ivey Business School.

Feedback Form: bit.ly/forkthesystemfeedback

Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F1q4aZdja3_tKoTTs7hGWr_LV1iyM-KniP6US0YZH4w/edit?usp=sharing