In this episode of Future of Foods Interviews, Alex speaks to Dr. Sonja Billerbeck, synthetic biologist and researcher at Imperial College London, whose groundbreaking work is redefining how we produce food at the cellular level. Sonja’s research explores cell cultivation and gas-based precision fermentation, using hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria to convert carbon dioxide into nutritious biomass — a process that could one day decouple food production from land, water, and climate constraints.

Sonja discuss how technologies could revolutionize global food systems, Bezos Earth Fund financing, and the challenges of scaling cell-based innovations, and the ethical questions that come with reprogramming biology for human use.

In this episode of Future of Foods Interviews, Alex talks to Caroline Cotto, co-founder of NECTAR, the world’s first sensory intelligence platform for alternative proteins. NECTAR is reshaping how the industry measures success — not by novelty or nutrition alone, but by what truly wins over consumers: taste.

Caroline shares insights from NECTAR’s latest Taste of the Industry 2025 report, which blind-tested over 120 plant-based products with thousands of everyday eaters. The findings??? Before you launch a product make sure it tastes great. The future of food hinges on flavour.

We explore how NECTAR’s data-driven approach is helping brands close that “taste gap,” what it means for scaling alternative proteins, and why the next wave of growth depends on sensory science as much as sustainability.

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The Danish government committed one billion kroner to support the development of plant-based foods, a landmark decision that positioned sustainability and innovation at the core of its agricultural future.

While the country has long been celebrated for pioneering wind power and building one of the most advanced organic sectors in the world, the push towards plant-based agriculture signals recognition that diets, too, are central to tackling the climate crisis.

Frej, a Danish think tank, has been a crucial voice in shaping the political and cultural conversation around this strategy.

Marie Louise Boisen Lendal is the CEO of Frej and now Chair of the plant based strategy fund.

Listen now to this episode of Future of Foods interviews to find out how she got the farmers on board with the strategy - and how the money will be spent.

In this episode of Future of Foods Interviews, the podcast where we explore the science, policy, and people shaping the future of food, I speak to two leading voices in the field: Dr. Estere Sienkmane and Dr. Alice Esperanza. Together, they give me a crash course in the nuts and bolts of cellular agriculture - how it all works.

For those new to the concept, cellular agriculture is the production of agricultural products directly from cells, whether meat, milk, or other proteins, rather than from slaughtered animals or industrial farming. It promises a way to deliver the foods we love while dramatically reducing land use, greenhouse gas emissions, and animal suffering. The science is complex but the idea is straight forward enough: how do we grow meat from animal cells - at scale, what technical hurdles remain, how much should we worry about GMO.

In this conversation, Dr. Sienkmane and Dr. Esperanza share the science - the nuts and bolts of growing meat.

Alex Crisp, host of Future of Foods Interviews, speaks to Madre Brava's CEO, Vicky Bond. Vicky, who is a former vet, thinks a transition to plant based proteins will happen within a decade. Madre Brava is spearheading this, by urging supermarkets and global food corporations to rebalance their offerings toward plant-based proteins.

Their research shows that if six major retailers (including Tesco, Lidl, Carrefour, Ahold Delhaize, CP All, and Sodexo) achieve a 50% shift to plant-based protein by 2030, annual greenhouse-gas emissions could drop by 31.6 million tonnes, the equivalent of removing 25 million cars. Such a shift would also save enormous amounts of land and water.

In the UK, organizations working on the protein transition have persuaded Lidl GB to commit to having 25% of its protein offerings plant-based by 2030 (up from 14%), while also doubling plant-based dairy and butter lines - moves that are better for health, climate, and profits. Across Europe, Ahold Delhaize has pledged protein targets across its brands, and in Germany, Madre Brava’s analysis reveals a 30% protein shift could reduce emissions while saving supermarkets €156 per tonne of CO₂ and over €2.5 billion in total.

Listen to the full interview to find out how MB are going about persuading supermarkets to transition and why Vicky thinks the protein shift is inevitable.

In this episode of Future of Foods Interviews, Alex speaks to Sajeev Mohankumar from FAIRR (Farm Animal Investment Risk & Return) to explore the critical intersections of climate, finance, and the future of food. Sajeev brings deep insight into how large investors are reshaping the global food system by supporting innovations like cultivated meat, regenerative agriculture, and nature-based climate solutions. We discuss FAIRR’s latest findings on emissions from animal farming, the imbalance between tech and nature-based investment, and what a “just transition” means for farmers and food companies. This episode looks at where capital is flowing, what’s holding alternative proteins back, and how financial frameworks are shifting to better support sustainable and ethical food production.

FAIRR is dedicated to highlighting the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks and opportunities embedded in global food and agricultural systems - it connects 400+ investors, representing over $70–80 trillion in assets under management, providing them with data and frameworks to integrate concerns into investment decisions.

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In this 60th episode of FoF Interviews, host Alex Crisp speaks with journalist and author Michael Grunwald about his devastatingly important new book, We Are Eating the Earth. Known for his deep investigative reporting and thought-provoking storytelling in works like The Swamp and The New New Deal, Grunwald now turns his attention to one of the most urgent—and often ignored—drivers of climate change: the global food system.

In this conversation, Grunwald explains how what we eat and how we produce it is contributing to deforestation, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, and nearly one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions. From the hidden costs of meat production to the role of government subsidies and the future of sustainable farming, he reveals a complex, interconnected system with massive implications for the planet.

But this isn’t a story of doom. Grunwald offers insight into the options and changes - political, technological, and cultural - that could help shift us toward a more sustainable and equitable way of feeding the world.

If you wish to support the work of FoF Interviews you can make a donation :-) https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=ABYF9L6UY3A5Y

Join us for an exclusive catch up conversation with Mark Warner, CEO of Liberation Bioindustries—formerly Liberation Labs—as we find out what they've been up in the last 12 months.

How has this company continued it's drive forward to commercial-scale precision fermentation. Find out how their flagship 600,000-liter plant in Richmond, Indiana, is taking shape.

Learn about the strategic partnership with NEOM’s Topian to develop a cutting-edge facility in Saudi Arabia, and their manufacturing deal with Dutch startup Vivici to produce innovative dairy proteins for the US market. Why was there a delay on the ground and how did they get past it?