Each year, about 32% of the food produced across the world is lost or wasted. Tackling food loss and waste has been on the global agenda for decades, with policymakers citing it as a contributing factor to issues like food insecurity and environmental degradation. Despite this attention, food loss and waste remain a challenge across the world.A new book from researchers at the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) provides an evidence-based framework for addressing food loss and waste as a means to improve access to healthy diets. In “Wasted Potential: Tackling Food Loss and Waste Across Transforming Food Systems,” TCI alumna Jocelyn Boiteau and Director Prabhu Pingali set forth a policy agenda that builds demand for diverse, nutritious foods in order to incentivize food loss and waste reduction while mitigating tradeoffs between food security, environmental sustainability and socioeconomic welfare. In addition to stimulating demand for safe and nutritious foods, they call for investments in value-adding innovations like processing, packaging and cold chain infrastructure, as well as public infrastructure and financial services that improve market access.“Wasted Potential” was published by Springer as part of its Sustainable Development Goals Series. It is available to download through open access.

Farmers across America are beginning to worry that 2026 is bringing a Farm Crisis comparable to the early 1980’s when Willie Nelson launched Farm Aid to draw attention and support to the plight of farmers. Ray Yeung has been farming for over 40 years in northern California and although recently experiencing really good yields, he sees farming costs exceeding returns and that is simply unsustainable. A farm crisis could be felt beyond the farms to farm suppliers and consumers. Viable farms are ncessary, so what is to be done? Yeung always knew he’d be a farmer. His father, Joe Yeung, started farming near Woodland CA after returning rom the Korean War in the 1950s. Ray worked on his dad’s farm for decades before branching out on his own to grow processing tomatoes, pumpkins, winter squash and other commodities. Yeung sold his heirloom tomatoes at farmers’ markets, and by the early 2000s, the heirloom craze was in full swing. Today, he grows about 20 varieties, including pineapple, pink brandywine, green zebra, and Cherokee purple. (Processing tomatoes are profitable today.)

While nutrition science knows about 150 well-documented nutrients, there are approximately 135,000 additional molecules in foods that have health impacts but are not tracked in nutritional databases. Laszlow Barabasi, a physicist and network medicine researcher at Northeastern University and Harvard Medical School, explains how these compounds work in the body, noting that many have therapeutic effects when consumed in specific concentrations. Certain food combinations, like those in the Mediterranean diet, can mitigate negative health effects of red meat, and ultra-processed foods contribute to health issues despite their popularity. Understanding these compounds is important for treating specific conditions, yet the basic principles of a healthy diet remain simple: eat plenty of vegetables, exercise, sleep well, and maintain a balanced diet closest to the Mediterranean model. www.barabasilab.com www.truefood.tech

Farmers are supoosed to share $12 billion dollars to make up for lost markets, higher costs and lower prices due to President’ Trump’s global trade war. The Wall Street Journal editorial said President Trump said he was “delighted to give American Farmers $12 Billion” in economic Assistance. The President of the the American Soybean Assoiation told CNN that this was just “a bandaid on an open wound” because what farmers want is an opportunity to make a living, to make a profit from the market, “not being dependant on the next program to keep us from bleeding to death.” Blake Hurst, Missouri soybean farmer, substack author, sometime guest editorial writer to the Walls Street Journal and friend of Farm To Table Talk has some strong feelings and insights he shares with Farm To Table Talk.

Food innovators, farmers, chefs and foodies have been looking ahead for years, so in this Farm to Table Talk Podcast we go back to a conversation in Coubhoure that was looking ahead to now. Future episodes will be back to now and looking ahead tomorrow. Food is changing. How will we eat? That’s the question posed in the Farm To Table Talk Clubhouse room to Troy Hooper a multi- business entrepreneur in the hospitality space with a consulting practice to build and scale emerging brands. Troy and Rodger Wasson are joined live in the Clubhouse room by a large group of members. Joining the conversation “on stage” are Chef Dr. Mike, a cardiologist, professional chef and author; Regenerative Livestock Manager, Ben Glassen; farming entrepreneur Cindy Beuchert, Sara Calvosa, Indigenous Californian, Karuk Tribe food writer, author and others.

A backyard hobby that started over 40 years ago has grown into a nationally recognized, family-owned business that produces more than 80,000 quail weekly, raisied responsibly, without antibiotics or hormones, and shipping premium products to chefs, retailers, and home cooks across the country. Manchester Farms is America’s first quail farm, and Brittney Miller is leading its second-generation legacy.. Brittney combines her passion for sustainable agriculture with modern food safety standards. Her SQF Level 2 certified, HACCP-compliant farm sets the benchmark for quality in specialty poultry. Brittney brings expertise, warmth, and a story of authentic American entrepreneurship that resonates to anyone interested in food, health, sustainability, and family-led businesses. Quail could be the real other white meat that’s “what’s for dinner.” (Picture: Wassons enjoyed quail for Thanksgiving after joining over 34,00 in Sacromentos’s Run to Feed the Hungry.) www.manchesterfarms.com

Steve and Candice MacLean, who grew up in New Jersey but have no farming background, transitioned from urban to rural farming after Steve’s experience as a chef working with a farm. Inspired by sustainable farming practices, they decided to purchase a farm in the northwestern corner of New Jersey. They now focus on organic produce and animal husbandry, embracing the farm-to-table philosophy. Starting with pigs to improve pasture conditions and later adding cattle, chickens, sheep, rabbits, and ducks, they established a farm market in a renovated barn to sell their produce and products, using social media to promote it. The farm market is now open three days a week, primarily on weekends, and relies on word-of-mouth and social media for advertising. They also grow over 200 varieties of USDA-certified organic vegetables, which are used for a four-course tasting menu dinner series held four times a month. www.theNJFarm.com