Episode 17 - Marion Nestle

Dr. Marion Nestle is a leading voice in the U.S. and internationally on how nutrition, agriculture, policy and business intersect—and collide. A pioneer in the world of food studies, Marion reflects on the last 30 years in the food movement. Marion pulls no punches: we have made huge progress in voting with our forks, and we need to vote with our votes for larger system change. Marion is the Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, Emerita, at New York University, and the author of many award-winning books about food politics, including the recently released Let’s Ask Marion.

Marion answers the basic and critical nutrition and food issues: what we should be eating, what are ultra-processed foods, and how the U.S. food environment is making us sick. Looking back, Marion explains how policy and the shareholder value movement accelerated the consolidation of the U.S. food system. An expert on the politics of food, Marion is talking about fragmentation in the food movement, and the need for all of us—as individuals and organizations— to engage in policy if we want larger change. 

Join us for Marion’s perspective on hot topics in the food system: the costs of a healthy diet, alternative proteins, and how the Covid-19 pandemic is shifting the average American’s relationship to our food. And of course we couldn’t miss the opportunity to talk with Marion about the major issues related to the pandemic and U.S food: the challenges in our supply chain, hunger, and the critical role schools play in feeding our children. 

And in this time of change and turmoil, Marion is sharing what gives her hope. 

Hungry for more? Pick up a copy of Let’s Ask Marion for a refreshingly concise analysis weaving together politics, big business, food, nutrition, environment and more. The list of topics covered is long—and yet Marion pulls it all together crisply in a series of short essays.