Jan 24, 2025, 11:01 AM ETPanel, Conference Presentation

Sustaining Food for the Future | Global Conference 2024

Dana Cowan moderated the discussion, introducing a diverse panel of food industry leaders focusing on sustainability across different business models.
Rose Prince (Rose's and Go There Wines) defined sustainability primarily as the survival of small urban businesses, citing the financial and emotional toll of the pandemic and rising operational costs on the restaurant industry.
Michael Shayan Zangiri (Providence/Connie and Ted's) described a shift from viewing sustainability solely as sourcing sustainable seafood to a holistic view encompassing community impact, waste reduction, and employee well-being.
Aaron Choi (Girl & Doug Farm) stated that for his operation in San Diego, water conservation and infrastructure efficiency take precedence over organic certification, which he views as incompatible with their water-saving drip systems.
Joanne Chang (Flour/Flour + Wine) shifted her definition of sustainability from packaging metrics to workforce development, emphasizing the need to create viable, career-long jobs with benefits rather than transient positions.

Project Launch: Prince announced "Midon Market" opening later this year in Los Angeles' West Adams neighborhood, a communal space where small restaurants share resources (utilities, fire, janitorial) to lower barriers to entry.
Go There Wines: The panelist launched an e-commerce platform to export wines from lesser-known regions (Georgia, Lebanon, Bolivia) to bypass the dominance of Western European producers and support small-scale winemakers.
Climate Resilience: Prince noted that certain regions like Georgia and Lebanon may currently be less affected by climate change than Western Europe, presenting an opportunity to scale production in these areas while European vineyards face instability.
Financial Support Model: The company utilizes a profit-sharing model and upfront micro-loans (committing to purchasing specific batches, e.g., 2,000 bottles) to help winemakers fund innovation and cover the high risks of agricultural production.
Heritage Preservation: Prince highlighted efforts to revive endangered grape varieties, such as Del Chavi in Georgia, and is mobilizing small olive farmers in Lebanon to produce unfiltered olive oil for direct-to-consumer sales.
Supply Chain Realities: The panelist acknowledged that lack of production volume and financial wherewithal are the primary barriers preventing small-batch wines from entering the U.S. market, necessitating direct investment from restaurant owners.

Climate Impact on Wild Fish: Zangiri reported that climate change is causing the cancellation of king salmon seasons for the second consecutive year due to water diversion and rising river temperatures preventing wild propagation.
Hatchery Limits: He noted that California's hatchery programs are no longer able to offset the negative effects of global warming on wild salmon populations.
Aquaculture Disruptions: Coastal aquaculture farms face closures due to industrial and agricultural runoff contaminating water tables, while offshore farms are increasingly unable to operate due to severe weather patterns.
Stance on Lab-Grown Food: Zangiri explicitly rejected the adoption of lab-grown or cellular agriculture, arguing it represents a surrender to environmental degradation and lacks the cultural and community value of wild-caught seafood.
Ecosystem Support: The chef emphasized that supporting wild fisheries sustains entire coastal communities, including schools and churches, and warned that shifting to lab-grown alternatives would accelerate the loss of these ecosystems.
Consumer Education: He urged consumers to recognize the value of fair trade and sustainable sourcing, noting that current Western preferences for convenience often rely on plastic packaging and unsustainable industrial fishing.

Water Efficiency Gains: Girl & Doug Farm reduced daily water consumption from 150,000–160,000 gallons to 45,000–50,000 gallons (a two-thirds reduction) through hydroponics and fertigation systems.
Greenhouse Scale: The 54-acre farm utilizes greenhouses to achieve the production capacity of a 300-acre outdoor farm while maintaining strict water control.
Energy Infrastructure: The farm installed solar panels to power greenhouse ventilation systems, with plans to utilize 60°F groundwater to passively cool greenhouses instead of using energy-intensive forced-air systems.
Labor Efficiency: The farm is redesigning workstations to reduce physical strain on workers, allowing time for high-value human tasks rather than repetitive bending and harvesting.
Diversifying Crops: Choi advocates for integrating "roadside weeds" and invasive species (e.g., pigweed/purslane) into the diet to reduce pressure on over-farmed crops like kale and quinoa.
Hybrid Fertilization Strategy: Choi declined organic certification to maintain water-efficient drip systems, opting for a hybrid approach that uses conventional fertilizers alongside organic ones to prevent clogging.

Commissary-Learning Kitchen: Chang is converting a standard commissary into a "learning kitchen" in New Jersey to provide hands-on culinary training for local residents who face barriers like transportation and the cost of culinary school.
Career-Long Jobs: She prioritizes creating full-time roles with benefits where employees can build careers, rather than treating food service as temporary "side hustle" positions.
Cluster Business Model: Chang's businesses (bakery, coffee roastery, ice cream shop) are located adjacent to one another to streamline logistics and create a stable, integrated labor pool.
Pandemic Impact: The pandemic highlighted the critical nature of food service workers, shifting Chang's focus from supply chain logistics to the sustainability of the human workforce itself.
Wage Parity: She expressed frustration with minimum wage increases that are often designed for part-time, high-school students rather than sustainable, career-long livelihoods.

The Prisoner's Dilemma: Chang argued that the food system requires cooperation among all stakeholders; individual self-interest ("snitching" for short-term gain) undermines collective sustainability efforts.
Data & Waste: The panel highlighted that 30–40% of food produced in the U.S. is wasted, with 70% of that waste occurring post-farm, contrasting sharply with the 12.8% of households facing food insecurity.
Traditional Knowledge: Prince and Zangiri emphasized the value of preserving "old wives' tales" and traditional farming methods from the Middle East and Asia, noting that modern Western agriculture often discards this wisdom.
Import Challenges: Prince shared an anecdote about the inability to import specific Georgian cheeses (salguni) into the U.S. due to regulations, forcing the restaurant to mimic the flavor with domestic alternatives.
Innovation Strategy: The panel suggested that future innovation should focus on popularizing underutilized crop varieties (weeds, heritage grains) rather than solely relying on technological fixes like cellular agriculture.