Social Entrepreneurs Tackle Climate Change and the Future of Food
Climate Week at Penn invites students to find their place in the climate movement, a global social movement encouraging people to take actions that address the causes and impacts of climate change.
A panel discussion hosted by the Wharton School’s Venture Lab, a hub for entrepreneurship at the University of Pennsylvania, featured a cross-section of topics that especially inspire today’s problem-solvers: social entrepreneurship, climate change and food.
The threat of climate change, say the experts, is casting a shadow over the future of food. One example is our love affair with a meat-based diet. Meat production significantly adds to the release of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, which lead to global warming. The same is true of excessive food waste ending up in landfills, where it decomposes and produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. These are just a few of the ways that the food system is entangled with the warming of the planet.
“Climate change is reshaping our world, and its consequences are profoundly impacting the way we produce, access and consume food,” said Julia Middleton, senior associate director, social entrepreneurship at Venture Lab. “Food Systems are indispensable to life and prosperity, contributing to approximately 12% of global Gross Domestic Product, and providing employment for over 40% of the global workforce. However, the current state of these systems is unsustainable with staggering environmental, economic and workforce costs, especially concerning climate change.”
A More ‘Accessible’ Protein?
The Climate Week panel discussion showcased some of the innovative solutions emerging inside the food industry.
Brian Berkey, a Wharton associate professor of legal studies and business ethics whose research has focused on climate change and the ethical treatment of animals, hosted the conversation with two social-impact innovators. Brice Klein is the co-founder of Momentum Foods and Paul’s Table, a producer of meat products that are 90% plant-based and 10% collagen and fat – a more hybrid approach of animal and plant ingredients within the meat-alternative industry. Sam Strickberger is a Penn graduate who started Impact First Ventures, a venture capital firm that supports social impact projects on college campuses.
Here are 6 of their innovation insights around climate change and the future of food:
🌎 Not quite vegan, but close. Klein’s Momentum Foods was founded in Los Angeles in 2022 to, in part, give consumers an option to phase out meat in their diets. It is an alternative to 100% plant-based products made by companies like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat (where Klein’s co-founder previously worked), claiming it is the future of protein, made accessible. “My co-founder Saba and I were best friends since freshman year at Stanford and we were always bouncing ideas off each other,” said Klein, who is the nephew of Wharton management professor Katherine Klein, a long-time champion of social impact. “We know there’s potential plant-based meat, but they all kind of suck. What if we break the rules and start adding in animal ingredients? Then there was a lot of prototyping. Can we make a product that is actually much better than any of the incumbent products in the plant-based space, and of equal quality, but a better health profile and an equal cost profile to the meat options? And can we have the impact that we need to have?”
🌎 The impact of first-principles thinking. Innovation in the climate-tech food space sometimes requires questioning the assumptions you think you know about a problem, then creating new solutions. “Brice’s company is very first principles thinking, which is so exciting, and why I feel like young people are going to be providing a lot of the solutions to the big crises that we’re facing,” said Strickberger, whose twin brother Max is an Impact First co-founder. “If we break the rules a little bit, we can make the food taste way better and we can make it way cheaper. Instead of being 100%, vegan, we can make it 90% vegan, and are going be able to hit instead of 2% of the population, 80% of the population. The impact is way bigger. Even when on the surface it seems like you’re compromising and you’re not being pure. It’s a beautiful model of what young people are putting together to make the world better.”
🌎 What problems need solutions? Many food-related processes and products are ripe for innovation, from crickets as ingredients to mycelium protein. “Lots of categories need solutions,” noted Klein, who spent time working for Plenty, a vertical-farming company that grows crops where they’re sold and eaten to reduce transportation emissions. “Plastic use in packaging is huge, product waste, trucking efficiencies of getting products from point A to point B, and food insecurity. There are still a ton of food-desert issues and a lot of food-as-medicine problems to solve.” Klein has been watching the growth of Guac, an artificial intelligence startup that helps grocers order the right amount of inventory; enough to meet customer demand without tons of food ending up in landfills.
🌎 The era of magical startups. Social entrepreneurs, including current and past Penn students, are dedicated to making a true impact related to climate change and food. A few examples include Strella Biotech, which designs and produces biosensors to reduce food waste. A second is a technology for the agriculture industry being developed by Wharton freshman Sabrina Z. to grow healthier food crops for higher yields. “I feel like what’s happening in the climate space generally is pretty magical, and especially in the food space,” said Strickberger. “There are a lot of role models out there…and [a lot] of funding. The conversation has totally taken off. Over the last three years, $100 billion is being invested into climate-tech companies or in the space more broadly. If you have a big idea that’s going to save the world, you’ll have places to get funding.”
🌎 Chicken and cow innovations. Young entrepreneurs are finding the climate dollars to improve the food system, even if they aren’t tech-driven, and building companies. “There’s a ton of stuff out there, and a lot of it is in food,” observed Klein. “Blue Ocean Barns has a food additive for cow feed that is made from seaweed to reduce methane emissions from their burps. We’re still going to eat cows, but it’s a more efficient way to do it. There are companies making roving chicken coops, so that you end up with a regenerative cycle where the chickens are progressively being moved across a field in a moving coop. And then they fertilize the land,” keeping the grass green and healthy. A cautionary note, added Klein, is disinformation in the food system, with traditional meat producers promoting terms like “climate-friendly meat,” even if they are not changing their approach to food production.
🌎 Consider your options…and the intended outcomes. Solving food challenges around climate change is not just for innovators – it demands a range of skills. “If you’re interested in this area, a good place to start is to look at the portfolios of different venture funds in the climate space,” suggested Strickberger. “Go to Lowercarbon Capital and look for the current companies [it is funding] and see what appeals to you. So many skill sets are required to build companies and to tackle the climate crisis — designers, engineers, business operations and human resources.
Added Klein: “One jaded thing to look out for is that an additional set of companies are innovating in the food and grocery space, doing grocery-management automation. Instead of having people manually stock shelves, it’s all done by robots. You have fully virtual grocery stores. They’ve raised a lot of money and are hip and cool. But I routinely question whether they are doing anything other than eliminating jobs. Keep an eye out for whether the things in that food space are doing good for the planet or just raising money for people.”
Conversation Starters
Would you eat a hybrid Paul’s Table burger that is mostly plant-based, but still has some animal fat? Why or why not is this an innovative approach to food production?
Which problem related to climate change and food would you most like to tackle? Have you thought about how you would go about it?
What role can technology and innovation play in making the food industry more sustainable and reducing its environmental impact?
If I was suggested to try Paul’s Table burger, I wouldn’t even think about it. What is most attractive about this burger to me is that it is not 100% vegan meat like some burger meats out there, which usually don’t have a very great taste or quality, but it is 90% plant-based and 10% collagen and fat. It was not until I read this article that I found out people, like Brice Klein, were creating hybrid options of plant food with animal fat. I believe this a very innovative approach to food production as it can help reduce the impact that traditional meat production has on climate change, it can improve our health while having a good cost profit, and most importantly of all, you can reach a greater amount of people with this product. As not everyone in the world considers themselves vegan and has worries about vegan nutrition, now they can be offered an alternative meat option.
Traditional meat production is one of the great contributors to global warming with its releases of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, commonly caused by cow burps, and our excessive food waste that ends up in landfills producing gases. As the food system is indispensable providing 40% of the global workforce, we need to inform ourselves and recognize the effort that young social entrepreneurs are making in approaching business management with a focus on climate change. In the world where we live today, there are many categories with unresolved issues that we need to approach. But as we inform ourselves of the people that are already focusing on a problem and taking action, we can get inspired and realize all the categories from which we can create an impact and help to save the world. Klein’s initiative is indeed valuable and encouraging, just as Guac, the AI startup that prevents food from ending up in landfills calculating consumer demand called, and as Strella Biotech which produces food biosensors to reduce food waste, and many other companies designed to grow healthier food.
At the end, it is about all the businesses that focus on addressing specific and different environmental problems, together they all contribute to solving the bigger problem and encourage others to follow that path and address complementary issues.
And what is even more exciting to me is that not only technology startups are the ones involved in change, but also entrepreneurs who are not tech-driven are changing their practices to reduce methane emissions from cow burps, and creating roving chicken coops to fertilize the land. It is exciting to see how social entrepreneurs are taking action from each of their different fields without excuses or limitations and it makes me hopeful about the future of our planet and business and its newer humanitarian and environmental approach.
One problem related to climate change and food that I would be most likely to tackle is the problem of the use of pesticides in food crops. As they might be important to kill insects and prevent farmers from losing their harvest, they release GHG emissions, increase nitrous oxide production in soils, which is a greenhouse gas harmful to humans and plants, and contribute to the production of ground-level ozone. Some ways in which I would try to solve this problem would be by creating a company that promotes the use of biochemical pesticides, which control insects in a more natural and non-toxic way, and help farmers implement crop rotations and pest prevention instead of eradication in their farms.
Entrepreneurial companies like Momentum Foods and Strella Biotech are inspiring the next wave of climate activism through culinary products. Startups like these show that innovative thinking can fix problems within the food industry, especially those relating to environmental issues. For a young chef and aspiring entrepreneur like myself, the market for sustainable food sources is very appealing.
Social entrepreneurship at its foundation combines profit with the commitment to helping specific social causes. In the food industry, this is incredibly important because food is so heavily relied on in our society. As it stands today, food production is inefficient and contributes heavily to climate issues. By innovating in this space, we can promote solutions that benefit the environment while ending issues like food insecurity.
While working in professional kitchens, I’ve witnessed first-hand the enormous amount of waste that is generated. Fresh ingredients are often discarded due to small blemishes, and over-preparation leads to large amounts of leftover food. This waste leads to a loss of resources and an increase in greenhouse gas emissions as this food decomposes. This highlights the need for solutions to manage and reduce waste in the food industry.
One solution I would like to propose is incorporating artificial intelligence to manage food waste. If restaurants started using inventory management systems that were backed by AI, this food waste problem would be practically extinct. This system would use technology to predict customer demand accurately and order food accordingly, reducing waste.
The production and growth of meat sources are major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Creating alternative protein options is incredibly important for the longevity of our ecosystem. As a meat eater, I recognize the need for sustainable yet enjoyable alternatives to traditional meat products. This is why companies like Momentum Foods are appealing to customers who look to reduce their meat consumption without sacrificing their experience. Countless meat alternatives that are better for our climate, such as lab-grown meat, are starting to pop up around the world. This technology can produce meat with almost no environmental footprint compared to the massive environmental footprint of traditional livestock.
The food industry brings countless opportunities for young entrepreneurs to make a significant impact on climate change. This industry is constantly adapting with consumer demand constantly in flux. By effectively managing waste and producing alternative meat sources, we can change the path of our planet for generations to come. Entrepreneurial companies like Momentum Foods and Strella Biotech are proof that an innovative outlook in the food industry will play a crucial role in the future of our environment.
Reading this article made me realize how naive many of us have been about the food industry’s impact on climate change. Food is essential for humanity, and like many, I enjoy consuming delicacies from around the world. While we do not wish to eliminate all animal-made food products like Brice Klein advocates, some common meals, such as burgers, can be made hybrid to benefit both the environment and the economy.
My grandmother and her generation back in China mostly labor in agriculture, specifically crops and grains. Despite their poverty, they work tirelessly. If hybrid meat were widely accepted, the demand for more plant-based food would increase, benefiting the global agricultural workforce, which includes 40% of the population, and improving their financial stability.
Personally, I have never tried 100% plant-based meat substitutes, but I have enjoyed hybrid options. They taste similar to regular food, increase my vegetable intake, and help the climate. However, even my vegan friends in California find 100% plant-based meat relatively unpalatable, which could hinder the progression of plant-based foods. Many staunch meat eaters or fitness enthusiasts, who prioritize protein and the texture of meat, may never convert or may not try it again after one experience.
As Julia Middleton said, climate change will transform the earth and alter how we access and obtain our food and resources. This is a critical challenge, but I believe humanity must unite and make sacrifices to protect our planet. Whether through legislation or lifestyle changes, everyone should contribute to this effort. I have joined my school’s Key Club, a community service organization, to make a difference in my small community. We have picked up trash all around the county, and picked apples for donations. I believe if one person can’t make a change, then thousands, millions, and billions together can. Many entrepreneurs are working towards this ideal. For instance, Sabrina Z. is developing technology to increase the quality and quantity of crops. Even those who aren’t tech-driven, like my aunts, uncles, and grandparents in Asia, are adopting strategies to reduce methane production and combat climate change. I was inspired to learn that farmers who cannot abandon meat production for financial reasons are still participating in this fight by producing “climate-friendly meat” and developing sustainable methods.
The future of food sustainability rests not only in the hands of young people but also in those of the current middle-aged and older generations. Everyone should participate in this fight against climate change to protect our environment!
I believe the future of food sustainability will rest on the hands of not only the youngsters, but also the current middle-aged and old citizens. Everyone should participate in this fight against climate change and protect our environment!
Would I eat an altered meat burger to save planet Earth? Undoubtedly. The narcissistic part of me would be thrilled to be recognized as the world’s new Superman! More seriously though, I would do it because it would provide me the ability to decrease greenhouse gas emissions while consuming the same burger.
Many can argue that Paul’s Table burger is just as unpalatable as plant-based meat substitutes– that it doesn’t have the same flavor or texture. However, the 10% of collagen and fat incorporated within this product of 90% plants introduces a new area of food that hasn’t been executed before. The aim of this hybrid burger is to promote eco-friendly methods while creating a product that tastes as good as a meat-based burger. With its uniform quality and cost, but beneficial health effects, it differentiates itself from the fully plant-based category. To overcome a problem, solutions must stem from the problem itself. If people do not like plant-based goods because of its distinction, sprinkle a little bit of meat and their concerns are met with solutions. Brice Klein not only attempts to combat the problems voiced by consumers, but the concerns of our environment as well. It is an innovative approach to food production as the carbon dioxide and methane rates from the transportation and manufacturing processes will be reduced and our fellow civilians can continue to enjoy their delicious burgers.
Now let’s ask this question again, would you eat an altered meat burger to save planet Earth? To those of you replying, “I would throw it out” – not so fast. Food waste has been a prominent issue throughout the past few decades. When food is improperly disposed of and adapts to a landfill, it rots and produces methane gasses which are exactly what contribute to climate change. The wasted food represents all of the wasted extensive labor and emphasizes the lack of food the future might experience specifically due to global warming.
There are many ways to go about tackling food waste. Common ones include reusing it, reducing the initial amount used, and donating. I would add to this list by highlighting the advantages to preservative methods. Similar to how the medieval era used salt as a method of dehydration to make foods last longer, I believe with the advancements in technology today, the food preservative industry can reach greater heights. The current concerns regarding common preservatives are that they are detrimental to human health. Instances such as adding too much content or not using it properly result in extreme cases of toxicity and immediate hesitance from potential consumers. These issues are exactly what needs to be addressed to pave the way to a successful solution. Proposing sustainable and safe variants of food preservatives would be an advantageous approach in limiting food waste and overcoming lots of initial uncertainty within the community.
Speaking of modern advancements, this article has prompted me to understand the significance of technology and innovation in our day-to-day basis. Its illustration of these functions allow me to acknowledge technology’s influence on our present life, significantly making an impact on the most unsuspectable industries. In this case, technology brings both sustainability and crazy combinations to the dinner table. It’s quite ironic that the lack of food production and climate change have the same result of population decline but both need to be in their best shape to provide a thriving society. The holy grail for this situation is innovation itself. For example, Paul’s Table burger. The burger is used to address the greenhouse gasses emitted during meat production and people’s distaste for 100% plant-based products. He utilizes technology and settles on making his product 90% vegan to make an impact on a greater spectrum of people. Furthermore, other social entrepreneur companies such as Strella Biotech use technology to grow healthier crops for more considerable crop yields. This allows for the production rates to be met but not have to endure the detriments of failure, a negative for our environment.
The world of technology is vast, it continues to age and progress and acquire shocking faces when new ideas are released. Maybe one day technology will advance to teleportation and telepathy, but for now it can be the Superman of the food industry and solve one pressing problem with an altered meat burger.
Having read and commented on this article before, sparked my interest in options of food that are both good for ourselves and our planet. Most of the time we fail to be concerned about what we are putting in our mouths and how it can affect not only our gut but the planet around us. Companies like Strella Biotech, Momentum Foods, and Paul’s Table, have given me hope that people are striving to make a change in the food industry to reduce food waste, decrease gas releases in food production, and try to approach nutrition as our new medicine. However, we still have a lot of work to do, especially in Latin American countries, where even though there is a great diversity of food, there is not yet much information and culture about which model of food production is better for our planet and our health.
As I have tried to change my diet to consume healthier products for my health and the environment, going to the supermarket has become a difficult task. As I am walking through the store aisles, looking at the wide variety of food there is, passing through the hallways my eyes feel overstimulated with the number of products there are, yet none of them seem to fit my needs and those of our environment. With my dad following me behind hoping that I would finally choose something so that we could go, I am still going back and forth through the hallways, unable to find a product that uses eco-friendly packaging, is nutritious, and its production was friendly with our environment. My dad finally observes how I put a product in the basket after 20mins of indecision, however, one product, as healthy and nutritious as it says to be, is not enough for a week, and we still need to find all the other products that we need, and after being unable to find them, we fall back in the cycle of buying the usual products that we used to buy unaware of how were they produced, and how they are impacting our environment as we eat them.
The majority of food that I find is ultra-processed, packed in an unnecessary amount of plastic, and usually, there are only one or two options of plant-based meat products with little to no information about whether it will meet my protein needs, as well as collagen and carbohydrate needs. Aside from this, the few products that are plant-based, have eco-friendly packings, and are healthy for my body, tend to be very expensive. As this is concerning, I have to recognize Klein’s efforts to create hybrid meat products including plant and animal ingredients, having an equal cost profile to traditional meat products, with better quality, and a greater nutrition profile. However, Klein is one of the few people trying to compete against the giant meat production market, and due to this lack of presence of plant-based meat options, sometimes we struggle to switch our type of nutrition, along with false beliefs that attack us, claiming that plant-based nutrition will never really meet our nutritive needs, mostly caused the lack of education on nutrition in our country (Colombia).
As I was having a conversation with my dad in the car, I was able to realize that it is not only lack of initiative and information in developing countries that is preventing us from having better food options, just as Strickberger said, “If you have a big idea that’s going to save the world, you’ll have places to get funding.” But government regulations also play a major role. One of my dad’s favorite topics to discuss whenever we go to a supermarket is the prices they charge on the plastic bags used to carry the products bought. He argues that it is ironic to see how the government charges a tax on these bags to “reduce plastic consumption” However, the products we are buying already come packed in a great quantity of plastic, yet there are no regulations about how much plastic they are allowed to use, and whether it is recycled or not. As we were talking in the car about our visits to the supermarket and the trouble of plastic, it was more than obvious that governments should be implementing laws to reduce the amount of plastic used in the packaging of products. On top of this, it is very rare to find products packed in eco-friendly packaging using cardboard or paper, they are only found in very specific stores making it difficult for people to find and demand such products.
I believe that regulations, initiatives, and education can solve such problems for our country, as Klein said “There’s a ton of stuff out there, and a lot of it is in food,” there is a lot of stuff to be done, and even though many people are trying to make changes to the food industry nowadays, information such as this article is needed to inspire people to address one of these problems and create innovative solutions, more presence in the market and offer more options to consumers.
“Climate change,” it’s a phrase that dominates our classrooms and our news broadcasts. We’re always hearing: “Our Earth is dying,” but what is the majority of the population really doing about it? In reality: Nothing. Even as people listen to the news broadcasting that over 1,000 people had died from a heat stroke due to global warming, they still refuse to make the smallest change if it means a compromise in their ease of life. As demonstrated by the problem that both companies Guac and Strella Biotech are trying to solve, the issue of food waste has arisen as a result of our carelessness for the welfare of our world.
I first came upon this issue at my school, where our climate club has developed a food sourcing system in efforts to reduce the leftover food ending up in landfills. We have a green bucket with sawdust at the bottom for our food disposal and a standard trash can beside it for the disposal of any other unwanted materials, like wrappers or drink bottles. Students usually practiced source separation when it was only with the leftovers on their plates as it takes the same amount of effort to dump leftovers into the trash can. However, if the food was in a wrapper, many students just threw both the wrapper and the sandwich for example, into the trash can. Further, if the lid of the green bin was closed, many students found the lid unsanitary and threw their food into the trash can as well. Despite being seemingly insignificant, this contributes to the staggering 58% of methane emissions within landfills from food waste alone.
Within California, the government has recently developed the SB 1383 mandate, setting quotas that cities need to reach in terms of food waste diverted from landfills for organics recycling. Supposedly, each single-family home and multi-family complex would receive separate bins for source separation. However, as I took a quick glance around my street on waste collection day, many homes still used dumpsters. Curious about the true number of people who complied with my city’s regulations, I spent a month taking surveys of people at my local park. After analyzing the results, I found that 61% of the group did not practice source separation, with the majority expressing that they did not yet have bins for source separation. In my research, I found that my neighboring city had a solution to the still developing system: Community composting hubs and programs. Residents would take their organic waste and dump it into a nearby hub, where a worker or volunteer would mix the waste along with carbon and nitrogen materials until it turned back into a rich fertilizer.
So, inspired by this system, I thought: Why not make these hubs and programs more accessible for everyone? Despite California still only in the development phase, many other states and countries have barely even begun to address the topic of commercialized organic recycling. My next step was to generate the funding for these programs. As I’m really big on making non-profit organizations self-sustainable, I decided to make a compost related product that I could sell. There were a couple issues that I wanted to address with this at-home compost bin. First and foremost, I had to ensure that this compost bin would not produce any odors within the time frame that people kept it on their counter until they disposed of it through at-home composting, community composting, or commercial composting. I then wanted to make this product environmentally friendly through the materials that I used to create it. This involves using sodium bicarbonate as a replacement for carbon filtrations, bamboo fabrics as a divider, and PLA, a corn-based plastic as the main structural material. While currently only working on program developments within two countries, I am looking to expand my organization Cycle Sustain throughout the world.
Unfortunately, I can confidently say that for the distant future, the majority of people are still just going to think of climate change as a job for scientists and the government to resolve. In truth, most people will not change their way of life to help others until the repercussions of climate change reach themselves or their loved ones. So for social changemakers today, the goal is really to come up with a solution that best aligns with people’s current standards of living while also addressing the issue at hand. Momentum Foods showcases this in practice perfectly, compromising on the production end to reach a larger consumer base and hence, as Strickberger mentioned, create more significant benefits to green initiatives than a completely vegan product. While not everyone will switch their food choices just as not everyone will recycle their organics, it’s the incremental steps that individuals, organizations, or businesses alike take to make a sustainable lifestyle feasible for all that will make slowing climate change not just a goal but a reality.
As someone who has practically mastered the realm of food due to my severe food allergies, I think that this article is a great way to summarize what’s going on in the new food business. Exploring different options is the best way to start looking at the future of what we eat. However, as I mentioned, I think that food allergies should be taken into consideration when looking at these food innovations.
I am a vegetarian, so I’m well versed in brands like Beyond Meat and other similar ones mentioned in this article. However, my food allergies sometimes prohibit me from eating these tasty meat alternatives. For example, one of my allergies is chickpea protein and flour. This ingredient is used heavily in other brands of alternative meats, requiring me to thoroughly check each label at a grocery store or even in restaurants. There are many other people out there just like me, with some relatively uncommon food allergies like chickpea flour. I would love to make it easy for us to explore these foods without too much worry in the back of our minds.
Social entrepreneurs addressing these climate issues associated with food is extremely important, and I have an idea to make it easier for people with food allergies to find these foods. After speaking with many people in the food allergy community through FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education), they were supportive of adapting AI technology that has a use case to reduce food waste so that it can also be used to track allergy friendly products. This way, they can be found in stores more efficiently. This would help me and the millions of other people around the world with food allergies.
Partnerships with brands like Beyond Meat and other biotech companies can, at the very least, raise awareness for food allergies and promote good labeling practices in these climate friendly food companies. I hope that AI and other technologies can be paired with advocacy campaigns such as the FARE Teen Advisory Group that I participate in to increase food allergy awareness.