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Read time today: 2:28 min
Hi friend,
It’s Friday morning. You are reading VITAMIN C 🍋.
I’ve been thinking a lot about which key challenges we should focus on with the Food Campus going forward.
Below are 5 pieces that shaped my perspective this week.
PS: Many of you asked if I could offer this newsletter in German. I listened.
So, starting in September, you’ll be able to read VITAMIN C in German too.
Therefore if you have not answered yet, here is your last chance:
👉 To my German readers: Do you want to continue reading VITAMIN C in English or switch to the new German version?
1. [Science | Reports] 🌍 1.5 °C and the Price of Food
2024 wasn’t just another hot year. It was the first year the planet officially crossed 1.5 °C warming. And the price tag is showing up at the supermarket.
A new paper in Environmental Research Letters connects climate extremes directly to food price spikes (as shown in the infographic above):
↳ Cocoa +280% after a heatwave in West Africa.
↳ Rice +48% in Japan after a brutal summer.
↳ Veggies +80% in the U.S. after western droughts.
The ripple effects go far beyond higher prices: more inequality, more instability, more pressure on our health systems.
Read the full paper here.
2. [Food for Thought] 👹 The real enemy isn’t who you think
In every story, there’s usually a villain.
But in food, we often turn on each other.
↳ Farmers see companies as the problem.
↳ Companies blame retailers.
↳ Retailers push it on consumers.
↳ Consumers blame the system.
And suddenly, everyone is the enemy.
Yet the real challenges aren’t people at all. They’re hunger, malnutrition, waste, degraded soils, climate extremes, and the loss of farming livelihoods.
Those are the forces truly shaping our future.
If we keep pointing fingers at one another, we’ll miss the bigger fight.
What food needs now isn’t more villains — it’s more allies.
Visual credit: Jack A. Bobo
3. [People & Startups] 🥛 Real Milk without cows
What if you could pour a glass of milk that tastes just like the real thing — but no cow was ever involved?
That’s exactly what Canadian startup Opalia is working on. Using cell-based technology, they produce genuine milk proteins without the environmental and ethical downsides of industrial dairy.
Big dairy has a $900B problem. Opalia wants to be the solution.
Check them out here.
4. [Recommendation] 📚 Book - We Are Eating the Earth
I just got the book. I haven't fully finished reading it, but I am already a fan!
We Are Eating the Earth by Michael Grunwald is like a reality check on how our food system is wrecking the planet and what amazing solutions might actually fix it.
If you care about food + climate, this one’s worth your read!
5. [Inspiration] 🎯 Not every project deserves your attention
Respect your resources.
I know the feeling — in the food world, there are always more projects, pilots, and ideas than we can handle.
But our time, our team, and our energy are finite.
That’s why I’ve started asking myself one simple question before saying yes: Does this move us closer to better food systems?
If the answer is no, I let it go.
Because every hour spent on unfocused busywork is an hour not spent on building the future of food.
Stay awesome,
Lia
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