Jennifer Bushman is a sustainable seafood expert, communicator, and strategist who has been championing ethical aquaculture for more than two decades. She is the co-founder of Fed by Blue and creator of the Sea Pantry initiative which educates consumers on how to make responsible seafood choices every day. On this episode of Food Lab Talk, Michiel speaks with Jennifer about the power of people, the importance of generating proof of concept, and what search engines or social media has to do with influencing change.
Jennifer Bushman: “People are consuming media in a lot of different ways. Both on the plate and through YouTube... people are out there searching for information. How we utilize that for good is very important. When you ask Chat GPT what a blue food is, it goes down the blueberry path. So we have to start to make sure that information is out there, that we are sophisticated in the way in which we're reaching consumers, where they are and how they're getting information. To really create scale, it's going to have to be all the parts that create the sum. And I don't know that we know yet how the best way is to change consumptive behavior. Because to be honest with you, it hasn't been done.”
01:15 Jennifer’s journey from land to sea
03:18 “Blue Foods” vs. sustainable aquaculture
04:23 What show choir and activism have in common
06:40 How to stay motivated in the long arc of change
10:09 Why our food system is a complicated puzzle
13:46 The importance of a strong support system + network
18:37 What does it mean to shift diets?
22:50 The tension between supply and demand
24:11 Generating proof of concept
25:41 Building a U.S. aquaculture supply
27:56 Harnessing the power of people
29:16 Using Google Search, YouTube and other media
31:27 Takeaways for changemakers
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*The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer.
What is Food Lab Talk?
A better food system starts with one thing: vision. Food Lab Talk gives global food system changemakers a platform to articulate their vision for the future of food.
The series features interviews with inspiring individuals who are working on the frontlines of many of our most pressing food issues: reducing food loss and waste, enhancing food system transparency, facilitating shifts toward more balanced plant-forward diets, enabling informed individual choices for sustainable lifestyles, and accelerating the transition to a circular food economy.
Join Google’s Michiel Bakker to meet the leaders taking bold action and answering what each of us can do to create a better food system for us all.