Episode 211: From US Army Supply Specialist to Nonprofit Founder: Shannon Dobbs’ Decades of Dedication to Food
About the Podcast
Today, Clancy speaks with Shannon Dobbs, Founder of the Food System Hackers and the author of “The Food Waste Rescue Manifesto: 9 Food Waste Mistakes We Need to Stop Making NOW.” He has decades of experience in safe food handling. In this episode, you won’t want to miss their discussion about the food desert problem, the barriers and challenges to food access, and the need for a system change to fix these problems. Listen and enjoy the show!
About Shannon Dobbs
Shannon Dobbs is the Founder of the Food System Hackers and the author of "The Food Waste Rescue Manifesto: 9 Food Waste Mistakes We Need to Stop Making NOW." He has 30+ years of experience in Army food logistics, small business entrepreneurism, and nonprofit advocacy focused on advocating market-aligned strategies for fixing our broken system. In addition, he also developed a business model for a grocery store that can survive in underserved communities, an educational program to teach families how to eat healthy on a budget even without a functional kitchen, and a food waste rescue initiative focused on diverting restaurant meals from landfills to feed hungry families.
Discussion Takeaways
- Many big companies, people, and organizations, even some food banks, aren't trying very hard to fix the problems with food access.
- To be able to create systemic changes, we need a larger, more inclusive commercial kitchen that can capture volumes of food.
- Add-value processing techniques are a method to turn raw ingredients or end-of-life food into ingredients for brand-new foods.
- The reason why food banks exist is that the grocery store industry is so inefficient.
- By reducing food waste in landfills, we can start reducing the amount of methane emissions that contribute to greenhouse gases that are contributing to climate change. Every time we waste food, we are adding to the problem of climate change.
- A food desert is a geographic area where residents have limited access to affordable and nutritious food because of the inefficient transportation system and the limited grocery stores in the area.
- Food dignity is being able to make choices and eat the type of food you want to eat.
- Studies show that one of the reasons why kids don't get involved with school lunch programs is because they don't want their friends and other school kids to know that.
#1 tip to improve access to healthy food
We may not solve hunger and food waste in our lifetime, but every step toward reducing food waste improves health, cuts emissions, and helps fight climate change.
Each week on the Food Dignity® Podcast, the Food Dignity® Movement's Clancy Harrison hosts a wide variety of hunger experts and other people making changes on the frontlines. Join us as we dive deep into conversations that will change the way you think about food insecurity.
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