Global food production is a key driver behind both climate change and the loss of species and ecosystems. In fact, it’s responsible for roughly one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions and over two-thirds of global habitat and biodiversity losses. That’s because unsustainable food production too often leads to the destruction of forests, grasslands, and other ecosystems in order to produce more food. So how do we create a more sustainable food system? Joining the show today is Dr. Jason Clay, Executive Director of WWF’s Markets Institute. Jason has decades of experience working with companies to find innovative ways to make their supply chains more sustainable, and today he’ll be explaining his latest initiative: Codex Planetarius. In short, Codex Planetarius aims to establish global environmental standards to limit the harm caused by the production of globally traded food. The idea draws inspiration from Codex Alimentarius, the international code of health and safety standards for food established in the mid-20^th century. It makes sense: If the world can adopt standards to protect human health and safety, why can't we do the same for the health and safety of the planet? In this interview, Jason explains how his career journey evolved from human rights to conservation (with help from the Grateful Dead and Ben & Jerry’s along the way), and how Codex Planetarius could establish new global norms for food production that help us feed the world without destroying it. 

Links for More Info:

Jason Clay bio: https://www.worldwildlife.org/experts/jason-clay

Codex Planetarius homepage: https://codexplanetarius.org/ 

WEB STORY: Codex Planetarius: Increasing Global Food Sustainability and Resilience: https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/codex-planetarius-increasing-global-food-sustainability-and-resilience 

Chapters:

0:00 Preview

0:21 Intro

2:09 Jason’s childhood

4:13 Saving the rain forest with the Grateful Dead and Ben & Jerry’s

8:08 Tracy Chapman story

9:13 How the global food system works

12:06 Sustainable vs. unsustainable food production

15:16 Codex Planetarius basics

17:56 Growth of the global food trade

21:05 Limits of voluntary standards

24:08 How to pay for Codex Planetarius

28:59 How to implement Codex Planetarius

35:58 Addressing cost concerns

38:49 What comes next?

40:51 Outro