The Science Behind Your Salad

^{Crossing the globe to discover how the best ingredients that end up on our tables are grown}

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Latest Episode: Carbon Conscious Cooking for the Future

Our volatile climate will impact the way we cook and the way we eat. And so, farming needs to adapt, eating needs to adapt, and how we cook, will also need to adapt. In this episode of the Science Behind Your Salad, Jane Craigie explores the world of carbon farming: how can we grow better? How can we eat better? How can we feed ourselves with the climate in mind? For chef and best-selling author Alejandra Schrader, that’s simple! A little more thought and a little more planning can enable us to eat delicious, healthy food that has delivers all the required nutrients we need and reduces our impact on the planet. Andy Beadle is leading BASF's global carbon farming program who studies the way carbon can be locked up in the soil to maintain soil health, cut emissions and improve biodiversity; Robert Racz works on the Better Pork project that looks at ways to cut emissions in the pig industry, not just at source, but at all levels of the supply chain, with all links in the industry playing their part; Thierry Laval runs the FoodPilot initiative that relies on data to focus on the problem. Data is vital to crack the challenges farmers face and with everyone working together to move the industry in the right direction there is plenty of optimism that farming can play it’s role in providing us all the food we need to be able to cook delicious and healthy food for the future whilst also ensuring what we eat is sustainable.

Our first guest: Alejandra Schrader

Alejandra is an award-winning author, food TV personality, plant-based nutrition certified chef, and activist based in Los Angeles, CA. She has a Certification in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies at Cornell University. She holds a Master of Arts in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture.

Alejandra is the author of “The Low-Carbon Cookbook and Action Plan: Reduce Food Waste and Combat Climate Change with 140 Sustainable Plant-Based Recipes.” Her book won the 2021 Gourmand World Cookbook Award for the United States in the Food Waste category.

As a celebrity chef, Alejandra has showcased her passion for wholesome food on all major television networks in the United States and Canada. She’s made appearances on national TV shows such as Access Hollywood Live, The Talk, Café CNN, Despierta América, the Marilyn Denis Show, and The Social. She is an alum of the popular cooking show ‘MasterChef’ with Gordon Ramsay where she earned the title of fan favorite as a top finalist in the competition. Alejandra has shared her expertise in food systems and sustainable diets as a panel speaker at the United Nations and the World Bank. Her interviews have been featured in high-profile media such as The New York Times and Forbes.

Our second guest: Marko Grozdanovic

With nearly two decades of international experience at BASF, Marko Grozdanovic has held a variety of leadership positions ranging from Consulting, Distribution Business and Business Management. Today, as a Senior Vice President of Global Strategic Marketing and Sustainability at BASF Agricultural Solutions, he focuses on developing solutions that not only address the immediate needs of farmers but also contribute to a more sustainable future in agriculture.

While his professional background was not initially in agriculture, his summers spent in Nis, Serbia, where part of his family lives, were filled with some hands-on experiences in small-scale farming. Being with his grandmother and uncles who also cultivated their own produce, instilled in him a deep appreciation for nature and sustainable farming. Seeing how vegetables are grown, and enjoying healthy meals made from crops they planted fostered a sense of responsibility for the environment.

These childhood memories, combined with his interactions with farmers and his work in the agriculture industry, led to Marko´s strong believe that if you love farming, you have to be committed to sustainability. For him, this means making conscious decisions that shape both our present and future.

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