Caroline Cotto on why taste is plant-based's defining problem

Our nineteenth guest is Caroline Cotto, a Director at Food System Innovations who oversees NECTAR, an initiative accelerating the alternative protein transition through taste. Her commitment to saying “yes” has led her on an unconventional path to transform the global food system, taking her from White House intern to Fulbright Fellow to UN World Food Programme assistant to regenerative farmer and ultimately to Forbes 30 Under 30 start-up founder and advisor. Caroline grew up in food, working for her family’s ice cream business in the town of Sandwich, MA. Welcome to Fork The System — a podcast spotlighting the innovators, researchers, and advocacy leaders reimagining how we feed the world.Resources:Sign up for the 2026 Reducetarian Summit to meet people and organizations working to increase plant-based eating: https://www.reducetarian.org/summit-2026NECTAR's website (sign up for their newsletter to stay up-to-date with their initiatives): https://www.nectar.org/Caroline's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinecotto/Feedback Form: bit.ly/forkthesystemfeedback

Our eighteenth guest is Monica Chen, the Executive Director of the New Roots Institute. New Roots educates high school and college students on the devastating impacts of factory farming and supports them as they become advocates for a just and sustainable food system. A veteran teacher, Monica taught environmental education to students at all grade levels and in residential settings, and earned her BA at UC Berkeley and her Master’s in Education at the University of New Mexico.Welcome to Fork The System — a podcast spotlighting the innovators, researchers, and advocacy leaders reimagining how we feed the world.Resources:Learn more about the New Roots Fellowship at the webinar this Wednesday, September 16th: https://luma.com/14xjx3p4New Roots Institute Website: https://www.newrootsinstitute.org/Monica's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monica-chen-new-roots/Feedback Form: bit.ly/forkthesystemfeedback

Our seventeenth guest is Matthew Dominguez, the U.S. Executive Director at Compassion in World Farming, where he leads a team dedicated to improving the welfare of farmed animals and advancing a food system that is better for animals, people, and the planet. With more than 15 years of experience in animal welfare and food policy, he has driven major corporate commitments and public policy reforms for farmed animals and regenerative agriculture. The grandson of a cattle rancher, Matt brings a unique and grounded perspective to conversations about food, farming, and animal welfare.Welcome to Fork The System — a podcast spotlighting the innovators, researchers, and advocacy leaders reimagining how we feed the world.NOTE: The Senate Agriculture Committee is scheduled to mark up the Farm Bill this Thursday, August 6th, when the Save Our Bacon Act (SOBA) could still be added as an amendment. Now is the time to speak out. Contact Your US Senator BY THURSDAY, AUGUST 6TH TO STOP SOBA: https://secure.humaneworld.org/page/186341/action/1?ea.tracking.id=web_aaSHARE this post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVq3KegFueE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==Matt's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdominguez/Matt's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthew_t_dominguez/Feedback Form: bit.ly/forkthesystemfeedback

Our sixteenth guest is Dr. Renan Danielski, a New Harvest Postdoctoral Fellow at Lethbridge Polytechnic’s Advanced Post-Harvest Technology Centre, specializing in the upcycling of agricultural co-products into processing inputs for cellular agriculture. He earned his Ph.D. in Food Science from Memorial University of Newfoundland, receiving the prestigious Governor General’s Gold Medal for academic excellence. Dr. Danielski’s expertise includes encapsulation of bioactive compounds, bioactivity assessment of nutraceutical compounds, and functional food development. Welcome to Fork The System — a podcast spotlighting the innovators, researchers, and advocacy leaders reimagining how we feed the world.Resources:Renan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renandanielski/New Harvest CAPE project: https://www.new-harvest.org/cellular-agriculture-prairies-ecosystem New Harvest's Biomanufacturing Infrastructure Directory: https://www.new-harvest.org/infra-directoryFeedback Form: bit.ly/forkthesystemfeedback

Our fifteenth guest is Margrethe Aanesen, a Senior Researcher at SNF – Centre for Applied Research at the Norwegian School of Economics in Bergen. Her work focuses on the management of marine ecosystem services and the valuation of non-market environmental goods and services. Her research has been centred on the societal trade-offs involved in aquaculture expansion in Norway.Welcome to Fork The System — a podcast spotlighting the innovators, researchers, and advocacy leaders reimagining how we feed the world.Feedback Form: bit.ly/forkthesystemfeedback

Our fourteenth guest is Kirumira Julius, the Co-Founder of the African Institute for Animal Welfare, a non-profit organization whose mission is to end animal exploitation across Uganda and Africa. Their initiatives focus on promoting humane farming practices, pushing for stronger legal and policy frameworks, providing educational services, and conducting research.Welcome to Fork The System — a podcast spotlighting the innovators, researchers, and advocacy leaders reimagining how we feed the world.Resources:African Institute for Animal Welfare (AIFAW) Website: https://aifaw.org/AIFAW donation portal: https://donorbox.org/aifawAIFAW pig welfare documentary: https://youtu.be/7Uv0jkN82Lk?si=_DyfJVvs0HZcrFiKirumira's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julius-kirumira-447a0623a/Feedback Form: bit.ly/forkthesystemfeedbackTranscript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14rcFQ366n4ICnqoGi0ZHdHqvGRcp1Gii8kHtsFXjx3I/edit?usp=sharing

Our thirteenth guest is Tina Owens, the lead of the Resilience and Agriculture Lending and Insurance Coalition (RALIC) for the Transformational Investing in Food Systems (TIFS), an organization aiming to bridge capital markets with the strategies, tools, and financial innovations to direct financing towards regenerative and agro-ecological food systems. Welcome to Fork The System — a podcast spotlighting the innovators, researchers, and advocacy leaders reimagining how we feed the world.Resources:Website: https://www.tifsinitiative.org/ralic/ White paper on RALIC: https://www.tifsinitiative.org/resilience-in-agriculture-lending-insurance-coalition-ralic/ JP Morgan report on transitional investing: https://www.jpmorgan.com/content/dam/jpm/cib/documents/Agriculture_Soil_and_Trade_The_Fates_of_Food_in_a_Warming_World.pdfTina's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tina-owens/Feedback Form: bit.ly/forkthesystemfeedbackTranscript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rXjg_BuimU1vO_2d9cHfzNFJ7A0j0n34yrhLRlfzh1o/edit?usp=sharing

Our twelfth guest is Kari Snorek, the Director of Operations at Shrimp Welfare Project, a non-profit organization that guides the shrimp farming industry towards higher welfare practices for a more sustainable and ethical future. The Shrimp Welfare Project collaborates with global producers, seafood suppliers, and retailers to improve harvest and slaughter practices to impact the lives of over 5.4 billion shrimps per year. Welcome to Fork The System — a podcast spotlighting the innovators, researchers, and advocacy leaders reimagining how we feed the world.Resources:Website: https://www.shrimpwelfareproject.org/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/shrimp-welfare-project/Newsletter Sign-Up: https://www.shrimpwelfareproject.org/newsletterRole Postings: https://www.shrimpwelfareproject.org/join-usNote: This podcast was recorded in January, and the role postings for Technical Field Coordinators may no longer be up. Continue checking the page above for the latest updates on any available roles!Kari's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kari-snorek/Feedback Form: bit.ly/forkthesystemfeedbackTranscript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r0gRR7QFOHLgE0mMMQOf0pldbl0FOLSu4-JDBP9sIs8/edit?usp=sharing

Our eleventh guest is Wasseem Emam, the Founder & Executive Director of Ethical Seafood Research, a non-profit organization focused on improving animal welfare in aquatic food systems globally. ESR focuses its work on fish farming conditions in low and middle-income countries through research, advocacy, and implementation. Welcome to Fork The System — a podcast spotlighting the innovators, researchers, and advocacy leaders reimagining how we feed the world.Main resources:ESR's Newsletter: https://ethicalseafoodresearch.com/ethical-seafood-research-newsletter/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ethical-seafood-researchLinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/waves-of-impact-7143194599308607488/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ethicalseafoodresearch/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EthicalSeafoodResearchDonate here: https://ethicalseafoodresearch.com/donate/#Feedback Form: bit.ly/forkthesystemfeedbackTranscript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/13d3bcZJxVU4P_7Oz2pUapGUM0xbK9Y0NLgqSvw_0LgY/edit?usp=sharing

Our tenth guest is Albert Tseng, the co-founder of Dao Foods, a venture capital firm that seeks to grow the alternative protein space in China. Dao Foods invests in promising Chinese start-ups, provides mentorship, and builds stakeholder ecosystems to strengthen the Chinese alt-protein industry. Welcome to Fork The System — a podcast spotlighting the innovators, researchers, and advocacy leaders reimagining how we feed the world.Main resources:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atseng34/Website: https://www.daofoods.com/Feedback Form: bit.ly/forkthesystemfeedbackTranscript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10uoUfLtScr6VO6w5kX49wz3nz78bE7tQmXKm6Ndg4DI/edit?usp=sharing