Sustainability Insights: tackling the important issues in agri-food today
30th June 2020
The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way people are living and working around the world. As the global population was plunged into lockdown, SAI Platform delivered a series of interactive webinars to address some of the important issues facing agri-food business today.
Sustainability Insights is a SAI Platform member-only webinar series that examines a variety of themes including regenerative agriculture, nature and carbon, the implications of the food chain from farmer to consumer and how the food industry is managing during this COVID-19 pandemic.
Implementing Regenerative Agriculture: Lessons Learned (14 April)
The first in the series focuses on the implementation of regenerative agriculture and the business case for using those practices. The discussions include examples of best practices from Europe and the USA from Cargill, PepsiCo and the Illinois Corn Growers Association & Precision Conservation Management.
Key learning points highlight the importance of soil health and why it is critical to the industry’s sustainability growth. Commitment and transparency across all stakeholders are also key to progress as well as evolving landscapes built on flexibility and adaptation.
Guest experts include SAI Platform members James Ede, Sustainability Manager, Cargill; Laura Gentry, Director Water Quality Research, Illinois Corn Growers Association; Clay Bess, Lead Conservation Specialist, Precision Conservation Management. Moderated by Rob Meyers, Director Sustainable Agriculture, PepsiCo.
Guest speaker Jason Clay, Senior Vice-President of Markets and Food WWF & SAI Platform Advisory Council member discusses the key impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on the global food system. Jason addresses how the pandemic is affecting food security and producer livelihoods around the world. He talks about whether it will change our behaviour and policies on food security and food systems in each country.
Jason examines pandemic related trends such as the role of habitat loss and climate change causing the zoonotic diseases as well as climate change as a contributor to future pandemics.
Jason once again highlights the importance of learning from and working with each other in this period of crisis and in a pre-competitive environment to address strategies on global food issues.
The third Sustainability Insights webinar series focuses on the impact of the outbreak on the agri-food industry through the global supply chain especially the most effected parts of the supply chain. SAI Platform members openly talk about their companies’ major challenges and their responses, recommendations, and best practices. Together they address how it will change the food business and look into strategies about how to operate going forward
Guest experts include SAI Platform members Hamish Taylor, Senior Advisor on Sustainability, Symrise; James Young, Agriculture Director, Nomad Foods; Leon Mol, Director Product Safety and Social Compliance , Ahold Delhaize & SAI Platform Executive Committee Member. Moderated by Katharine Teague, Head of Advocacy, AB Sugar & SAI Platform Executive Committee Member.
The next in the series and, open to all, is on Business for Nature: Securing a Resilient Future features SAI Platform partner, the global coalition, Business for Nature.
In this webinar, participants will learn more about Business for Nature as well as how Business for Nature fits within Unilever’s programme and strategy as well as on Danone’s position on nature.
Guest speakers will include SAI Platform members Jan Kees Vis, Global Director Sustainable Sourcing Development, Unilever and SAI Platform Executive Committee Member, Ed Shepherd, Global Sustainability Senior Manager, Unilever; Yann-Gael Rio, V.P. Global Milk Procurement, Sustainability and R&D, Danone & SAI Platform Executive Committee Member, Maelle Pelisson, Advocacy Director, Business for Nature, Martin V. Sneary, Partnerships Director, Business for Nature.
