Innovator Video: Food Chain

While consumer demand for information about where our food is coming from and how it’s grown is increasing, thus far there has been relatively little interest in the people that actually harvest it. A new film project explores labor practices within the United States agriculture sector and how the role the policies of large buyers, particularly supermarkets, play in perpetuating these practices.

Stop-Motion Animation of Michael Pollan’s Food Rules [Video]

Marija Jacimovic and Benoit Detalle have produced a beautiful stop-motion film that uses vegetables to visualize Pollan’s “Food Rules” talk, given at the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts (RSA) in 2010.

BrightFarms’ Business Model: How Tech & Efficiency Could Help Farmers & Consumers [Video]

Food and agriculture know are low margin industries. Paul Lightfoot, Chief Executive Officer of BrightFarms, a company that designs, finances, builds and operates greenhouse farms at grocery retailers, is attempting to capitalize on what he sees as inefficiently produced fresh vegetables. And he recently secured a $4.3 million Series A equity financing round to do so

Ramen Data: Mouth to Anus

Processed food like ramen noodles and gummy bears are bad for you. Now, for the first time ever, you can see how for yourself.

Artist and provacateur Stefani Bardin’s newest project M2A™:The Fantastic Voyage offers a graphic look at how the gastrointestinal tract (GI) processes a meal of Top Ramen versus a meal of hand made noodles

Innovator Series: Destin Joy Layne on Hacking Our Diets [Video]

Destin Joy Layne of GRACE Communications Foundation describes her vision of “Hacking the Food System” to Food+Tech Connect.

Justin Massa on Hacking the Food System: Democratizing Data

This spirit of democratizing data is at the core of some of the most exciting things happening in the food tech space. From making healthier decisions to discovering deals to discovering dishes and recipes to assessing food safety, a slew of exciting startups are working to develop food data into engaging consumer applications – hacking the food system

Danielle Gould on Hacking the Food System: From Proprietary to Open Design

Our food system is not broken- it is poorly designed

Beth Hoffman on Hacking the Food System: New “Technology” in Agriculture

For decades, “technology” in agriculture has meant machines and chemicals – bigger combines, stronger pesticides, and now, genetically engineered seeds. Now, “technology” based on the sharing of information – data extracted from all points along the food chain – is helping to create a more transparent, equitable, and environmentally sound food system, and could save farmers and consumers money

Anthony Nicalo on Hacking the Food System: Eliminating Information Asymmetry

We live in a backward world. A world where it is strange to know where our food comes from. Foods that are grown and processed without adulteration have to prove it, while the use of chemicals and manipulation do not have to be disclosed.
Information and technology on the other hand can contribute to a better food system by eliminating information asymmetry

Dickson Despommier on Hacking the Food System

The construction of the world’s first vertical farms have amply demonstrated to even the most outspoken critics that indoor farming in tall buildings is not only feasible but entirely doable. A fifth VF in Seattle, a modest two story facility operated by Cevsca, Inc., opened in June, 2011. Vertical farming has now moved from the “crazy idea” stage, to conceptualization, to construction of functional prototypes in just eleven short years.

Eggzy: Using Tech To Build a Local & Transparent Egg Economy

Meet Sharleen and Mark Thompson, co-founders of Eggzy, a flock management platform for backyard chicken farmers that allows you to manage egg production, record expenses, calculate and project costs, and promote your flock. Through the “Egg Stands,” friends and neighbors are able to keep informed about egg availability, pricing, description of flocks, and other statistics. According to the site, they have tracked 74 flocks (956 hens in total) that have laid 2226 eggs over the last 30 days. They estimate that this could meet the daily protein requirements of 267 people

John Reinhardt’s Open Source Urban Agriculture Policy Approach

John Reinhardt recently launched the urban agriculture zoning and food sovereignty ordinance mapson his blog Grown in the City. Among other things covered, Reinhardt and his brother-in law Bob Wall are using technology to help people understand urban agriculture and food sovereignty policy approaches across the United States

Windowfarms for Classrooms: Crowdsourcing Curricula

“The creativity of the individual “farmer” is the critical component to better environmental stewardship and food system change. We want to get citizens, teachers and kids thinking of themselves as farmers, experimenters, pioneers as much as our forefathers did. Stewardship means designing smart plans for the specific needs of one’s community and environment and making

Why I Write About Food: Creating Community

What does—or could, or even should—it mean to write about food today? I am honored to join more than 40 amazing writers in a conversation about this question as part of a multi-site discussion hosted by Food Editor Nicola Twilley, in honor of the re-launch of GOOD magazine’s food section. It’s funny, in a million

RecipeRelay: Using the Web to Socialize & Customize Cooking

Everyday, food lovers from all over the world log on to the web in search of recipes. A growing number of sites, such as Food52 and Gourmet Live, are helping to democratize, personalize , and socialize the cooking experience (click here for a more complete of social recipe sites). RecipeRelay is an interesting social recipe venture