Future Plate Podcast

An agricultural country like the Philippines should rightfully invest in agricultural sustainability. According to Brodt et al. (2011) means being able to “meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” while also minimizing adverse impacts to the environment. 

In relation to this, we invited Ms. Carmela Taob, a special guest for this episode who will take us to the world of sustainable agriculture and nutrition practices in indigenous communities. So let’s buckle up and prepare to learn from Ms. Taob’s knowledge, expertise and experience, and together, let’s make our Future Plates more sustainable. 

About the guest: 

Maria Carmela Taob is a licensed nutritionist-dietician and an assistant professor at the University of the Philippines - Diliman. She ranked 6th during the Nutritionist-Dietitian Licensure Exam back in 2008 and has published and completed a lot of research studies. Aside from this, she’s also inclined to getting into adventures and hiking mountains which brought her closer to the indigenous people in the Mountain Province and eventually worked with them for her research. 

#FuturePlatePodcast #SecureTheFuture #FuturePlate #newseason #newepisode #podcast

#videocast #agriculture #localagriculture #sustainableagriculture #sustainability #indigenouscommunity #indigenouspeople #indigenouspractices #nutritionpractices #nutrition #agricultureandnutrition #supportlocal #sustainablepractices

Agritourism or Farm Tourism is an emerging concept that allows the agricultural sector to cope with the economic risks posed by climate change. This involves creating avenues for more income-generating agricultural activities and all of the value chains associated with it.

But how is this concept applied in the Philippines? We will find out in this episode, together with our guest Raf Dionisio who talks about agritourism - its purpose, challenges, promotion, and its role in uplifting the agricultural sector and in our Future Plates.

About the guest:

Raf is a social entrepreneur behind Mad Travel (https://madtravel.org/) who dreams of a world that is poverty free and sustainable, focusing on building the green economy – starting with planting 3M trees in Zambales, and sustainability education. This involves ecosystem restoration (forests and mangroves) and on cleaning up the oceans from plastic waste. He is focused on creating balance between the city and countryside by creating connections with farmers, forest, indigenous people, and fishermen, among others.

Many people think that eating is simply satisfying your stomach but we should always tell ourselves to eat for our health and not for our stomachs. This is why in this “Food as Medicine” episode we uncover the connection between food and health - delving deeper into the benefits of eating food for one’s overall well-being, existing projects in relation to food as medicine currently being implemented, the role of traditional Philippine medicine and diet in the use of food as medicine, roles that various sectors play in the implementation of food as medicine programs and the exciting developments and advancements we can expect in this field for the sake of our future.

Tune in to learn about the many ways food can help improve your health! As the saying goes, let food by thy medicine, and let thy medicine be thy food.

About the guest:

Grace Banal is a registered nutritionist-dietitian who aims to empower more Filipinos towards healthy, productive and happier lives through easy-to-follow meal plans coupled with relevant and engaging nutrition education. Apart from being a dietitian, she is also a teacher, a student and a physically active individual who happens to love sharing her ideas and perspectives about health and nutrition.

Grace’s profession also helps her become a mom who exerts efforts to raise a healthy family. It has become her habit to start her week or maybe end her day sitting down with a notebook and pen to write a meal plan not just for clients but also most importantly for her family.

Time stamps:

0:24 Introduction to the episode and guest speaker

1:56 Definition of Food as Medicine

5:20 Existing projects/ advocacies related to Food as Medicine in the Philippines

10:58 Role of diet and traditional Philippine medicine in promoting the concept of Food as medicine (di ko sure to)

15:47 Role of dieticians, medical health workers, and local government in implementing food as medicine program

20:11 Interventions that can be made by healthcare system and government in adapting food as medicine

25:18 What future is there for “food as medicine”?

29:51 Key takeaways

#FuturePlatePodcast #SecureTheFuture #FuturePlate #newseason #newepisode #foodasmedicine #medicineasfood #foodandhealth #healthbenefits #PHmedicine #traditionalmedicine #foodandnutrition #healthandnutrition #eatright #eathealthy #healthyeating #functionalfoods #healingpropertiesoffood

Rice self-sufficiency is a concept that may be foreign to most of us but it has to be talked about because it is the ability of a country or community to meet its own food needs through its own production of rice. Such a promising concept right?

This is why in this episode, The Future Plate podcast invited an expert who was awarded an MA dissertation prize for his research on rice self-sufficiency. He discussed what rice self-sufficiency is, the ways by which we can achieve it and the struggles that come with it.

In addition to that, we were also able to assess the feasibility of attaining rice self-sufficiency in the Philippines as well as discuss the players who play an important role in achieving it because of its positive implication to our future plates.

About the guest:

Mel Yan, a returning guest from our food sovereignty episode, is someone who obtained an MA Dissertation Prize for getting the highest score of 97 for his research entitled Freedom from the Corporate Food Regime: Food Sovereignty and the Struggle for Rice Self-Sufficiency in the Philippines, which talks about rice self-sufficiency and everything related to it. Aside from his expertise and high level knowledge on rice self-sufficiency, he is also into understanding food sovereignty and also interested in food systems inequality, sustainability and environmental conservation, education in development, social entrepreneurship and inclusive business and leadership and organizational development in impact-driven organizations.

Time stamps:

0:24 Introduction for guest speaker

2:27 What is rice self-sufficiency?

4:43 How can we achieve 100% rice self-sufficiency?

11:00 Main challenges why we can’t achieve 100% rice self-sufficiency in the Philippines

16:22 How feasible it is to attain rice self-sufficiency in the Philippines now?

20:54 Who has the largest impact in the goal of achieving rice self-sufficiency?

25:28 What is the implication of rice self-sufficiency to our future plate?

30:32 Key Takeaways

These days, Filipinos have been struggling with the drastic increase in price of red onions, as they say it feels like the “golden era” for onions in the Philippines. Some people even create satirical content out of it, garnering different kinds of reactions.

In line with this, the show is releasing an episode for consumers to better understand what is going on with these onions. Why is it too expensive, even more expensive than meat? Why are prices rising? Who is affected by this? What should various sectors do about it?

Want to know the answers? Listen and watch to another episode of alone time with Jenny and Benj now!

Timestamps:

0:24 Introduction to the episode

1:14 Why is onion expensive?

5:48 Price of onion in Philippines compared to other countries

9:48 Roles of the government and possible interventions

13:57 What can the consumers/ general public do?

25:16 Key Takeaways

These days, Filipinos have been struggling with the drastic increase in price of red onions, as they say it feels like the “golden era” for onions in the Philippines. Some people even create satirical content out of it, garnering different kinds of reactions.

In line with this, the show is releasing an episode for consumers to better understand what is going on with these onions. Why is it too expensive, even more expensive than meat? Why are prices rising? Who is affected by this? What should various sectors do about it?

Want to know the answers? Listen and watch to another episode of alone time with Jenny and Benj now!

Timestamps:

0:24 Introduction to the episode

1:14 Why is onion expensive?

5:48 Price of onion in Philippines compared to other countries

9:48 Roles of the government and possible interventions

13:57 What can the consumers/ general public do?

25:16 Key Takeaways

Did you know that we are foodies by nature? Why? Because all of us need and want food!

But, the problem is - the food that we need and the food that we want is not always available, accessible and affordable for us. In line with this, our hosts Jenny and Benj had their “alone time” to talk about why the prices of goods are changing, why is healthy food expensive, how is it like in other countries in relation to the economy, what can we do about it and some advice for consumers regarding budget management.

Generally, the 4th episode of Season 2 aims to educate us about the economics of food! So come now and learn about Foodie-conomics!

Time Stamps:

0:25 Introduction to the episode

1:25 Factors that affect and drive price changes

5:29 Why is healthy food expensive?

9:24 The economics of [healthy] food globally and locally

16:33 What can we do to bring ourselves closer to healthy food? (Physically, economically, financially)

30:50 Other tips for consumers

35:20 Key takeaways

36:50 Ending the episode

Did you know that we are foodies by nature? Why? Because all of us need and want food!

But, the problem is - the food that we need and the food that we want is not always available, accessible and affordable for us. In line with this, our hosts Jenny and Benj had their “alone time” to talk about why the prices of goods are changing, why is healthy food expensive, how is it like in other countries in relation to the economy, what can we do about it and some advice for consumers regarding budget management.

Generally, the 4th episode of Season 2 aims to educate us about the economics of food! So come now and learn about Foodie-conomics!

Time Stamps:

0:24 Introduction to the episode

1:24 Factors that affect and drive price changes

5:29 Why is healthy food expensive?

9:24 The economics of [healthy] food globally and locally

16:33 What can we do to bring ourselves closer to healthy food? (Physically, economically, financially)

30:50 Other tips for consumers

35:20 Key takeaways

36:50 Ending the episode

Everything is political, they say and yes even food is political. So for this episode, The Future Plate podcast talks about the politics of food together with our special guest, Jasper Villasis who is into socio-political advocacies.

Moreover, the discussion is focused on how food and politics are tied together and which local food issues require immediate political attention. Additionally, we are informed about how citizens can influence the outcomes of these pressing issues.

Lastly, we are given the chance to get a glimpse of what it is like to have a food system that is positively influenced by political figures and are called to action to work on this bright future.

About the guest:

Jasper Villasis is a BS Food Technology graduate from UP Diliman who is currently working as a Science Research Specialist at the UP College of Home Economics. His projects are mostly focused on product development of underutilized agricultural products such as pili pomace and mature coconut water while working closely with micro-scale food processors and coconut farmers.

He dreams of a food secure, gender equal, and nationally democratic Philippines. Aside from his professional practice related to food technology, he is also an artist - mostly doing campus and community theater and more recently, filmmaking - which is also his avenue for tackling and addressing relevant socio-economic, socio-political and gender-related issues.

Time stamps:

0:25 Introduction to the episode

0:55 Introduction and welcoming the guest

3:08 Beginning of Jasper’s advocacy journey

6:49 How are food and politics connected?

10:30 Pressing food-related issues

18:29 How can common citizens be involved?

32:13 Glimpse of a future where our food system is positively-influenced in a socio-political level

35:06 Key takeaways and learnings

40:45 Final message of the guest

44:33 Ending the episode

Your house, your rules!

My body, my choice!

BUT, most importantly, OUR FOOD, OUR RULES!

Food sovereignty is a fairly new and unfamiliar concept for most people, but we should realize how important it is to bring this discussion to the table for the sake of our Future Plates. In line with this, the Future Plate Podcast team invited Mel Yan, a special guest who is an expert and a professional who shared his experiences, knowledge and findings about food sovereignty. Moreover, the episode talks about the definition and importance of food sovereignty in opposing the present food system which is driven by market institutions and corporations to control the global food system.

Want to find out how we can reign over our food? Listen and watch the episode!

About the guest:

Mel Yan obtained the MA Dissertation Prize for getting the highest score of 97 for the research entitled Freedom from the Corporate Food Regime: Food Sovereignty and the Struggle for Rice Self-Sufficiency in the Philippines. Aside from food sovereignty, Mel is also interested in food systems inequality, sustainability and environmental conservation, education in development, social entrepreneurship and inclusive business and leadership and organizational development in impact-driven organizations.

Time Stamps:

0:24 Introduction to the episode

1:00 Introduction to and meeting the guest

5:31 What is food sovereignty

7:11 Why be sovereign about our food?

18:31 Pillars of food sovereignty

22:50 How do we increase food sovereignty?

29:16 Challenges to food sovereignty

36:49 Food sovereignty and the Future Plate

39:51 Key Takeaways

43:53 Message of the guest

Just in time for the new year, the Future Plate podcast brings you the second part of our first episode in Season 2 which continues to talk about how important it is for us to act now and fight food waste.

Our guest, Ms. Djanna Cornago discussed various ways on how we can reduce food waste and loss at each stage of the food supply chain, and offered some solutions from being mindful about our contributions to food waste and loss at the household and consumption level up to redesigning our food system. Moreover, we are made to realize how big of a lever can food waste and loss reduction be in increasing efficiency of food use as well as attaining food security and sustainability all for the sake of our Future Plates and the future of our planet as well.

Generally, the first episode of season 2 reminds us that our individual and collective efforts can pave the way for a better future for our food, our planet and our lives!

About the Guest:

Djanna Cornago, a former instructor at the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Home Economics, UP-Diliman. She has more than 10 years of teaching experience on food science and technology courses, with knowledge and understanding of food microbiology, chemistry, analysis, handling, and processing. She is currently a consultant on food-related topics at the Philippine Trade Training Center Global MSME Academy, with more than 15 years of experience on training food manufacturing and food service personnel and health sanitation officers. She has practical knowledge and understanding on postharvest losses and its control and on bioactive plant food components.

Time Stamps:

0:43 Short recap of topics covered in Part 1
1:28 What can we do to overcome the challenges of food loss and food waste for our Future Plates
12:35 Key takeaways for the episode
18:38 Final message of the guest for listeners
20:58 Ending the episode

Feeling the holiday rush? As we approach the holiday season, we all are busy buying ingredients and preparing food as we want our plates and our tables to be filled with A LOT OF FOOD like lechon, ham, spaghetti, chicken, lumpia, leche flan and all other types of food we crave for. However, while we ask ourselves what we want to eat, we should also ask how much can we actually eat? Not just during the holiday season, but every time we budget and prepare food for ourselves and for our families.

In line with this topic, The Future Plate Podcast brings you a two-part videocast to start off season 2 together with our special guest, Djanna Cornago, a former instructor at the University of the Philippines Diliman. In the first part of our episode, we will talk about food loss and food waste, the drivers and pressures of food waste and loss at each stage of the supply chain, and the economic, social and environmental impacts of food waste and loss. After which, the show leaves you hanging for more about food loss and waste so make sure you stay tuned!

The episode reminds us to stop wasting food, because the more losses we have, the more we lose - our chance to save the planet and feed the people.

About the Guest:

Djanna Cornago, a former instructor at the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Home Economics, UP-Diliman. She has more than 10 years of teaching experience on food science and technology courses, with knowledge and understanding of food microbiology, chemistry, analysis, handling, and processing. She is currently a consultant on food-related topics at the Philippine Trade Training Center Global MSME Academy, with more than 15 years of experience on training food manufacturing and food service personnel and health sanitation officers. She has practical knowledge and understanding on postharvest losses and its control and on bioactive plant food components.

Time stamps:

0:25 Introduction to Season 2 and Episode 1

2:14 Introduction to the guest

3:16 How the guest got interested with food loss and waste

9:12 Difference between food loss and food waste

11:23 Drivers and pressures of food loss and waste in the supply chain

19:10 Social, economic, and environmental impacts of food loss and waste

28:26 Local and international policies to reduce food waste

50:27 Episode cut (Stay tuned for part 2!)

Welcome to our season finale featuring one of our hosts, Benj, as our guest to end the season with his “Professor Diaries” highlighting his journey with his students who were interested in documenting indigenous foods in various places and regions around the Philippines.

He shared the origin story, some examples of indigenous foods documented and its applications and relevance in addressing food system issues such as food security. Aside from that, Asst. Prof. Benj also told us about the challenges faced during their documentation journey and how we should make use of the findings so that we may optimize it and enrich our food culture. Additionally, there were also suggestions enumerated regarding efforts we can exert to nourish food culture, tradition, and heritage. Lastly, we were made to realize how big of a role Indigenous Peoples’ food systems have in securing our Future Plates.

In this episode also, the hosts took the opportunity to thank our solid listeners and invite them for the second season of the Future Plate. Tune in lang mga ka-Future Plate, join us in our journey from past to the future!

Where it all started:

In Benj’s second year of teaching, he had a thesis advisee who wanted to document a local delicacy named Putong Polo in Valenzuela. His student coordinated with the Local Government Unit (LGU) of the said city in order to make the documentation possible.

According to Benj, it was their first foray into qualitative studies but they eventually realized that there is really a need to document and characterize local food, especially its dying practices. Consequently, after that one study, a lot of students ventured into their interests towards documenting local foods like suman (rice cake) and other local delicacies or foods.

Time stamps and highlights of the episode:

0:35 Introduction to episode (Season Finale)

3:06 How did the documentation of indigenous food start?

7:12 Foods that have been documented by Benj's students and its applications

13:30 How is it relevant in addressing food system issues and in the food industry in general

20:49 Challenges encountered during documentation

25:51 How can we make use of the findings?

31:34 Efforts we can take to nourish food culture, tradition and heritage

35:21 Role of indigenous peoples' food systems in securing our Future Plate

38:08 Key takeaways

42:05 Final message of our guest and host

Nutrition is more often than not, simply interpreted as something that would entail eating nutritious foods but little do we know that nutrition is far more than that. This is why in this episode, we invited a Registered Nutritionist-Dietitian to talk about nutrition and it’s role in securing our Future Plate.

Specifically, the episode talks about non-communicable diseases (NCDs), policy-making on curbing the increasing rate of NCDs, the effects of our food culture and food environment in shaping our food habits and preferences, and the role of various food actors in the food system in relation to the issue.

Overall, the episode emphasizes the interconnectedness of various disciplines as well as sectors of the food industry and their role in policy-making as we face the reality that there is no definite and only one solution to an issue.

About the guest:

Airon Bonifacio is a Registered Nutritionist-Dietitian working in the field of Public Health, Nutrition, and Agriculture. He is a BS Community Nutrition graduate from UP Diliman and is currently finishing his Masters degree in Public Health in UP Manila. Additionally, he is also currently working as a Monitoring and Evaluation Consultant for Grameen Foundation focusing on carabao dairy farming.

He worked as a faculty member in UP Diliman for 8 years teaching courses in public health nutrition with a focus on program management and health promotion and education. Before working in the academe, he worked as a development worker for a social mobilization project to combat tuberculosis.

His other interests include development and sustainability studies, community and public health, philosophy, information technology, behavioral economics, cultural heritage and preservation, and interdisciplinary education, collaboration, and practice.

Time stamps and highlights of the episode:

0:22 Introduction

1:43 Introduction to the Guest

3:24 What are NCDs and how big of a problem are these in the PH?

6:20 Opinions on DOH's proposal to increase taxes on sweet beverages and junk foods

12:34 Is taxation an effective answer to curb sugar consumption?

15:59 Alternative strategies on policy-making aside from taxation

22:38 Role of other food actors in the food system to curb increasing rate of obesity

29:55 How our food environment affect our food habits and food choices

31:43 Stories and work experiences on poverty alleviation and development work of the guest relevant to the issue

36:20 How can individuals safeguard their health and influence people around them

39:05 Nutrition and the Future Plate

42:00 Key takeaways

46:27 Final message of the guest

Notable references:

News article on DOH’s proposal to increase taxes on some foods:

https://mb.com.ph/2022/09/10/doh-proposes-higher-sin-tax-on-junk-food-sweet-drinks-to-curb-obesity/

*Other references mentioned in the episode were provided and researched by the guest himself

What should we talk about in the present to get a glimpse of the future? How essential it is to not just bring food, but also the issues that emerge from farm to table, on our plates? What's there to know about our Future Plate?

In the pilot episode of The Future Plate, we share with you the reasons behind why our hosts, Jennibeth (Jenny) Paglinawan and Benjamin (Benj) Gonzales, agreed to venture into a podcast to share and listen to stories about food and everything about it starting off with stories about the status of farmers in the Philippines and Italy, and our vision for their future as well as a preview on food integrity, and other interesting topics that we will bring on your plates as you tune in to this podcast. 

About Jennibeth Paglinawan and Benjamin Gonzales:

Jenny is a Food Technologist and Marketing Strategist residing in Italy, who loves food and listening to stories about food. She believes that the problems of our food system cannot be solved if we don't bring the discussion to the table and contextualize these challenges into the local or even regional setting. According to Jenny, living in Europe and working with food tech companies gave her a new perspective to see things, dream, analyze and inspire others. More importantly, she is looking forward to inspire action and change through this podcast. 

Benj, on the other hand, is a Food Technology professor in the Philippines, whose teaching experiences broadened and matured his take on various issues surrounding food technology. As a matter of fact, he wrote blog posts about these that somehow serves as an extension of the classroom. However, blogging declined in the past years, this podcast serves as an avenue for him to pick up where he left off. As Benj believes that it is not enough to educate students now as it will take a couple of years before they reach positions of influence in their careers, he wants this podcast to be a platform where he can reach out to more people who are able to make a difference. 

Time stamps and highlights of the episode:

0:08 Meet Benj and Jenny
4:26 Introduction to farmers and their passion
4:52 The whys of starting a podcast
6:10 Farmer situation in the PH
9:30 Farmer situation in Italy
13:20 20-peso rice grains, is it possible?
14:50 Subsidies
15:15 Other issues and problems
16:01 Strategies used in Italy that can be adapted by the Philippines
17:44 Value Chain Model or Strategy
20:44 Protection signs and labels of food specialties
23:13 Assessment of some strategies already done here in the PH
29:10 Challenge for Food Technologists
30:19 Preview of future episodes
30:46 A glimpse of food integrity
32:07 The direction of Future Plate
32:47 The future we envision for farmers and food actors
36:30 Final messages from the hosts

Notable References: 

Okra Rescue Buy

https://shop.ruralrisingph.com/product/okra-rescue-buy/

Porter's Value Chain Model

https://www.albany.edu/~gs149266/Porter%20(1985)%20-%20chapter%201.pdf

https://www.amazon.com/Competitive-Advantage-Creating-Sustaining-Performance/dp/0684841460

Thinking in Systems

https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Systems-Donella-H-Meadows/dp/1603580557

https://wtf.tw/ref/meadows.pdf

All about the Heirloom Rice Project in Cordillera:

https://heirloomrice.com/

Prof. Chris Elliott's Concept and Vision for Food Integrity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSw6uwOhLgM

https://www.futurelearn.com/info/courses/understanding-food-supply-chains/0/steps/74769