TED Radio Hour – "The Great Food Rescue" (October 24, 2025)

Host: Manoush Zomorodi
Main Theme:
A deep dive into the global issue of food waste — from the farm, to the grocery store, to our homes and restaurants — and the innovative thinkers, entrepreneurs, and scientists creating solutions to rescue food, reduce emissions, and build a more sustainable, happier future.

Episode Overview

This episode aims to illuminate the vast scale of food waste, its impact on climate change, and modern solutions that span technology, policy, business, and personal behavior. Featured are:

• Dana Gunders (Refed): Food waste expert and advocate for practical, everyday solutions.
• Jasmine Crowe-Houston (Goodr): Entrepreneur connecting surplus food to those in need using tech-driven logistics.
• Anthony Myint (Mission Chinese Food, Zero Foodprint): Chef-turned-activist focused on collective regenerative food systems.
• Jiayin Zhao (UBC): Behavioral scientist encouraging joyful, habit-forming climate action.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Massive Problem of Food Waste

• Scale of the Issue ([01:37], Dana Gunders):
  • 1/3 of food globally is wasted — about $1 trillion, or 1 billion meals, daily.
• Biggest Source: Us ([01:56], Dana Gunders):
  • "We as consumers are the largest source of food going to waste..."

Why Food Waste Matters — Not Just Morally, but for the Climate

• Wasted food contributes five times more greenhouse gases than the entire aviation industry ([04:44]).
• Landfills are the US's third-largest methane source, with nearly 60% of that coming from food ([05:53]).
• Land Use & Future Food Security:
  • By 2050, global food demands will be 50% higher; reducing waste could address 20% of this gap ([06:49]).

Household Waste: Habits and Solutions

Eye-Opening Facts:

• $200/month: The average family of four in the US throws away this much food ([04:00]).
• "It's not just leftovers – it's overbuying, poor planning, misunderstanding labels" ([02:13]).

Smart Habits for Households ([10:31], Dana Gunders' Five Tips):

1. Be Mindful When Shopping:
   • Plan meals, use lists, avoid overbuying.
2. Love Your Leftovers:
   • "They are the only true free lunch."
3. Freeze More:
   • Bread, milk, cheese, sauces freeze well — your freezer is a "magic pause button".
4. Use It Up:
   • "Shop your fridge before you restock it."
5. Learn Your Labels:
   • "Best by" and "Enjoy by" dates are about quality, not safety ([11:30]).

"Reducing food waste really is the low hanging fruit."
— Dana Gunders ([12:42])

Kitchen Tips

• Cilantro storage hack: Store in a water jar to extend life ([02:30]).
• Herb ice cubes: Chop and freeze herbs in oil in ice trays ([02:50]).

Systemic & Business-Level Solutions

Technology Matchmaking for Surplus Food

Jasmine Crowe-Houston & Goodr
([15:33]–[26:50])

• Goodr connects businesses with surplus food to cities, nonprofits, and farms using an app that tracks, sorts, and reports donations.
• Incentivizes companies with:
  • Cost-neutrality (shifts existing waste management budgets to donation logistics)
  • Tax deduction benefits
  • Emissions reporting and real-time impact stats

"We measure it by pound... For every pound of food they keep out of landfill, we tell them what the CO2 emissions are that they're helping to prevent."
— Jasmine Crowe-Houston ([18:35])

• Barriers: Legal concerns, corporate inertia, and reluctance to shift from traditional donation models ([19:09]).
• Policy change: Some states moving towards mandatory food donation or composting ([24:30]).

The Triple Bottom Line

• Goodr operates as a B Corp: "We're for people, we're for planet, and we are for profit." ([21:22])

Changing Agriculture: From Farm-to-Table to Table-to-Farm

Anthony Myint & Zero Foodprint
([27:29]–[43:01])

The Restaurant Perspective

• Running sustainable, zero-waste restaurants alone won’t shift farming at scale ([30:07]).
• Even a full restaurant’s support wasn’t enough to drive meaningful change for regenerative farmers.

Collective Regeneration

• Table-to-farm: Businesses tack on small surcharges (pennies per coffee, dollars per meal), pooled into grants for regenerative agriculture.
• Impact example:
  • "$0.05 from coffee can decarbonize the foodshed... Over $3 million in grants, 120+ farm projects" ([36:44], [38:45]).

"Zero Foodprint has already awarded over $3 million in grants to 120 farm projects. But really we’re just getting started… Any farmer can request funds to begin or advance their progress."
— Anthony Myint ([38:45])

Compost as a Keystone Practice

• Composting connects restaurants, customers, and farms, offering a scalable, climate-positive solution ([40:06]).
• Mandated organics recycling is gaining traction in states like California and Washington.

Optimism & Local Resilience

"Nature is so powerful that if we plant that seed... nature can restore itself."
— Anthony Myint ([41:53])

Behavioral Science: Making Climate Action Joyful

Jiayin Zhao, "Happy Climate" Approach
([43:46]–[52:45])

• The dominant narrative around climate action (“less, less, less”) leads to guilt and inaction.
• Happiness and climate action aren’t mutually exclusive—actions that reduce emissions can also boost personal happiness.

Happy Climate Hacks

1. Eat More Plants:
   • Reduces emissions, boosts vitamins and mood ([47:36]).
   • "But this does not mean never eat meat... deprivation is a disaster for happiness" ([47:48]).
2. Make Treats Truly Special:
   • Treating beef and shopping as occasional luxuries increases joy when indulged ([47:56]).
3. Curate Your Fridge:
   • Move perishables to the door to see/use them before they spoil ([48:43]).
   • "Five-fold your fridge" — first in, first out system ([49:23]).
4. Drive More... People!:
   • Carpooling = fewer emissions + more social connection ([49:43]).

"We need to change the narrative on climate action... We need to make climate action feel good."
— Jiayin Zhao ([52:36])

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• "The average household of four is throwing out over $200 a month in food that they never eat." — Dana Gunders ([04:00])
• "We can’t eat our way out of this. This is a systems problem, and it’s just way too big." — Dana Gunders ([05:55])
• "Fixing food waste is not rocket science." — Dana Gunders ([08:10])
• "People were like, 'oh, well, if someone gets sick we'll get sued.' And so Goodr said, 'hey, we'll take on all of that onus…'" — Jasmine Crowe-Houston ([19:09])
• "Food waste is inevitable. There’s no preparation for it." — Jasmine Crowe-Houston ([22:36])
• "When you buy my product and pay your invoice, you’re just buying my product. There’s not an extra $100,000 for me to change farming." — Anthony Myint, relaying farmers’ insights ([30:28])
• "Basically, we were trying to change eating instead of changing farming." — Anthony Myint ([30:44])
• "The best thing is citizens are just going about their daily lives, you know, while the change is happening." — Anthony Myint ([36:44])
• "We need to make climate action feel happy instead of miserable." — Jiayin Zhao ([45:16])
• "Deprivation is a disaster for happiness." — Jiayin Zhao ([47:48])
• "We need to change the narrative on climate action… make climate action feel good." — Jiayin Zhao ([52:36])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:19] – [04:44]: Dana Gunders on food waste realities & practical fridge tips.
• [05:42] – [12:55]: TED talk excerpt: systemic impact and practical home solutions.
• [15:33] – [26:50]: Jasmine Crowe-Houston on Goodr, corporate barriers, policy context.
• [27:29] – [43:01]: Anthony Myint on the restaurant world's pivot to funding regenerative farming.
• [43:46] – [52:45]: Jiayin Zhao’s "Happy Climate" habits from the TED stage.

Conclusion

This episode paints a comprehensive, hopeful, and actionable picture of how reimagining food waste — at home, in business, in the fields, and in our minds — can drive positive change for people and the planet. The solutions are not just technically feasible, but emotionally rewarding, encouraging everyone to play a part in the great food rescue.

Listen to the full talks and get more resources:

• Dana Gunders TED talk
• Jasmine Crowe-Houston TED talk
• Anthony Myint TED talk
• Jiayin Zhao TED talk