Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
MPR News Presents

COVID-19 and climate change: Implications for our food system

Four cows stand in front of a red barn.
Cows walk from a barn after being milked on a farm near Cambridge, Wis.
Scott Olson | Getty Images 2017

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

COVID-19 has disrupted every aspect of our lives and economy – including our food system. Will COVID-19 change our food system for good?

Climate One host Greg Dalton speaks with several guests:

  • Lisa Held, senior policy reporter, Civil Eats.

  • Karen Ross, secretary, California Department of Food and Agriculture.

  • Helene York, professor, Food Business School, Culinary Institute of America.

  • Shay Myers, CEO, Owyhee Produce.

  • Gabriel Morales, program director, Brandworkers.

Coronavirus outbreaks in food markets, food plants, and farmworker communities have put a spotlight on food insecurity. Farmers are hurting as supply chains for fresh, perishable foods shrivel, while food banks have seen a surge in demand.

With restaurants devastated, food workers either unemployed or vulnerable, and trips to the grocery store now being highly-planned ventures into risky territory, the pandemic is having a broad impact on the way food is produced and consumed.  

“Farmers saw a lot of increased demand from consumers who are home and wanted food at home, direct to consumer,” says Lisa Held, Senior Reporter with Civil Eats, who covers the meat industry and other aspects of agriculture. 

“A lot of farmers went totally online, which was very effective, but requires extra labor, extra packaging -- just so much time essentially creating a whole new business model at the time when you're transitioning into harvest season.”

Helene York, who was an executive at companies that run food operations on corporate and college campuses before becoming a Covid layoff herself, admires the way many food producers have been able to pivot. But she also laments the lack of coordinated federal response to the pandemic.

“We all know some very good public servants in the USDA and many of them had their hands tied,” she says. “There could've been a 10-time improvement [in] efforts on how we support eaters as well as producers that could've come from more focused planning from the USDA.”

This program was recorded by the Commonwealth Club of California, via video on July 30, 2020.