Menus of Change 2024

General Session I: Seeds of Transformation: Global Academic Perspectives on Nourishing Sustainable and Just Food Futures The case for fundamental transformation of food systems has garnered increasing attention on the global stage. There is a growing urgency to enact critical reforms to set countries, companies, and consumers on a more sustainable, healthy, equitable, and resilient path. In this opening general session, moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, a globally recognized expert and advocate in food systems and agriculture, we explore the multifaceted landscape of scientific, political, and social dynamics driving change with a panel of leading academics. You’ll learn about the Food Systems Countdown Initiative, co-chaired by Dr. Mario Herrero, that seeks to measure, assess, and track the performance of global food systems toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. You’ll gain an understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities facing America’s rural communities from Dr.

General Session II: The Next Bite: Navigating Dietary Macro Trends from Food As Medicine to GLP-1 Drug Advances As the landscape of dietary trends continues to evolve, between the rise of food as medicine programs, increasing concerns over ultra-processed foods and climate change, and advancements in GLP-1 drug therapies for weight loss, professionals across food-related industries must stay up to date with the latest research and prepare for impact and response within their businesses. In this session, you will gain insights from leading nutrition and industry experts at the forefront of these macro trends and the emerging challenges and opportunities they present to foodservice operators. Through an informative presentation and engaging panel discussion, the speakers will provide actionable recommendations for navigating this rapidly changing landscape, equipping attendees with the knowledge and tools needed to embrace change, adapt, innovate, and lead the way toward a healthier, mor

General Session III: Regional Resilience: Adapting and Diversifying Procurement Models for Changing Landscapes The COVID-19 pandemic placed unprecedented stresses on food supply chains, revealing the vulnerabilities of these complex systems and contributing to a reevaluation of what food system resilience and security truly means. Fortunately, many innovative solutions and adaptations have emerged in response to food supply chain disruptions, playing a significant role in transforming the food system through rewarding more sustainable and/or regenerative agricultural practices; bolstering procurement opportunities from small, family, and/or minority-owned farms; and addressing issues like food justice and sovereignty. This session will feature different perspectives on adapting and diversifying supply chains including case studies from a farmer-owned marketplace helping increase CIA’s local purchasing capacity, a regional wholesale distributor working with large institutions on values-

Stanford Food Institute Presents the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative Collective Impact Initiative: The Power of Collective Purchasing to Reduce Food-Related Emissions and Improve Diet Quality In a first-of-its-kind effort, a group of more than two dozen colleges and universities, led by the Residential & Dining Enterprises (R&DE) Stanford Food Institute (SFI), is demonstrating how, when it comes to addressing major food-related sustainability challenges, the sum is greater than its parts. Most colleges, universities, and corporations have their own ambitious, individual sustainability goals. But in the only example of its kind in college and university foodservice, a group of C&U dining operations are working in concert—using a Collective Impact framework—to set a common goal, collect and analyze data, and share learnings with one another for greater and sustained impact. The group, whose participants are members of the Menus of Change University Research Collaborativ

Breakout Session A1: Digging In: A Closer Look at Regional and Diverse Procurement Approaches This immersive breakout session promises rich insights and practical takeaways from a panel of industry leaders who will delve deeper into General Session III conversations around innovative strategies reshaping resilient food procurement. Whether you’re a foodservice operator, procurement specialist, educator, aspiring culinary leader, or food system advocate, this breakout session offers a unique opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions, deepen your understanding, and glean actionable strategies for enhancing regional resilience and diversity in procurement practices within our food supply chains. • Abby Fammartino, MBA, MSFS (Director of Health and Sustainability Programs and Research (incoming), Strategic Initiatives Group, CIA) • Katelyn Repash (Responsible Sourcing Procurement Director, Aramark) • Monique Rolle, CIA ’04 (Manager of Menu Planning and Procurement, Food & Nutrition S

General Session IV: Nourishing Health: Exploring the Interplay of Food, Biodiversity, and the Gut Microbiome for Planetary and Human Wellness Thriving biodiversity is necessary for healthy ecosystems, from the macro-environment we inhabit right down to our body’s microbiome. With trends of significant biodiversity loss in ecosystems across the world and within the human gut microbiome, our society must rise to the challenge of addressing these losses and preserving the richness of biodiverse foods for both human and planetary wellness. This session brings together a diverse panel of experts offering their unique perspectives on the critical interplay of food, biodiversity, and gut microbiome and the implications for culinary practice and sourcing, menu development, and our collective future. Drawing on the traditional wisdom of indigenous foodways, cutting-edge scientific research on the health benefits of fiber, polyphenols, fermented, and plant-rich foods, and experiences in the emer

General Session V: From Plate to Purpose: Empowering Chefs as Advocates for Change Chefs and restaurateurs are increasingly being recognized as some of the most powerful forces for change in our troubled food system. This session explores the diverse ways in which culinarians are leveraging their platforms for good to drive meaningful impact within the restaurant industry and beyond. Led by Katherine Miller, former vice president of impact at the James Beard Foundation, founding executive director of the Chef Action Network, and author of At the Table: The Chef’s Guide to Advocacy (2023), this panel discussion will feature stories and insights from three distinguished culinary leaders who are at the forefront of catalyzing positive and lasting change within their communities and our food system. Attendees will gain valuable perspectives and practical tips on how chefs can leverage their growing cultural influence and platforms to raise awareness and influence policy for issues they car

Breakout Session B1: Evidence and Impact: Academic and Operational Research Insights from Members of the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative The Menus of Change University Research Collaborative (MCURC), co-presented by the CIA and Stanford University, is an international network of colleges and universities using campus dining halls and kitchens as living laboratories where applied research advances the Menus of Change Principles of Healthy, Sustainable Menus. Over the past 10 years, the MCURC has pioneered a groundbreaking model of behavioral research built on a unique collaboration between faculty experts, university dining operators, and students, with projects that focus on promoting plant-forward foods choices, enhancing food literacy, reducing food waste, and more. During this breakout session, you’ll hear fresh insights from MCURC academic and operator members leading innovative research projects with powerful implications that go beyond the campus dining environm

General Session VI: Nudging the Plate: Harnessing Behavioral Research and Consumer Insights to Shape Plant-Forward Preferences The shift towards plant-forward diets is not just a culinary trend but a movement reshaping consumer preferences and industry practices. To help you better understand what consumers across generations are craving and how foodservice operations and brands across sectors can satisfy those desires in a way that still bolsters the bottom line, this session brings together leading experts from Google, Datassential, World Resources Institute, and Health Care Without Harm. You’ll hear hot-off-the press findings and practical takeaways from two new publications—WRI’s 2.0 Playbook for Guiding Diners Toward Plant-Rich Dishes in Food Service as well as the 2024 edition of Datassential’s Plant-Forward Opportunity report, produced annually in collaboration with the CIA, Food for Climate League, and the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, which focuses this ye

General Session VII: Premiere of PBS Docuseries, “Hope in the Water” The world’s waters are abundant in wonder, possibilities, and hope. They bring a vast opportunity to nourish people indefinitely. They are a deep well of jobs and sustenance. A stream of planetary health. That’s why we are diving deep as we close out this year’s Summit with a premiere of Hope in the Water, a three-part docuseries airing on PBS on June 19. Produced by thirteen-time Emmy award-winning producer and writer David E. Kelley and four-time James Beard award and Emmy award winner Andrew Zimmern, the series travels the globe to discover creative solutions and breakthrough efforts that could not only feed us but help save our threatened seas and fresh waterways. Following the short screening will be a panel discussion with practical takeaways featuring the series’ executive impact producer Jennifer Bushman and Icelandic entrepreneur and author Dr. Thor Sigfusson, whose 100% Fish Project is featured in the series