Why I Believe We Need A Better Food System — For Our Health & The Planet's

"Eat your broccoli" is not the empty rallying cry of moms across America. Time and time again, science has shown the benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. According to a report from the Harvard School of Public Health, eating more produce can "lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, prevent some types of cancer, lower risk of eye and digestive problems, and have a positive effect upon blood sugar." And while adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet is a great place to start, I also encourage people to take a look at where that produce is coming from and how it's being grown.

Today's conventional food system, which depends on synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, is depleting our soil, polluting our water, and causing harm to our bodies and planet1. Organic foods grown with regenerative agricultural practices, on the other hand, aren't dependent on potentially harmful practices. Plus, research shows they're actually more nutrient-dense and have more antioxidants2 compared to their conventionally grown counterparts.

Here's what we're seeing now: From seed to shelf, our current conventional food system has engineered a way to mass-produce food items that last on grocery shelves forever in order to maximize the bottom line—even if it comes at the expense of human and planetary3 health. The system often hides behind marketing tricks, like calling food "low-fat," "sugar-free," and even "natural" to disguise artificial ingredients, pesticides, and other harmful chemicals. Sometimes foods are even labeled "better for you," when they might not be.  

The good news is: The future of the food system can be different. Growing and eating fruits and vegetables more responsibly is a great first step, but I know that's not always easy. Big change takes all of us: consumers, corporations, government agencies, and elected officials. 

My company, Daily Harvest, is working to be a leader in the industry and make it easier to eat more organic fruits and vegetables—but frankly, we're just one model, and we need a whole ecosystem of businesses and government programs to make a wide range of organic, regeneratively grown fruits and vegetables accessible to consumers and sustainable for farmers. 

Thankfully, some Big Food companies recently pledged to do more for the health of our planet, including reducing emissions and moving toward more regenerative farming practices, but these are small steps spaced over decades. In the meantime, we need companies to quickly and dramatically expand commitments to growing and sourcing a wide variety of sustainably and organically grown ingredients. We also need elected officials to do more to support farmers in transitioning to organic, regenerative, and sustainable practices so that fresh produce is more accessible to all.

I can take care of my personal resolution by making sure that I eat five servings of fruits and vegetables every day, but I know that to truly take care of others I also need to double down on my commitment to changing the food system (and, yes, still making bagels for my kids).