As Food Chain Chats has evolved, we have been working diligently to make it a leading resource for professionals across the food system. In celebration of Earth Month, we launched part one of our “Advancing Sustainability” series on Food Chain Chats.

This #ScienceHearted series featured leaders from across the food system sharing how they are addressing sustainability including Matt Farrell, CEO of Church & Dwight Inc., Co., Lara Moody, Executive Director of The Institute for Feed Education & Research (IFEEDER), Ashley McDonald, Assistant Vice President of Sustainability at National Pork Board, and Chris Noble, a dairy farmer and CFO of Noblehurst Farms, Linwood Ag, Natural Upcycling LLC, and Synergy LLC.

This series allowed these industry experts to share key insights into the food system’s sustainability journey—and we’re not done yet. Starting this month, we will be welcoming several more experts onto Food Chain Chats for part two of our series.

As we prepare to share more #ScienceHearted insights, here are four key takeaways from part one:

1. Sustainability is a journey.

While it might seem like some farmers or organizations have it all figured out, everyone starts somewhere, and the work is never really done. In Matt Farrell’s episode, he discusses how Church & Dwight’s sustainability work dates back to the 19^th century—but their journey is far from finished.

2. Sustainability requires multiple perspectives.

Building out sustainability resources is a daunting task, but having input from organizations of all sizes can help make your efforts more effective.

"When we did the first phase of our work on the sustainability roadmap, we had 23 industry companies that were engaging with us, from folks that hadn't done anything in sustainability to folks who had dipped their toes in, to folks who had full sustainability teams behind them,” said Lara Moody, Executive Director of IFEEDER. “Having all those perspectives is really important to making sure that we create resources that are usable and needed by everyone.”

3. Sustainability is an evolving term.

Each of our guests shared how they define “sustainability” within their organizations and no two definitions are the same.

“Sustainability has been a buzzword for about 20 years now and every year it seems to take on a different meaning in the public sphere,” said Chris Noble of Noblehurst Farms. “As a business leader, I look at three things. One, is the organization making people happy and are they satisfied with what you're doing? Two, are we making the planet a better place? And three, are we contributing positively to the economy and supporting our communities?”

4. Sustainability across the food system requires teamwork.

Achieving a sustainable food system is not just a charge for farmers or any one organization—it’s an all-hands-on-deck situation. Together, farmers and organizations like ARM & HAMMER, National Pork Board and IFEEDER can make meaningful change and create a more secure, sustainable food supply.

Keeping the conversation going.

Tune into the full #ScienceHearted discussions on Food Chain Chats to hear how industry leaders are building on their sustainability journeys and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform to make sure you don’t miss part two of our “Advancing Sustainability” series!