Ep 50 | Jack Bobo on food trends, consumer behaviours and the future of food systems

In this episode of Asia’s Farm to Fork: 5 Good Questions, we speak with Jack Bobo, Executive Director of the UCLA Rothman Family Institute for Food Studies, about how technology, psychology, and communication shape the future of food.

Jack—whose work spans food policy, science communication, and global consumer insights—shares his thoughts on why people are more anxious about their food than ever before, even as it’s never been safer. He discusses how misinformation and polarization have become the greatest threats to solving challenges like food security and climate change, and how better storytelling can help rebuild public trust.

The conversation explores:

• Why “our food has never been safer—and yet people are more concerned than ever”
• How global trends, from climate change to shifting demographics, are transforming what and how we eat
• Why we’re living through a historic shift from “more food” to “better food”
• How his “Nudge the Planet” initiative helps bridge divides through better science communication
• The balance between land sharing and land sparing, and how trade-offs define sustainability
• Why historical context matters when we talk about progress and innovation

Jack also reminds us that optimism has a place in the food conversation: while challenges remain, humanity has made incredible progress—childhood mortality is at its lowest point, hunger rates have fallen dramatically, and innovation has spared over a billion hectares of forest.