The First Edition of the Negative Foods Newsletter

Happy (belated) Earth Day!

I’m Paul Lightfoot, and this is the inaugural (and Earth Day 2021!) edition of the Negative Foods Newsletter.  Share this newsletter with your friends!!

This newsletter will cover the food brands that are based on regenerative farming practices and that draw carbon from the atmosphere.  This newsletter will cover the foods that have carbon neutral or carbon negative footprints, and the technologies, people and companies that bring negative foods to market.  Each week I’ll share my thoughts on a relevant topic, I’ll share links to articles and podcast episodes, and, course, I’ll review a food product with a negative or neutral carbon footprint.  

Why do I have something to say on this topic?

The food system is responsible for a third of global greenhouse gas emissions.

But food is unique.  It is unique in that we must eat to survive, of course.  But it is also unique in that some foods can have negative carbon footprints.  In other words, some food can be produced in a way that draws carbon from the atmosphere instead of emitting carbon.

So if we eat food that draws down carbon on a net basis, our food system will be a lever to reverse climate change.  

By eating fewer animals, reducing food waste and converting farmland to regenerative agricultural practices, we can reduce greenhouse gasses with no need for new technologies or silver bullets.  Not only will we help reverse climate change, but in doing so we will rebuild our soils, clean our lakes, rivers and oceans, and provide consumers with more nutritious food.

As consumers, you can make this happen.  By choosing foods with negative carbon footprints, market forces will guide farmers and food companies toward regenerative practices.  The next five years will bring a cheerful tidal wave of carbon negative foods to the market, and by feeding ourselves with such foods, we’ll make the world a better place and save it for future generations. 

In this newsletter we will highlight food brands that have carbon negative foot prints. And therefore I want to learn from you (the readers). This is not a broadcasting tool. This is a movement tool. You and I are in this movement together, and I will rely on you to make my thinking sharper and to spark ideas.

Send in your ideas and feedback

Product Review:  Bel Campo Meats.  

For today’s stop on the tour of carbon negative foods, we’re highlighting Bel Campo, a 27K acre farm in northern California at the base of Mt Shasta.  Did I mention I had a dog named Shasta when I was a child?

Bel Campo stands apart for several reasons, including its vertically integrated business model, with its own FDA-approved processing facility, full-service butcher shops, and restaurants serving authentic farm-to-table dining experiences.  In addition, its founder and CEO Anya Fernald has a terrific personal story and is an amazingly effective spokesperson for the ascendent regenerative meat industry.  And, of course, “...we practice regenerative agriculture, that means our farms are climate positive and carbon negative”.  

Bel Campo is a DTC business, meaning you can order from Bel Campo directly and there will be nobody, and no processing steps, between you and the farm.  I don’t eat a ton of red meat, but I recognize that livestock is an important element of regenerative farming practices, and I am happy to enjoy Bel Campo meats with my family.  Our first order was a 10-pack of frozen 1 lb units of ground beef for about $120.  It came quickly, it was delicious and my kids loved it.  We are now regular customers. And I enjoy discussing with my kids that their Bel Campo meals were produced in a way that draws down carbon from the atmosphere. 

For your further consideration:

Do We Really Have Only 12 Years to Avoid Climate Disaster?

A Third of Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions Tied to Food

Bel Campo CEO Anya Fernald on Mark Hyman’s podcast

America has a valuable chance to reimagine our food system as a force to combat climate change by (your truly) Paul Lightfoot 

Global food system emissions could preclude achieving the 1.5° and 2°C climate change targets