Founder of FFM and Veris Strategies, Kate Cawley, shares her insights on fueling energy for change in the latest issue of Veriscope.
“As a consultant, businesses often ask me: ‘what is our value and how do we prove our impact?’ I am always asking myself that question with my Veris and Future Food Movement hat on. I’ll be honest: at first, I started to doubt myself. But standing in front of the people gathered at our recent annual Future Food Movement dinner not only reassured me; it crystallised our role in this very busy space. Members can read the Dinner’s key takeaways here.
I think the value we’re delivering is the power of human connection. In an era of AI and data, that is easy to forget. But food is about people, and we are providing a space to reconnect right along the supply chain. We hear a lot about people reconnecting with their food, but there needs to be more attention on how to bring the food chain together.
Farmers (whose confidence levels are at an all-time low) and supermarkets are often cast as enemies. Manufacturers can be caught in the middle. Foodservice can be forgotten altogether. The public and politicians often seem to be outside looking in. It’s no wonder the system is broken, and we are struggling to fix it.
Human connections are, therefore, at the heart of FFM. We want to help empower and support you all in understanding the benefits of change to climate and health and your role in this so we can all work in one direction.
Indeed, everyone has a role to play – and right away. I felt this energy in the room in London, in my team, and in the clients, we work with. We need to use that energy to fuel progress because we are (currently) a small group confronting a huge challenge: a food system transformation that will bring healthy, sustainable diets to everyone.
With the UK general election, as well as votes in Europe, the US and elsewhere, there is a risk of being caught in the usual vacuum of inactivity; when politicians steal all the energy for themselves and their priorities. We can’t let that happen. This is our opportunity to accelerate change. We need a policy agenda that raises the bar, and now is the time to push for it. And we can only do that if we work together, speak together and act together.”
- Kate Cawley, Founder, Veris Strategies and Future Food Movement
Find expert insights to help you navigate and make sense of the latest ESG noise in Veriscope.