Edible Empire

Planet Pulse Pacific

Planet Pulse Pacific—your go-to podcast for conversations about people and planet—is proud to host a special series: Edible Empire.  As the climate and global health crises intensify, the need for meaningful change has never been more urgent. This six-episode series brings together leading voices from around the world to explore the concept of food imperialism, uncover the hidden social and environmental costs of what we eat, and examine how we can build a more just and sustainable food system.  Join your hosts, Ben Eitelberg and Emma Strutt, alongside special series co-host Dr Neal Haddaway, as they dive into the complex and often unseen world of food—how it is produced, traded, and consumed across the globe. Kelly Allum edits the series.

  1. 1 day ago

    Edible Empire: Deep roots—a history of oil palm

    This is episode 3 of a six-part series on food imperialism. Welcome to Edible Empire, a podcast by Planet Pulse Pacific about the hidden cost of our food. Food isn’t just about taste—it’s power. This podcast explores how empires and corporations built control through agriculture, reshaping cultures and feeding some at the expense of others. This episode traces the global impact of the palm oil industry from its indigenous roots to modern supply chains through three expert interviews. Dr Jonathan Robins opens by detailing the pre-colonial history of oil palm in West Africa and explaining how European empires weaponised the crop to fuel the Industrial Revolution, establishing structural patterns that mirror today’s agribusiness models. Dr Helena Varkkey then unpacks the political economy of Malaysian production, exposing how entrenched relationships between political elites and conglomerates shield the industry from regulation. Farwiza Farhan brings a frontline conservation perspective from Indonesia, documenting how government-incentivised monoculture plantations drive deforestation, threaten endangered species, and violate Indigenous land rights.  Together, the experts critique the effectiveness of voluntary sustainability certification schemes like the RSPO, debate whether palm oil can ever be truly sustainable at scale, and highlight the efforts of local communities fighting back against corporate food imperialism. Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss out on the next episode! Resources from this episode: https://www.mtu.edu/social-sciences/department/faculty/robins/https://commoditiesofempire.org.uk/about/jonathan-robins/https://theconversation.com/profiles/jonathan-e-robins-1227071https://seapeat.wixsite.com/homehttps://cgsea.org/https://umexpert.um.edu.my/helenav To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website. Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee or becoming a member of Athletes for Nature. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook, subscribe to this podcast, and share this episode with your friends and family.

    Edible Empire: Deep roots—a history of oil palm
  2. 12 Jul

    Edible Empire: Corporate power in the food system

    This is episode 2 of a six-part series on food imperialism. Welcome to Edible Empire, a podcast by Planet Pulse Pacific about the hidden cost of our food. Beyond recipes lies a story of power. From colonial plantations to modern agribusiness, this podcast reveals how the pursuit of food has redrawn maps, exploited people, and continues to shape who holds control today. This episode explores how an increasingly monopolised system of multinational corporations operates as de facto states within the global food system, exercising power over land, labour, trade, and policy in ways that rival or exceed nation-states. If empires once flew flags, today they file annual reports. This episode examines how large agrifood corporations increasingly function as sovereign actors within global food systems. From controlling vast transnational supply chains and shaping trade rules, to influencing national policy and disciplining labour across borders, corporations now wield powers historically associated with states. Focusing on agribusiness, food traders, and retailers, the episode asks how corporate concentration has reconfigured food imperialism, turning companies into the new “nations” of food empires, and what this means for accountability, democracy, and food sovereignty. In this episode of Edible Empire, Professors Phil Howard and Jennifer Clapp unpack how intense corporate concentration has transformed global agriculture into a system dominated by a few powerful transnational firms that operate much like sovereign states. Using the analogy of an hourglass, Professor Phil Howard illustrates how millions of farmers and billions of consumers are squeezed through a dangerously narrow bottleneck controlled by these massive agribusinesses, which deploy specific power plays to manipulate trade rules, capture government subsidies, and avoid accountability for environmental and labour exploitation. Meanwhile, Professor Jennifer Clapp highlights how mega-mergers in the agricultural inputs sector allow a small cartel to exercise immense structural power, locking in an industrial model that dictates what society views as "normal" food practices, while trapping countries in the Global South in dependency loops that prioritise luxury exports over local food security. Despite the immense political and economic inertia behind this consolidation, both experts close with a message of hope, emphasising that because this extractive system was constructed by humans, it can be dismantled through active political engagement and collective action. Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss out on the next episode! Resources from this episode: https://philhoward.net/ https://ipes-food.org/people/phil-howard/ https://uwaterloo.ca/scholar/jclapp/homehttps://ipes-food.org/people/jennifer-clapp/https://uwaterloo.ca/environment-resources-and-sustainability/profiles/jennifer-clappTo view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website. Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee or becoming a member of Athletes for Nature. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook, subscribe to this podcast, and share this episode with your friends and family.

    Edible Empire: Corporate power in the food system
  3. 5 Jul

    Edible Empire: What is food imperialism?

    This is episode 1 of a six-part series on food imperialism. Welcome to Edible Empire, a podcast by Planet Pulse Pacific about the hidden cost of our food. We celebrate flavours, but rarely the people behind them. This podcast uncovers how food—once shaped by empire and now by corporate power—has long been used to control land, labour, and cultures. This episode explores how global food systems are shaped by historical power structures and capitalist mechanisms that prioritise corporate profit and "cheap food" over the health of ecosystems and human communities. Where does our food come from? Who works in the fields that produce our fruit and vegetables? Who is making a profit from the food we eat? This episode sets the scene for the series, introducing the concept of food supply chains—the intricate trade routes that keep supermarket shelves stocked with produce all year round. But how did these global networks come to be? Tracing the history of our globalised food systems, we uncover why our food systems look the way they do today. Featuring Professors Harriet Friedmann and Raj Patel. Professor Harriet Friedmann begins by tracing how global power shifted from a British-led system to one dominated by the US dollar. She explains that this change transformed how the world eats, replacing diverse, sustainable local farming with industrial monocultures like wheat and palm oil. This shift prioritised international profit over local cultures and environmental health. Building on this history, Professor Raj Patel exposes the deception of "cheap" food. He argues that low prices are only possible by pushing the true costs onto the planet and underpaid workers. According to Patel, the global food system isn't broken; it is designed to make hunger profitable. He concludes with a call for food sovereignty, demanding we return power to the people who actually grow and harvest our food. Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss out on the next episode! Resources from this episode: https://harrietfriedmann.ca https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Harriet-Friedmann https://www.sociology.utoronto.ca/people/directories/all-faculty/harriet-friedmannhttps://rajpatel.org/https://www.antsandgrasshopper.org/https://rajpatel.org/2009/10/27/stuffed-and-starved/To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website. Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee or becoming a member of Athletes for Nature. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook, subscribe to this podcast, and share this episode with your friends and family.

    Edible Empire: What is food imperialism?
  4. 28 Jun

    Edible Empire: Prologue

    Welcome to Edible Empire - hosted by Planet Pulse Pacific, this is a podcast series about the hidden cost of our food. We’re your co-hosts, Neal Haddaway, Benjamin Eitelberg, and Emma Strutt, with Kelly Allum on editing. When we talk about food, we tend to focus on recipes, flavours and dinner times. But what we rarely discuss is where our food comes from. And we don’t mean which supermarket - we mean the ingredients that make up our food: where did they come from, who grew the vegetables, picked the fruit and processed the oils? What’s life like for them, and what does their environment look like as a result of what they’re exporting for us to eat? From the plantations of the British Empire to the smart agriculture within ultra-modern greenhouses, food has always been a tool of power and of profit. This is a story of how some cultures were dismantled to feed others, and how those empires live on through corporate control - this is a podcast about Food Imperialism. This series explores the complex, often uncomfortable intersection of appetite and authority. We are looking at food imperialism: how the quest for calories and commodities reshaped the map, redefined our identities, and continues to influence who gets to eat, and what, in the twenty-first century. In this introductory episode, we introduce the concept of food imperialism and the inspiration for this species series. We discuss some of the upcoming content we’ll be publishing in the coming weeks, along with our exciting, world-leading expert guests.  Join us for an appetiser! Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss out on the next episode! Resources from this episode: https://www.thesalmonandthetomato.org To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website. Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee or becoming a member of Athletes for Nature. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook, subscribe to this podcast, and share this episode with your friends and family.

    Edible Empire: Prologue
  5. 3 May

    Kal Glanznig - Blue Minds Youth Ocean Leadership

    Kal Glanznig is one of Australia’s leading youth ocean and climate champions, a true powerhouse inspiring a new generation of hopeful, action-driven environmental leaders. In the past year alone, he has reached more than 20,000 people through keynote talks, school programs, and Q&A screenings of his documentary Rising Up. Elected in 2024 as the youngest independent Councillor in the Sutherland Shire, he is now driving local climate action through practical and forward-thinking sustainability initiatives. Kal first made headlines in high school after delivering a $100,000 solar project that inspired more than 20 schools to follow suit. He went on to co-found Plastic Free Cronulla, contributing to New South Wales’ ban on single-use plastics, and Blue Minds, a national program supporting young Australians with eco-anxiety and environmental leadership. An award-winning speaker, he has also represented Australia in water polo at the Youth World Championships. Kal reminds us that while no one person can change the world alone, the future is still unwritten—and every action we take creates a ripple. Take a listen and feel inspired to be part of that change. In this episode, we discuss: Kal’s background in high-level sport and how it sparked his passion for the environmentWhy meaningful change starts at home, no matter how wicked the problemHis documentary Rising Up, including its screening at COP30 in Brazil and its role in sharing Pacific storiesDriving change through the ballot box and his journey into local councilThe importance of genuinely engaging young people, and the powerful perspectives they bringThe role of athletes in activism and advocacyEco-anxiety and its impact on young people, and how Blue Minds is helping build resilience and leadershipKey lessons Kal has learned from young people, and his advice for those wanting to make a difference in their communitiesWhy we don’t have to do everything, but we can all do something, starting in our own backyardWhat’s next for Blue Minds and his upcoming documentary, The Plastic CountryTo view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website. Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee or becoming a member of Athletes for Nature. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook, subscribe to this podcast, and share this episode with your friends and family.

    Kal Glanznig - Blue Minds Youth Ocean Leadership
  6. 19 Apr

    Dr Kate Wylie - The Health Hazards of Water Bankruptcy

    In this episode, we’re joined by Dr Kate Wylie, GP and Executive Director of Doctors for the Environment Australia, and a long-time friend of the show. One of Australia’s leading voices on climate and health, Kate helps us unpack the United Nations’ Global Water Bankruptcy report and what it means for all of us. Put simply: we are running out of water. We’re using more than we have in supply, so much that in many places we’re pushing past the point of recovery and can’t repay our debts. Driven by climate change, over-extraction, and pollution, this growing ‘water bankruptcy’ is fuelling food and water insecurity, disease, and deepening global inequities. Closer to home, we explore what this looks like in Australia, from the declining Murray-Darling to pressures on the Great Artesian Basin, and why this crisis is as much about public health as it is about the environment. A sharp, urgent conversation about one of the defining challenges of our time and the role we all must play in protecting the resource that underpins life itself. In this episode, we discuss: Kate’s background and her work at the intersection of human and planetary healthThe UN’s Global Water Bankruptcy report and Kate’s recent InSight+ article outlining what this means for us in AustraliaOur unsustainable water use and the industries driving the greatest extractionThe deep inequities of water insecurity, with the Global South bearing the greatest burdenKey health concerns, including unsafe drinking water, food insecurity, and the mental health effects of droughtRising risks of vector-borne diseases like Malaria, Dengue Fever, and Ross River VirusThe dual extremes of drought and flooding, and their impact on food systems and livelihoodsAustralia’s unique challenges as the driest inhabited continent, and the need for more sustainable agricultureGrowing strain on critical systems, from the Murray-Darling Basin to the Great Artesian Basin, and flow-on effects like South Australia’s algal bloomThe hidden water and energy costs of modern technology, including AI and cloud computing, and why we can’t ‘tech’ our way out of thisThe critical role of health professionals in advocating for climate and water securityWhy climate and environmental health must be embedded in medical educationThe vital work of Doctors for the Environment Australia and their latest advocacy efforts, including an open letter to Australian governments calling for an end to our dependence on global oil—add your name to the submission hereTo view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website. Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee or becoming a member of Athletes for Nature. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook, subscribe to this podcast, and share this episode with your friends and family.

    Dr Kate Wylie - The Health Hazards of Water Bankruptcy
  7. 12 Apr

    Clancy Lester - Native Bee Conservation

    In this episode, we’re joined by Clancy Lester (AKA Bee Man), a passionate environmental educator, documentary director, and native bee advocate, whose work is dedicated to protecting pollinators and rewilding the places we live.  Specialising in native bee conservation, native plants, and science communication, Clancy combines hands-on ecological research with a gift for making complex ideas accessible and engaging. Through his social enterprise Bees and Blossoms, Clancy creates native bee habitats, delivers workshops, and champions nature-based climate solutions across urban and regional Australia. Driven by a deep commitment to restoring biodiversity, he shares practical, hopeful insights into how Australia’s native bees are faring, and what we can all do to support pollinators and wildlife, no matter where we live. In this episode, we explore: Clancy’s background, his connection to the natural world, and how his fascination with native bees beganHis experience in the Wattle Fellowship at the University of Melbourne and working with remote Aboriginal communities in north-east Arnhem LandBee Hotels 101: What they are and why they matterThe challenges pollinators face in urban environments, and how cities can better support them through habitat and native plantingClancy’s workshops, what gives him hope for the future, and how he inspires people to connect with natureHis role as Director of 7 Seasons, and key moments from making the documentary that reshaped his thinkingThe importance of genuine collaboration and two-way learning with Indigenous communitiesWhy honouring thousands of years of on-Country knowledge is essential for climate adaptationStaying connected to Country in urban environmentsUsing social media for climate advocacyA fun breakdown of Bee Movie—what it got right (and wrong) about pollinatorsTo view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website. Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee or becoming a member of Athletes for Nature. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook, subscribe to this podcast, and share this episode with your friends and family.

    Clancy Lester - Native Bee Conservation
  8. 6 Apr

    Richard Neville - Regenerative Design Through Landscape Architecture

    In this episode, we’re joined by Richard Neville, NZILA Registered Landscape Architect and Director of Neville Design Studio. Richard’s work is grounded in regenerative design and a deep respect for the relationship between people and land. Driven by a belief that landscapes can reconnect us, both with nature and with each other, Richard creates spaces that are both meaningful and enduring. An award-winning landscape architect, his work spans residential, rural, community, and commercial projects, and has been featured in several magazines, including Landscape Architecture Aotearoa. Alongside his practice, Richard is an active voice in the industry, most recently delivering the keynote at the 2025 New Zealand Gardens Trust Conference, sharing his perspective on how our cultural relationship with land and gardens is evolving. In this episode, we explore: Richard’s background and passion for natureWhat led him to landscape architectureLandscape architecture as an interconnected system of ecology, people, and placeThe evolution of the discipline: from controlling nature to embracing wildness, beauty, and ecological complexityRewilding gardens—why less paving, fewer lawns, and more plants create healthier, more resilient spacesHow small, everyday moments in nature can have a lasting impactThe ecological and human benefits of thoughtful landscape design, and how it fosters a deeper connectionRichard’s work in schools and the importance of openness, curiosity, and unstructured interaction with natureOur relationship with Papatūānuku, and why biodiversity is essential for lifeThe power of positive storytelling in reconnecting people with the environmentPractical ways to bring nature into daily life, even in small or urban spacesTo view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website. Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee or becoming a member of Athletes for Nature. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook, subscribe to this podcast, and share this episode with your friends and family.

    Richard Neville - Regenerative Design Through Landscape Architecture

About

Planet Pulse Pacific—your go-to podcast for conversations about people and planet—is proud to host a special series: Edible Empire.  As the climate and global health crises intensify, the need for meaningful change has never been more urgent. This six-episode series brings together leading voices from around the world to explore the concept of food imperialism, uncover the hidden social and environmental costs of what we eat, and examine how we can build a more just and sustainable food system.  Join your hosts, Ben Eitelberg and Emma Strutt, alongside special series co-host Dr Neal Haddaway, as they dive into the complex and often unseen world of food—how it is produced, traded, and consumed across the globe. Kelly Allum edits the series.

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