ShelfSense: Stories Behind Our Stuff

Cynthia Barstow

ShelfSense: Stories Behind Our Stuff is where Cynthia Barstow brings together natural products change-makers sharing their stories with younger generations, so together they can help make sense of what’s on our shelves. Along the way, they reveal how the choices we make — from food to fashion, beauty to beverages — impact our health, our wellness, and our planet.

  1. What's Up with Tinned Fish? Sustainable Seafood Protein

    4D AGO

    What's Up with Tinned Fish? Sustainable Seafood Protein

    Tinned fish is everywhere—but is it actually a smart, sustainable protein? In this episode of ShelfSense, Cynthia Barstow sits down with Henry Lovejoy (EcoFish, Henry & Lisa’s, Freshé) to unpack what sustainability really looks like from the sea, and with Caitlyn Bangert, a Gen Z protein seeker, to ask the questions shoppers are quietly wondering. From sourcing and labels to taste, trust, and convenience, this conversation helps you shop the tinned fish aisle and seafood counter with confidence. Send us a text

    22 min
  2. Cracking Protein: Chicken or the Egg?

    JAN 20

    Cracking Protein: Chicken or the Egg?

    Since protein is hot right now, we wanted to go straight to the source of one of our go-to choices. In this episode, we sit down with mother (Annie) and daughter (Tessa) Diemand—second- and third-generation poultry farmers—for a conversation that helps close the distance between raising chickens and producing eggs with care, and the grocery store cooler. We unpack what labels like local, cage-free, and pasture-raised really mean, how practices have evolved across generations, and what they hope shoppers pause to appreciate the next time they crack an egg or cook a piece of chicken. Send us a text

    21 min
  3. What's Hot in 2026? Protein! Clean Beauty (from within), Functional Mushrooms, Supplements...

    JAN 6

    What's Hot in 2026? Protein! Clean Beauty (from within), Functional Mushrooms, Supplements...

    Data—not brands—shape our shelves. If you’ve noticed protein suddenly everywhere, beauty promises moving into drinks, or unfamiliar ingredients showing up in foods, this episode explains why—and what that means for us as shoppers. Scott Dicker of SPINS and I decode what’s hot heading into 2026—and how the trends that often appear first in supplements move next into the foods and beverages we buy for our health and wellness. This isn’t about chasing trends; it’s about understanding what’s real, what’s useful, and what’s coming next. We also unpack how Gen Z and Millennials are influencing what ends up on shelves—and how knowing the story behind these shifts help shop with more confidence, clarity, and intention. Send us a text

    24 min
  4. Celebrate MOCKTAILS with Benefits

    12/23/2025

    Celebrate MOCKTAILS with Benefits

    Looking for something bubbly to toast your Christmas or New Year’s celebration? Give a listen before you decide what to drink. Whether you’re sober, sober-curious, or simply taking a pause, Wild Mocktail’s Rebecca Hamilton shows how intentional NA mocktails bring ritual, flavor, and festivity without the regret. Joined by Gen Z guest Ruby Adamowicz, who captures the cultural shift unfolding in her generation, this episode explores the rise of elevated mocktails that deliver flavor, function, and a clearer kind of buzz.     Send us a text

    24 min
  5. Hot Cocoa, Zero Worry

    12/09/2025

    Hot Cocoa, Zero Worry

    If food sensitivities make you feel like you’re always missing out, this episode is your warm invitation back in. Cynthia sits down with young founder Ali Lazowski, whose delicious dairy-free, gluten-free, refined-sugar-free and organic hot cocoa was born from her own long road to diagnosis, and Gen Z voice Grace Kaiser, who’s navigated similar struggles. Together, they share how comforting traditions can be enjoyed—without worry, without symptoms, and without compromise. Happy Holidays! Send us a text

    24 min
  6. Secrets in your SPICE Jar

    11/25/2025

    Secrets in your SPICE Jar

    Your spice jar has a story… and it reveals what’s really behind the flavors in your food. Join Cynthia, Frontier Co-op/Simply Organic CEO Tony Bedard, and Gen Z voice Sara Yelle as they trace spices back to the people and places that grow them. This warm, eye-opening episode shows how everyday flavors carry purpose — and why the spices you choose matter more than you realize. As the holiday season begins, enjoy a dose of thankfulness knowing every spice jar on your rack can make a difference for our planet and her people. Send us a text

    32 min
  7. What's Up with RICE?

    11/11/2025

    What's Up with RICE?

    Rice feeds half the world — and may be a key to saving the planet. In this episode, host Cynthia Barstow and Gen Z voice Marigold Averill sit down with Caryl Levine, co-founder of Lotus Foods, to explore how a staple grain can become a force for good. From preserving biodiversity to empowering women farmers and reducing methane emissions, discover how changing what goes into our rice bowls can nourish both the body and the Earth. Listen to the stories behind our stuff — and how one small bowl of rice can make a world of difference. Send us a text

    26 min
  8. What's Up with Chocolate?

    10/28/2025

    What's Up with Chocolate?

    Chocolate is one of the world’s sweetest pleasures—and one of its most bitter industries. In this episode, Cynthia Barstow and Gen Z voice, Vivian Mottl, talk with Joe Whinney, the pioneering founder of Theo Chocolate and now co-founder of Magic Chocolate, to explore how a once-broken system is being reborn through regenerative organic farming. With Dr. Bronner’s passing the torch to Magic Chocolate, a new era begins—one rooted in ethics, ecology, and extraordinary flavor.  As trick-or-treaters head out to fill their bags, it’s worth discovering how "the right chocolate" could help heal the planet, one cocoa bean at a time. Send us a text

    21 min
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Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

ShelfSense: Stories Behind Our Stuff is where Cynthia Barstow brings together natural products change-makers sharing their stories with younger generations, so together they can help make sense of what’s on our shelves. Along the way, they reveal how the choices we make — from food to fashion, beauty to beverages — impact our health, our wellness, and our planet.

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