The future of food is in taste, with futurist Mike Lee episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 8, 2026 · 42 MIN

The future of food is in taste, with futurist Mike Lee

from Agtech - So What? · host Mike Lee, Dr Madeline Mitchell

What if the future of food isn't about convincing people to care more about sustainability, but rather focusing on what can improve taste? In this episode, Tenacious’ Dr. Maddie Mitchell speaks with food futurist and innovation strategist Mike Lee about the forces shaping the future of food, agriculture, and consumer behavior.  Mike has spent his career helping some of the world's largest food companies think differently about innovation. He's also the author of Mise: On the Future of Food, a speculative magazine from the future that explores what food systems could look like over the coming decades. Together, Maddie and Mike unpack why consumers consistently say they care about sustainability but continue to buy based on taste, convenience, and price. They explore the growing interest in soil health and why one of the biggest opportunities for agtech may be proving the connection between healthy soils, flavor, and nutrient density. They discuss: Why taste still beats sustainability at the checkout The emerging connection between soil health, flavor, and nutrition. What agtech startups can learn from systems thinking The links between personalized nutrition and crop diversity Who’s driving more change: big food companies or startups Useful Links: Will consumers and companies ever pay for nutrition and soil health? A New Blueprint for Big Food - by Mike Lee Eating to Extinction  GLP-1s are reshaping the food system — are midstream companies ready? Companies mentioned: Chobani, Alpha Food Labs, Bionutrient Food Association, Edacious For more information and resources, visit our website.  The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jul 8, 2026

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Food futurist Mike Lee explores why the future of food may depend less on sustainability messaging and more on creating products that are tastier, healthier, and more desirable for consumers. From soil health to AI, this episode examines how agtech and food innovation can drive change by aligning environmental outcomes with what people actually want to eat.

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The future of food is in taste, with futurist Mike Lee

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