The social life of food - Part 1

How can we eat well to live longer, feed future populations, and sustain planetary health? What's the science behind creating the world's most resilient hybrid wheat? Food makes us who we are. The ways we eat together change lives and communities. In this Sydney Ideas event, we bring together some of the best brains to cook up new ideas and solutions to shift how we think about food for the better. They serve inspired visions for changing the way we eat, produce and understand why food is so important. - Juliet Bennett, a researcher applying critical social theory to systems of food production and consumption; - Rebecca Cross, rural and environment geographer with insight into sustainable, regenerative farming and agricultural practices; - Shadia Djakovic, a dietician bringing extensive experience in nutrition and health promotion; - Sophie Gee (host), English professor, co-host of the popular literary classics podcast The Secret Life of Books, and author of The Barbarous Feast: Writing and Eating in the Eighteenth-Century World (forthcoming, Princeton University Press); This Sydney Ideas event was presented on 22–23 October at Riverside Theatres, with the support of City of Parramatta as part of Parramatta Lanes, one of Sydney’s most exciting street festivals, transforming the city's streets, laneways and car parks into a playground of Eats, Beats and Art. This podcast is a recording of a live public event held on 22 October 2025. For more links and resources, including the transcript, visit Sydney Ideas website: bit.ly/3LRYhNV