From hidden vulnerabilities to future-ready solutions – our second Kerry Health and Nutrition Institute podcast puts the resilience of today’s food system under the spotlight and asks what it will take to strengthen it.
Hosted by the KHNI and moderated by Mary Shelman, founder of the Shelman Group, this session brought together Wolfram Schlenker, the Ray A. Goldberg Professor of the Global Food System at Harvard University, and Juan Aguiriano, Group Head of Marketing and Sustainability at Kerry.
The discussion examined how climate shocks, environmental pressures, and geopolitical volatility are exposing real fragility – driving all-round disruption leading to unpredictability, supply instability, and price variability.
The panel explored the growing complexity shaping food and agriculture and why resilience must sit at the centre of every decision. Embedding sustainable resilience into risk management was identified as strengthening a company’s ability to forecast and anticipate disruption and ultimately generate long‑term value.
Speakers highlighted the complexities around trade-offs between sustainability, affordability, resilience, and nutrition – while at the same time meeting consumer expectations. They pointed to the expanding role of data and AI in enabling more resilient production systems, smarter and more adaptive supply chains, and better-informed consumer decision-making.
The message is clear: sustainable resilience is no longer a cost – it’s core to risk management and long-term growth. Food’s future lies not in producing more, but in producing better — driven by partnership, innovation, and a mindset built for resilience.
