Reimagining Our Food System at Food Tank's SXSW All Things Food

Reimagining Our Food System

As part of the 7th Annual “All Things Food and Environment” SXSW Summit, Food Tank, in collaboration with the Environmental Working Group (EWG), presents Reimagining Our Food System, a forward-looking conversation exploring how cities, policymakers, scientists, advocates, and community leaders are working to build healthier, more equitable, and more sustainable food systems.

Hosted at the Farmstead at Barr Mansion, this session examines the interconnected challenges shaping today’s food landscape, from urban food policy and public health to chemical exposure, climate justice, and the growing role of local leadership in transforming how food is produced, distributed, and consumed.

The program opens with a live musical performance followed by welcome remarks from Danielle Nierenberg, President of Food Tank. An opening keynote fireside conversation with award-winning author and food systems scholar Raj Patel, moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, sets the stage with a discussion on inequality, climate justice, and the political economy of food.

A keynote introduction from Filippo Gavazzeni, Director of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, leads into a panel exploring how cities are advancing sustainable food supply systems. Speakers include Taylor LaFave, Chief of Food Policy and Planning for the City of Baltimore; Edwin Marty, Food Policy Manager for the City of Austin; Grace Rude, Public Health Specialist with Homegrown Minneapolis; and Brooke Freeman, Food Systems Coordinator for the City of Kansas City, Missouri.

The conversation continues with a panel focused on food safety and public health, featuring Scott Faber, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at the Environmental Working Group; Amanda Masino, Professor of Biology and Chair of Natural Science at Huston-Tillotson University; and Ora Kemp from New York City’s Mayor’s Office of Food Policy, examining unequal exposure to food chemicals and pathways toward safer food systems.

A fireside discussion titled “It’s not you, it’s the food: ultra-processed foods in our food supply” brings together Todd Wagner, Founder of FoodFight USA, and chef and restaurateur Johanna Hellrigl of AMA in Washington, DC, exploring how ultra-processed foods shape health outcomes and consumer choice.

And much more ot be announced soon!

This session is part of the full-day 7th Annual “All Things Food and Environment” SXSW Summit, presented in partnership with SXSW, Food Tank, Organic Valley, the City of Austin, and Huston-Tillotson University.

Thursday, March 12, 2026
Barr Mansion — Farmstead
10463 Sprinkle Rd, Austin, TX 78754

Musical Guest + Program: 9:30–11:30 AM

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