Explore every episode of the podcast The Checkout: Grocery Nerds

In this episode, Andrea Abel, Executive Director of Farm Share Austin, discusses the organization's efforts to improve food justice in Austin, Texas. She highlights the challenges of funding cuts, the importance of local farming, and innovative programs to increase food access for underserved communities.

Andrea joined Farmshare Austin as executive director in January 2017, but her hands have been in the soil and her heart in food and agriculture for most of her life. Throughout Andrea’s career, she has focused on creating community sustainability in a variety of nonprofit and government positions. Farmshare unites Andrea’s passions for ensuring that food is a human right by implementing community-driven, collaborative problem-solving and leveraging collective impact. In addition to her role at Farmshare, Andrea currently is an appointee to the Austin Travis County Food Policy Board and has been deeply involved in the creation and implementation of the 2024 Austin-Travis County Food Plan.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ann Larson shares her journey from grocery store worker to author, revealing the hidden realities of the grocery industry, labor struggles, and potential reforms. Discover insights on corporate power, worker solidarity, and how consumers can support change.

Ann Larson’s writing on education, debt, and low-wage work has appeared in The New Republic, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Fast Company, and The Nation, among other publications. She is author of Cleanup on Aisle Five: Essential Work, Poverty Wages, and the View from Behind the Supermarket Register, and coauthor of Can’t Pay Won’t Pay: The Case for Economic Disobedience and Debt Abolition and is a fellow with the Economic Hardship Reporting Project.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Alicia Kennedy, a food writer with a background in food production, discusses her journey from running a vegan bakery to becoming a renowned food critic and author. The conversation explores food systems, veganism, cultural history, and her latest book, offering deep insights into food politics and personal stories.

Alicia Kennedy publishes a twice-weekly food and culture newsletter called From the Desk of Alicia Kennedy ()aliciakennedy.news), as well as the digital magazine Tomato Tomato (tomatotomato.xyz). She’s the author most recently of On Eating: The Making and Unmaking of My Appetites, a memoir of food and place.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this in-depth interview, Aaron Henderson, CEO of Sweetleaf Stevia, shares his extensive experience in the grocery and CPG industry, focusing on natural sweeteners, supply chain intricacies, and evolving consumer trends like GLP-1. Discover insights on sourcing, product innovation, industry challenges, and the future of natural sweeteners in a rapidly changing market.

Aaron Henderson is the current CEO of Wisdom Natural Brands, makers of SweetLeaf Stevia, with 25+ years of leadership experience driving growth across marketing, sales and brand strategy. As former CEO of The Touch Agency, Aaron worked on 200+ brands and saw 38 acquisitions. Co-founder of Midnight Venture Partners, a leading early stage venture capital fund focused on better-for-you brands.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Will it work? This episode explores New York City's innovative plan under Mamdani to open publicly subsidized grocery stores, aiming to make healthy food affordable and accessible for all. We discuss the details of the plan, its potential impact, and the broader context of grocery industry challenges that brought us here.

Key Topics:

• Mamdani's grocery plan and its details
• Comparison with military commissary system
• Impact of industry inflation and challenges
• Role of subsidies and private operators
• Labor protections and union involvement
• Community and market-driven product assortment
• Potential flaws and criticisms of the plan

Mamdani, public grocery stores, New York City, food affordability, food supply chain, grocery industry, subsidies, labor protections, community impact

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This interview with Adnan Durrani and Paul Turbeville explores the journey of Saffron Road, innovation in frozen foods, and navigating the competitive grocery landscape with a focus on health, authenticity, and strategic growth.

Adnan Durrani has been a serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist for almost 30 years. He founded Vermont Pure Water Company(now part of Primo Brands , NYSE) and was a partner in Stonyfield Farms, Inc, which was sold initially to Dannon in 2001 (now part of Lactalis). He was also a principal of Delicious Brands, Inc., which he scaled, with the financial backing of Carl Icahn, to become the 5th largest cookie brand in the U.S. Adnan has been recognized as one of the entrepreneurs who engineered “20 Ideas That Changed The Way The World Does Business”.

Paul Turbeville is Chief Executive Officer of Saffron Road, a leading brand of premium frozen ethnic meals and snacks. He joined the company as President in November 2024 and was named CEO in January 2025. He is responsible for overall company strategy and leadership across sales, marketing, operations, and customer relationships, with a focus on reigniting growth, strengthening the brand’s position in the marketplace, and helping the founder realize his vision for the company.

Prior to Saffron Road, Paul served as Chief Commercial Officer for Village Gourmet, a premium protein and gourmet products platform with five operating companies in the charcuterie, gourmet products, and fresh sausage categories. He joined in 2021 and led commercial strategy, sales, and marketing until November 2024.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chris Jones is an attorney and founder of Center Market Strategies, a boutique law and advocacy firm that specializes in antitrust. He leads the Main Street Competition Coalition, a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization for independent business and agriculture producers harmed by monopolistic conduct. He has more than 16 years of experience in competition, food and agriculture, and supply-chain policy inside and outside of government. He recently served as Chief Government Relations Officer & Counsel at the National Grocers Association, the trade association for independent grocery stores.

Errol and Chris Jones discuss the impact of market power, consolidation, and legislation on independent grocers and consumers. He explores the history of the Robinson Patman Act, current challenges faced by small businesses, and legislative efforts to promote competition.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Aldi's success is driven by operational efficiency, not market magic. In this episode, we explore Aldi's rise in the US grocery market, analyzing its low-cost, highly efficient business model rooted in post-war German austerity and modern operational excellence. Discover how Aldi's strategies are reshaping American grocery shopping amidst economic turmoil.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jose Oliva, Campaigns Director at Heal Food Alliance, shares insights into the food industry's labor issues, food insecurity among workers, and systemic reforms needed for a fairer food system.

Jose Oliva was born in Xelaju, Guatemala. In 1985 he and his family were forced to flee the civil war and come to the US. Once in Chicago he was called to be Executive Director of Casa Guatemala where he began to organize day-laborers in Chicago’s street corners. He founded the Chicago Interfaith Workers’ Center and then became the Coordinator of Interfaith Worker Justice’s National Workers' Centers Network. Jose served in several leadership positions at the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, the national organization of restaurant workers. Jose was the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Food Chain Workers Alliance, a national coalition of food-worker organizations that collectively represents over 350,000 workers.

Jose is a 2017 James Beard Award recipient and a 2018 American Food Hero Awardee and a 2020 Castanea Fellow. Currently he is the Campaigns Director at HEAL (Health Environment Agriculture and Labor) Food Alliance, a national multi-sector coalition representing over two million people in the food system. He also chairs the Chicago Region Food System Fund and serves on the boards of Woods Fund of Chicago and the Growing Justice Fund.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this in-depth interview, Stacy Mitchell from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance discusses the monopolistic practices in the food industry, Amazon's dominance, and the impact of market concentration on local communities and food deserts. The conversation explores antitrust laws, corporate power, and potential policy reforms to foster competition and local self-determination.

Stacy Mitchell is a writer, strategist, and policy advocate. Her work focuses on dismantling concentrated corporate power and building thriving communities and a healthy democracy. She is Co-Executive Director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, an organization that for five decades has challenged the wisdom of neoliberalism and championed local, community-oriented models — from municipal broadband to distributed solar power, community banks, family farms, and local businesses. Stacy has played a leading role in today’s growing antimonopoly movement, helping to popularize its ideas and secure its embrace by the Biden Administration. Her insights about the importance of small, independent business have shaped the thinking of a wide range of policymakers, scholars, and advocates.

Stacy has written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Nation, The Washington Post, and many other outlets, both popular and academic. She is the author of Big-Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America’s Independent Businesses, which was named a best business book of 2007 by the American Library Association’s Booklist. In 2016, she co-authored Amazon’s Stranglehold, an influential report that “provided a road map for a new, more critical approach to the e-commerce colossus,” the New York Times noted in a profile of her in 2020. Congress cited her research on Amazon’s monopolization strategy in its investigation of Big Tech’s dominance in 2021 and her work informed the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust lawsuit against the company in 2023.

Through her advocacy, Stacy has advanced policies that expand community self-determination and build happier, more prosperous, and more sustainable places. In 2022, the political strategy firm Baron named her to its list of the top ten “antitrust super influencers” for her role in shaping federal policymaking and discourse. She has also worked extensively at the local level, helping communities craft policies that support local entrepreneurship and vibrant commercial districts. A close collaborator of both small business leaders and progressive organizers, Stacy has co-founded many campaigns and coalitions, including Athena and Small Business Rising. She also serves on the board of the Maine Center for Economic Policy.  

Stacy holds a B.A. in history from Macalester College. She lives in Portland, Maine.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join us for an inspiring conversation with David Bronner, CEO of Dr. Bronner's, as he shares the company's rich history, social activism, and commitment to regenerative organic farming, fair wages, and social justice. Discover how a legacy of love, spirituality, and sustainability is shaping a better future for business and the planet.

David and Michael established Dr. Bronner’s as a sustainable leader in the natural products industry by becoming one of the first body care brands to formulate with hemp seed oil in 1999 and to certify its soaps, lotions, balms, and other personal care products under the USDA National Organic Program in 2003. Both actions resulted in high-profile litigation with government agencies, DEA and USDA respectively, that Dr. Bronner’s ultimately won, cementing Dr. Bronner’s activist orientation in the natural products marketplace. Over the years, David and Dr. Bronner’s have been key leaders in fights for GMO labeling, industrial hemp farming in the U.S., high-bar organic and fair trade standards, drug policy reform, fair minimum wage, and the establishment of the Regenerative Organic Certified standard. Today, David continues to lead the growth of Regenerative Organic Certified, dedicating time and resources to creating an integrated, comprehensive program that addresses soil health, animal welfare, and fair labor prac-tices to advance sustainable and ecological alternatives to industrial agriculture.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Rachel Krupa is the Founder of The Goods Mart, an early pioneer of the better-for-you convenience store movement and a discovery platform for emerging food and beverage brands. Known as a "Snack Curator," Rachel has spent eight years helping consumers find their next favorite product while giving emerging brands a real foothold in retail, hospitality, corporate pantries, and events.

Rachel is also the Founder of Krupa Consulting, a boutique PR agency behind some of the most talked-about consumer brands of the past decade — including Thrive Market, Our Place, Khloud Protein Popcorn, goop kitchen, and Milk Bar. With 20+ years spanning retail, consumer products, and media, she has a proven track record of spotting what's next and helping brands find their audience.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this in-depth interview, grocery clerk and union organizer Edward Dupree shares insights on working at Whole Foods, the unionization campaign in Philadelphia, and tips on seasonal produce. Discover the realities of grocery work, the fight for better conditions, and how community building fuels organizing efforts.

Edward Dupree is a worker at Whole Foods of almost a decade in the Produce department and an organizer with UFCW 1776 as part of the Philly Whole Foods Union and Whole Foods Workers United.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ora Wise is a Brooklyn-based chef, community organizer, cultural producer, and educator whose current work invests in community controlled and regenerative food systems. For over a decade, Ora focused on media-based education, including co-facilitating the Palestine Education Project's high school program Slingshot Hip Hop: Culture & Resistance from Brooklyn to Palestine, serving as Youth Education Director for a progressive synagogue, and co-leading the Indigenous Youth Media Delegation to Palestine. In recent years, Ora founded The Dream Cafe, an experimental cooperative pop-up restaurant in Detroit as part of the Allied Media Conference and co-produced The Asymmetrical Table, a food sovereignty dinner series in downtown Manhattan centering the cuisine and activism of Palestinian women chefs. She currently co-directs the grassroots food justice collective FIG which operates political education and food distribution programs in partnership with frontline community organizations, farmers, and chefs.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.