How Can We Create a Good Food Future?
A talk by Dr Lesley Mitchell, leading thinker on the future of food systems

Every day, we encounter diverse and sometimes conflicting advice about what to eat—for our health and for our planet. Our current food system has an enormous impact, consuming vast amounts of fossil fuels, chemicals, and land.

For decades, we’ve focused on maximizing productivity through technology, but this approach has consequences. Our soils are becoming less fertile, threatening future food security, while extreme weather events challenge our food supply’s resilience.

Industrial animal farming provides inexpensive meat, but at significant costs to animal welfare, the environment, and public health. New plant-based alternatives offer additional choices, but are they complete solutions? How can nutritious food become accessible and affordable for everyone when fast food is often cheaper than fresh options? And who should take responsibility for making positive changes?

If food has such a major influence on our world, how might we transform what we grow and eat into a force for good?

Join the Conversation

In this session, Dr. Mitchell invites us to explore our power as both consumers and citizens to shape a new future for food and farming. Together, we’ll navigate the complex challenges facing our food system and discover how we can create our own “good food future”—one that helps restore nature and climate while ensuring healthy food is available to all.

Join us on this journey of exploration as we reimagine our relationship with food!

Practical Information

The presentation will include time for questions and discussion. Light refreshments can be purchased from the venue’s bar.

Booking is essential. Lit & Phil members: we recommend logging into the website to make booking your free member ticket quicker and easier.

The venue is wheelchair accessible with an accessible toilet on the ground floor. Please contact us regarding any specific accessibility requirements you may have by emailing events@manlitphil.ac.uk

About Dr Lesley Mitchell

Lesley Mitchell is a leading thinker on the future of food systems with more than 25 years of experience in policy, research, and strategy for sustainability-focused organizations like the Sustainable Food Trust and Forum for the Future.

Her work has shaped United Nations proposals on food security, influenced UK and EU government policy, and guided food companies in adopting ambitious actions for animals, nature, and climate. Lesley co-created impactful initiatives including the “Good Egg Awards” that freed millions of chickens from cages and partnerships promoting food justice in the United States.

With a background in animal science, Lesley has witnessed modern food production firsthand across global settings—from Amazon cattle ranches to Chinese slaughterhouses and large UK poultry farms. Her recent work explores regenerative farming and its potential impact on food systems and nature in the UK.