Sonalie Figueiras, Founder of Green Queen

Elysabeth: Who else would be better to kick off 2024 than the Founder of Green Queen and the very knowledgeable Sonalie Figueiras?

Sonalie Figueiras: On the food service side, I think our lack of focus on the wins that are happening across the world in food service is an example of the limitations of the naval gazing of our sector that you’re talking about. We’re living too much in our bubble and that’s why we really do need to wedge ourselves into sustainable food because we need to have better metrics for impact. And very honestly, moving huge food service companies to be providing a majority of plant-based options is actually a much bigger impact than one brand getting half a percent in sales boost on a shelf.

I think the media gets too focused on brand stories, right? We did the brand story way before we understood the fundamentals and honestly way before we really understood the consumer and, you know, this has been my bugaboo for three years where I’ve just been saying, ‘Why are we not talking to the consumer and understanding what they want?’  So we’ve lionized a few brands which has ended up in this narrative that overemphasizes a few players in a space where, especially in plant-based, where you’re looking at a thousand brands across the world.

So it’s hardly just two brands that make the news all the time. And we’ve kind of lost sight of how to measure impact at a bigger scale, and food service is such a great example of the big impact that is possible and that is happening.

Other Sources discussed in this interview.

Her Excellency Mariam Almhiere on Alt Proteins:

The UNEP paper and video on replacing animal proteins.

The petition for individuals to support the global food system transformation.