Plant-based meat substitutes used to be confined to the aisles of health food stores and stands in farmers markets. However, with the explosion in discussions around the environmental and health consequences of eating meat, plant-based foods are growing in popularity on an international level.

In this episode, Irina Gerry, the chief marketing officer of Change Foods, explores the rapid adoption and development of plant-based foods in recent years. Change Foods is a food tech company that uses fermentation biotechnology to create animal-free cheese and dairy products.

“I’m very much a mission-driven marketer. I’m on a mission to transform the food system and drive widespread adoption of sustainable ways to feed the world,” says Gerry. “We’re recreating dairy without animals by harnessing the power of microbes to create real dairy proteins, fats, and flavors through precision fermentation. We utilize traditional cheese-making techniques to turn them into cheese that tastes, stretches, and melts just like you would expect, all without cows involved.”

Change Foods is on a mission to change how the world eats for the better. For Gerry, the ultimate goal is to cultivate a wide variety of alternative proteins—using only a fraction of the resources that meat requires—that can sustainably feed everyone.

“The system is out of balance, and it’s starting to impact our planetary health,” adds Gerry. “A dietary shift is well within the power of individual consumers… food is something that we choose everyday, three times a day. One does not have to go vegan to make a significant impact.”

Check out the podcast to learn more about cell-based meat, and how the food system is affecting the climate and greenhouse gas emissions!