The Doctor's Kitchen Podcast #332 How Eating Local, Organic food Is Best for Environmental Health | Mallika Basu
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Jan 21, 2026 Mallika Basu, a food writer and author of 'In Good Taste', dives into the intricate web connecting our food choices to bigger issues like biodiversity, culture, and inequality. She sheds light on the downsides of ultra-processed foods and advocates for traditional diets that are both climate-friendly and delicious. Mallika discusses the environmental and social costs of global food systems, the importance of local and organic options, and how regenerative farming can be a beacon of hope for a sustainable future.
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Food Is A Complex Global System
- The food on our plate sits inside a global system linking farmers, retailers, transport and culture.
- Changes in one part of the system ripple through yields, prices and diets worldwide.
Food's Big Climate Footprint
- Food production contributes roughly 25–30% of greenhouse gas emissions and uses the majority of fresh water.
- Agriculture's resource use makes diets and farming choices central to climate action.
Industrial Farming's Historical Roots
- Synthetic fertilisers from the Haber-Bosch process massively boosted yields but entrenched industrial farming.
- Mallika warns we're still 'eating the spoils of war' through chemicalised agriculture.
