Climate change, population growth and movement, cost of living pressures, animal welfare, seed monopolies, supply chain shortages, consumption and health… the list of challenges around food seems endless. Yet there is much thoughtful and positive work taking place to improve the health and sustainability of our food systems worldwide.

In this four-part seminar series, presented in partnership with All of Life Redeemed, an international platform of researchers will speak on their work in this area from a range of perspectives that ‘use research to do good for all’.

This event: Friday 10th June

Maarten Verkerk
The many faces of sustainable home cooking

This talk will explore the practice of sustainable home cooking by analysing a traditional Dutch dish from two perspectives. The first is the theory of modal aspects developed by the Dutch philosopher Herman Dooyeweerd, which can offer insight into diverse aspects of home cooking. The second is the normative practice approach developed by Jochemsen, Hoogland, Glas and others, which highlights values involved in home cooking, the societal dynamics in which home cooking is embedded, and the influence of the spirit of the times.

Maarten retired in 2019 as Affiliate Professor in Christian Philosophy and Ethics at the Maastricht University and the Technical University of Eindhoven. He is now an independent consultant in the fields of innovation, sustainability and the meaning of life.

Dr Franck Meijboom
Animals in perspective: on animals and transitions towards sustainability

Analyzing transitions in the agri-food sector from the perspective of animals contributes to finding different perspectives on the transition: eg. on what the nature of the problem is, what values underlie the transition or how a problem can be best approached. Furthermore, it prevents animals being overlooked in current food transitions, which is highly problematic given the strong arguments for acknowledging animals as having moral status whose role in transitions should be taken seriously for their own sake.

Franck studied theology and ethics at the Universities of Utrecht (NL) and Aberdeen (UK), and as Associate Professor he is affiliated to both the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and the Ethics Institute of Utrecht University, and to the Adaptation Physiology group of Wageningen University. He is also Head of the Centre for Sustainable Animal Stewardship. His fields of interest are in ethics of animal use and veterinary ethics, in agricultural and food ethics, and the role of public trust and debate in these domains.

The full series

Seminar details

The seminars take place on consecutive Fridays, from 12:00-14:00 BST, on Zoom. You are welcome to attend the whole series, but each lecture will stand alone.

Places are £5 per seminar, free for students.

Full joining details will be sent when you book.