EP 26 - Christian Bader (Premium Food Group ApS & Co. KG)

Summary Christian Bader leads corporate social responsibility at Premium Food Group, in one of the most scrutinised industries there is: meat. He started out in journalism, then spent years farming in Zimbabwe, where he learnt that sustainability only sticks when it pays. He explains what really drives the carbon footprint of a steak, how deforestation-free soy became a sector-wide standard, and why a customer buying a product a second time is the number that tells him a sustainable product has worked.Keywords sustainability, food industry, climate action, responsible sourcing, regenerative agriculture, carbon footprint, deforestation-free soy, primary data, vegan food, hybrid food, industry collaborationKey topics Christian's career transition from journalism to sustainability The complexity of environmental metrics and acronyms The role of economic viability in sustainable farming Impact of meat production on climate change Innovative practices like regenerative agriculture and deforestation-free soy Industry collaboration for sustainability standards Consumer behaviour and product repurchasing as success metrics The potential of vegan and hybrid foods as alternativesSound bites "Sustainability and economic viability have to go hand in hand." "When you are standing on a field in your gum boots, you realise that here sustainability is not a theory. It's about someone's livelihood." "We're not gonna save the planet by hoping that people are going to become vegan."Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Christian Bader and his background 01:22 The complexity of environmental metrics and acronyms 01:53 Christian's career transition from journalism to farming and sustainability 02:46 The role of economic viability in sustainable farming 04:00 Christian's entry into corporate sustainability and climate action 06:49 Balancing animal welfare and climate impact in meat production 11:59 Exploring alternatives to traditional meat, including vegan options 13:43 Measuring success through consumer re-purchasing and product acceptance 15:34 Industry collaboration and setting sustainability standards 17:17 Collecting primary data and sector-wide sustainability initiatives 20:48 Christian's experience moving back to Germany and cultural adaptationGuest links Christian Bader on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-bader-84b43190/ Premium Food Group: https://premiumfoodgroup.de/en/