A Future Without Hunger Is Possible with Stefanos Fotiou
Release Date: 04/30/2025
The Hidden Food Crisis Fueling Climate Change with Michael Grunwald
Zero Hunger Project
Every meal we eat tells a story about our planet. In this episode of the Zero Hunger Project, Michael Grunwald, award-winning author, journalist, and speaker, pulls back the curtain on how our food system quietly drives both hunger and climate change. Michael reveals that agriculture, more than factories or cities, is consuming the Earth. Forests are cleared, water is drained, and yet millions still go hungry. He shares why the answer isn’t nostalgia for old farming ways, but innovation, better policies, and smarter choices that can feed everyone without destroying what sustains us....
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When 80% Go Hungry: Hidden Food Insecurity in Nunavut with Blair Williams
Zero Hunger Project
In a country known for abundance, how can 80% of households in some regions still face hunger? In this episode of the Zero Hunger Project, Blair Williams, Co-Chair and Director of the Poverty Reduction Division in the Government of Nunavut, shares how communities in the Canadian Arctic are facing challenges with strength, resilience, and a vision for lasting change. Blair reveals how food insecurity, housing shortages, and systemic inequality are woven into daily life in Nunavut, where people face some of the highest food costs and lowest incomes in the country. He explains why common...
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Building Hope: The Fight for Safe Schools in South Africa with Warren Povey
Zero Hunger Project
Every child deserves a safe place to dream, learn, and grow. In this episode of the Zero Hunger Project, Warren Povey, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Breadline Africa, brings you into the heart of South Africa's fight for education equity where infrastructure, nutrition, and dignity collide in the classroom. Warren speaks from the front lines of early childhood development, where children are often taught under trees, sit in collapsing classrooms, and skip meals just to avoid unsafe toilets. He works with communities, corporations, and nonprofits to create practical, safe, and...
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The High Cost of Living and the True Cost of Hunger with Mike Schreiner (part 2)
Zero Hunger Project
Sometimes the most powerful solution to hunger isn’t found in innovation, but in compassion. In this episode of the Zero Hunger Project, Mike Schreiner, Leader of the Green Party of Ontario, explores how thoughtful policies, collective care, and community-driven action can shift the tide. Hunger isn’t about lack. It’s about choices we can change together. Mike speaks with honesty and urgency about the failures in one of the wealthiest places on earth, where food banks continue to break records, and thousands go hungry every day. He unpacks how band-aid solutions have kept people...
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The High Cost of Living and the True Cost of Hunger with Mike Schreiner
Zero Hunger Project
As living costs continue to climb, hope can rise with it when communities come together. In this episode of the Zero Hunger Project, Mike Schreiner, Leader of the Green Party of Ontario, joins us to talk about the true cost of hunger and what it reveals about our social priorities. He breaks down why we must treat hunger as a political and moral choice, not an unavoidable outcome. From skyrocketing rents to shrinking social assistance, he makes a clear case for affordable housing, fair wages, and a living income for all. You’ll also hear how individual action and political advocacy go...
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Behind the Plate: How Fuel, Profit, and Power Shape Our Food System
Zero Hunger Project
Every meal tells a story of connection and consequence. Behind each bite lies a network of fuel, profit, and power shaping what we eat. In this episode of the Zero Hunger Project, we speak with Raj Patel, member of the IPES-Food panel, a film-maker, best-selling author, to break down how our global food system is built on inequality. Raj shares how capitalism, colonialism, and corporate control have made both people and the planet sick. You’ll hear how profit often comes at the cost of public health and how political choices determine who eats and who doesn’t. We must move beyond quick...
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Half a Year, Countless Stories: Zero Hunger Reflections
Zero Hunger Project
Six months can hold countless lessons when you’re fighting for change. In that short time, stories of struggle and hope can spark connections that bring us closer to ending hunger. In this episode of the Zero Hunger Project, we reflect on our first half-year of conversations that brought global leaders, grassroots organizers, and everyday heroes together. We share what surprised us, what inspired us, and how these voices have reshaped the way we see hunger and justice. You’ll hear how these dialogues built bridges, sparked new ideas, and proved that hunger is about...
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From UN Stage to Canadian Communities: Cory Witter and Isabelle LeVert-Chiasson on Hunger and Hope
Zero Hunger Project
Real change begins when global voices meet local action. Ending hunger is about hope, community, and the courage to act where you are. In this episode of the Zero Hunger Project, our guests, Cory Witter, Executive Director at Youth Climate Lab, and Isabelle LeVert-Chiasson, a seasoned policy advisor and community developer, speaking from the United Nations to their work back home in Canada, who share why hunger must be tackled on every level, from international policy tables to neighborhood food programs. Cory reflects on the creativity and determination of youth leading climate and food...
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How Equality Can Transform Food Security Everywhere
Zero Hunger Project
Ending hunger is about fairness and possibility. When equality shapes policy and cooperation, food security becomes achievable. In this episode of the Zero Hunger Project, our guest, Minister Ville Skinnari, Finland’s Former Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, explains why equality is the missing link in global food security. Drawing on Finland’s model of universal school meals, his leadership in the School Meals Coalition, and his work on ethical trade, Minister Skinnari shows how fair policies and global cooperation can create food systems that last. You’ll hear why...
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Canada’s Food Sovereignty: Equity, Policy, and Community Power with Marissa Alexander
Zero Hunger Project
When access to good food is treated as a right, not a privilege, we can begin to imagine a food system built on equity and care rather than charity. In this episode of the Zero Hunger Project, our guest, Marissa Alexander, Co-Executive Director at Food Secure Canada, joins us to talk about what food sovereignty really means in Canada. She explains why solving hunger requires systemic change and how equity, policy, and community leadership must shape the way forward. You’ll hear how local campaigns like Eat Think Vote connect grassroots voices to federal policy, and why rethinking...
info_outlineHunger persists, not because we lack food, but because we’ve accepted broken systems for far too long.
In this episode of the Zero Hunger Project, you’ll hear from Stefanos Fotiou, who’s doing more than imagining that future. He calls out the system failures, food waste, skewed pricing, and harmful subsidies that keep people hungry while letting power stay concentrated.
The message is clear: hunger isn’t caused by scarcity. It’s caused by structure. And the structure can be changed.
Being a consumer isn’t enough anymore. We must become food citizens, people who care about where food comes from, who grows it, and how it shapes our communities and the planet.
▶️ A Future Without Hunger Is Possible with Stefanos Fotiou
Stefanos Fotiou is a global leader in sustainable development with 30 years of experience across the UN system, private sector, and research institutions. He currently serves as Director of the SDG Office at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and leads the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub. Stefanos plays a pivotal role in helping countries drive SDG-based agrifood transformations. His leadership was instrumental in the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking, dubbed the “UN Assembly for Food Systems.” Through strategic coordination and bold action, he continues to challenge the status quo of global development systems.
Website: https://about.me/stefanos.fotiou
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanosfotiou/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stefanosfotiou/
Feed Scarborough is a vital community organization working to create a Hunger-Free Resilient Scarborough through innovative, dignity-focused food programs. Founded by Suman Roy in 2018, it has grown from a small holiday initiative into a multi-site operation serving over 7,500 residents weekly.
Website: https://scarboroughfoodsecurityinitiative.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FeedScarborough/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/feedscarborough
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/scarborough-food-security-initiative/
X: https://x.com/feedscarborough
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySrX5FhXo0bjYw6SKpjURA
Suman Roy is a globally recognized leader in food security, poverty reduction, and community resilience. As the founder of Feed Scarborough and a key force behind Hunger-Free Canada and the Zero Hunger Project, he is dedicated to ensuring no one goes to bed hungry. He played a pivotal role in crafting Toronto’s first Food Strategy and has represented Canada at the United Nations and FAO to champion sustainable development goals.
Website: https://sumanroy.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roy4ward20#
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chefsuman/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chefsuman/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWrU2TbiLazorpOHjsDJhkA
Stacia Neale, M.A., is a seasoned professional dedicated to fostering equality, representation, and social justice. With a background in sociology and decades of experience across entrepreneurial, non-profit, and corporate sectors, she brings a unique perspective to addressing systemic challenges. During the pandemic, she launched The Skills Audit, a transformative program empowering individuals to articulate their professional identities and maximize their potential.
Website: https://www.theskillsaudit.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theskillsaudit#
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacianeale/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-skills-audit/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theskillsaudit/