Ten years traversing half the globe to document vanishing foods

Foodthink Says

“Stories about food are the best stories we can tell.” This is what veteran BBC journalist Dan Saladino told Foodthink during an interview at the 3rd International Conference on Agricultural Biodiversity this May.

Saladino specialises in reporting on food and agriculture. Over more than a decade, he has visited over 30 countries and regions, documenting the stories of 40 endangered foods. These accounts were compiled and published in 2021 as *Vanishing Foods*, which received a passionate response; the Chinese edition was translated and introduced by Beiye Books.

Discussing endangered foods is not an exercise in nostalgia, but a way to re-examine the relationship between humanity and nature, and between agriculture and food. Saladino calls for us to strive to understand food diversity and the global food system, building a connection between the food we eat daily and the ecosystems in which we live. Only by saving diversity can the planet and humanity preserve more choices. This article is a written summary of Foodthink’s interview with Saladino, intended as a reading guide for our audience.

This Wednesday (2 July) at 7:30 pm, Foodthink, in partnership with Beiye Books, will host the first online sharing session for *Vanishing Foods*. You are welcome to register for the livestream and purchase the book from the Foodthink online store to support more excellent books on food and farming!

◉ Dan Saladino with the original English edition of *Vanishing Foods*. Image source: Web

As a food journalist, how did you first become interested in the topic of agricultural biodiversity?

Saladino: As a journalist and a storyteller, I believe the first step is to understand as much as possible about the stories behind our food. While writing this book, I became fascinated by the origins of food and the history of *Homo sapiens*. Think about it: only ten thousand years ago, humans transitioned from hunter-gatherers to settled farmers, and wild grasses were domesticated into rice and wheat.

For me, this is one of the most momentous stories in human history; it completely transformed the Earth. These narratives should be in school textbooks. The more we understand, the more we will care about diversity. The radio programmes I produce, the books I write, and the work Foodthink is doing are all aimed at inspiring people to reflect on the relationship between food and themselves.

Even from a purely self-interested perspective, food is intrinsically linked to our health. An increasing body of scientific evidence shows that a diversified diet is purely beneficial to our well-being.

In China, the burden of protecting agricultural diversity seems to have fallen on farmers, who are often a vulnerable group. This feels profoundly unfair, as middlemen in the distribution chain primarily purchase commercial varieties rather than heritage ones.

Saladino: The farmer from Sichuan mentioned in the book, Sun Wenxiang, is the only person in his area still growing Red-mouth glutinous rice. At the time, I wondered: could he actually make money growing this? Sun Wenxiang then showed me his chat history with consumers on his phone. I hadn’t realised he could sell his rice directly to consumers via his mobile.

This shows that it is possible to break away from conventional supply chains and create alternative ones, using digital technology to spread their stories.

◉ Sun Wenxiang at the Chengdu Farmers’ Market. On 19 July, he will meet the public at the *Vanishing Foods* book sharing event at the Chengdu Life Market. Please follow Foodthink’s future updates for event details. Image provided by: Chengdu Life Market

Saladino: The afterword of the book is titled “Thinking Like the Hadza”, and the book itself opens with the story of the Hadza people. A Hadza child knows where to find food by the age of six. Try to be like the Hadza: get to know the food diversity around you. I’m not calling for a return to hunter-gathering, but rather urging people to be more proactive in learning about food and thinking about how we can support farmers and producers within our means.

For consumers, knowing that these niche foods exist is vital, yet most people’s daily food still comes from an industrialised system. We recently published an article exploring how imported Brazilian meat affects herders, and industrialised food production is precisely one of the causes of the sharp decline in diversity.

Saladino: Exactly. Most consumers are most sensitive to price. Brazil has the world’s largest poultry production companies, with a highly concentrated, export-oriented supply chain that efficiently ships cheap meat products across the globe. This brings us to “True Cost Accounting”. What does eating imported Brazilian meat actually mean for herders? Where is the environmental impact of these meat products reflected? These questions are incredibly complex. That is why we need to tell the stories behind the food.

Currently, many regions and cities are discussing how to ensure food self-sufficiency while supporting local farmers. Scientists, chefs, and urban consumers can all help rural communities protect diversity. Restaurants can sell these uncommon crops and feed the profits back into the community, while chefs can tell urban consumers the story of food diversity.

Even if these small attempts cannot change the entire food system, they help maintain the vitality of these rural communities.

◉ Click the image to purchase the book and discover innovations in preserving food biodiversity worldwide.

In your introduction, you mentioned attending the UN Climate Action Summit in New York in 2019, where global food giants were also discussing food biodiversity. How do you view the role of these large corporations in shaping the global food system? Are they truly willing to change the status quo?

Salarino: This is a crucial question. Throughout the 20th century, these multinational food giants have shaped our food system; they have controlled production and trade, rendering food across the globe increasingly homogenous.

Returning to the summit mentioned in the book: Emmanuel Faber, the CEO of Danone at the time, stated that 99% of the cows raised in the dairy industry are Holsteins, and acknowledged the need to restore original species diversity—he spoke very candidly about diversity. Interestingly, he lost his job eighteen months later.

◉ Following his speech at the summit, Emmanuel Faber was interviewed by the media regarding why major food companies are actively “embracing the food revolution”. Image source: Screenshot from *European Supermarket Magazine*

Salaradino: Over the last couple of years, many food companies have also started talking about ‘regenerative agriculture’. Some of their measures are indeed helpful for restoring biodiversity and improving soil health, such as intercropping. But from what I’ve seen, few people believe that the innovations from these food companies will lead to a fundamental shift. These projects are destined to remain marginal; they could never replace their core business models.

Currently, a great deal of public funding still subsidises unsustainable food and farming systems; we heard plenty of examples of this at the third International Congress on Agrobiodiversity. When these systems trigger public health crises or environmental devastation, it is once again public funds that have to clean up the mess. This creates the perfect opening for us to return to the grassroots level and to the farmers.

We need to protect the baseline to ensure that local food systems, which preserve this biodiversity, do not collapse. Conversely, these local systems can inspire further innovation; the complexity they exhibit has never been replicated by big food companies, nor can it ever be.

You are also frequently involved in international discussions and food movements concerning climate change and biodiversity. What positive impact do you believe these discussions have had on the farmers who protect endangered crops?

Salarino: As a journalist, these so-called “big words” are simply the way I tell stories. Attending international conferences allows me to engage with cutting-edge science and various forms of international cooperation. I then weave this material together with my own field observations through specific case studies.

The core of these stories is not academic. On the contrary, they are very grassroots; for instance, *Disappearing Foods* is inextricably linked to the “Ark of Taste” project initiated by the Slow Food movement. It is because people recorded various endangered crops in the Ark of Taste catalogue that I was able to follow the trail and tell stories of food biodiversity. I reach out to these people and, with any luck, visit them in person. These grassroots forces are the starting point of my storytelling, while international discussions provide the contextual backdrop.

◉ Salarino speaking at the Third International Conference on Agricultural Biodiversity. Image source: Biodiversity International

Salarino: When I was writing this book, I didn’t know much about international discussions on climate change or biodiversity. I simply loved these stories—in that sense, you could say I was naive. I care about these stories, and I want more people to read them. I suspect the scientists and international officials who organise these conferences found me quite refreshing, as my approach to storytelling is entirely different from the scientific mainstream.

All in all, I believe storytelling is vital. People love to tell and hear stories, and stories about food are the best stories we can tell.

How can government policies protect food biodiversity? Are there any successful examples you can share? In China, it seems difficult to push for such policy changes because people always say that organic food is too expensive for the general public to afford.

Saladino: Governments can start with their own procurement to expand demand and lead by example. *Vanishing Varieties* also mentions examples of public procurement. In Copenhagen, Denmark, public funds are used to require schools to source locally grown, diverse fruit varieties. As early as 2009, the Brazilian government mandated that 30% of the grants provided to public schools by the National Fund for Educational Development must be used to purchase ingredients from family farms.

I completely understand the arguments you mentioned. However, I believe we need to establish the concept of “True Cost Accounting”. We have already poured billions in public funds into the conventional food system, and the resulting public health and environmental issues have placed a further burden on public finances. In the long run, we need to understand the true cost components of cheap food.

Chinese readers often joke about the UK’s “strange” cuisine, calling Britain a “food desert”. At the same time, we hear that the local food and farming movement in the UK is in full swing. Are there any stories you can share with us?

Saladino: It is not surprising that people have this impression. After all, we were the first country to undergo industrialisation, which meant many farmers were displaced from their land and moved to cities for work. During the era of imperialism, Britain shipped food from all over the world back to the home islands. Later, we endured two world wars.

Indeed, the UK’s indigenous food culture almost entirely vanished—many of our orchards and apple varieties disappeared, and cereal diversity plummeted. We need to rebuild a new food culture.

In my book, I wrote about a type of farmhouse cheese from Nottinghamshire: Stilcheton. From the end of the Second World War to the 1970s, most farmhouse cheese varieties in the UK disappeared. People could only buy factory-made cheese, with Cheddar coming to dominate the market entirely. Because milking for cheese stopped, many sheep and goat breeds became endangered, and the craft of cheesemaking was lost.

◉ In the 1990s, the UK government introduced food safety legislation stipulating that Stilton cheese could only be made using pasteurised milk. To avoid penalties, cheesemakers renamed traditionally made Stilton as “Stilcheton”, a type of blue cheese. Image source: Cheese Atlas

Saladino: The 1970s were a decade of revival for diversity in the UK. The Rare Breeds Survival Trust reintroduced endangered livestock breeds to produce farmhouse cheeses. From just a handful of varieties to over a thousand farmhouse cheeses today, we have reclaimed the knowledge of how to make and store cheese.

Another example is the Perry pear. Perry is like the Champagne of Britain. These pears are not suitable for eating raw but can be fermented into a cider. In the 18th century, Perry pear trees were widely grown in Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Herefordshire. In the 19th and 20th centuries, local farmers began switching to grain crops, and the agricultural landscape of the pear orchards was transformed.

Some people travelled across the British countryside specifically to find the last remaining old varieties of fruit trees for cider-making. In this way, the Perry pear was revived. Fifteen years ago, hardly anyone had heard of this variety; now, we can enjoy Perry cider.

◉ Cider-maker Tom Oliver and an old variety of Perry pear used for making Perry. Image source: Online

Saladino: Britain also has the “Oxford Real Farming Movement”, which brings together a group of passionate young people who want to engage in organic farming and explore alternative food production. For them, the biggest obstacle to returning to agriculture is the issue of land access.

The UK is relatively small, and land is concentrated in the hands of a few. It is very difficult to find a piece of land to practise regenerative agriculture, agroecology, or diversified cropping. Some are exploring new co-operative models, leasing parts of large farms to these young people.

◉ Held at the beginning of each year, the “Oxford Real Farming Conference” is one of the world’s largest agroecology gatherings. Key topics of discussion include farm management, food policy, food justice, farmers’ rights, and land access. Image source: ORFC official website

Saladino: When it comes to staples, we also have a “bread revival”. Some people are making bread from endangered British grain varieties, and some particularly popular London bakeries (such as “e5 bakehouse”) work directly with farmers, with some even having their own farms. These stories of active diversity preservation make me feel that we should remain optimistic about the future.

Disappearing Foods was published four years ago. In the years since, what has changed regarding the foods you documented?

Saladino: The book contains over 40 stories, and each one is different. Some foods have received more attention than others, such as coffee.

In the chapter “Wild Forest Coffee”, I mentioned our dependence on two coffee bean varieties: Arabica and Robusta. Since the book was published, I have witnessed the revival of some disappearing varieties. Last week, I visited Kew Gardens in London, where I met several leading scientists researching coffee diversity. Thanks to the collaboration between scientists and farmers, *Coffea stenophylla*, which I mentioned in the book, has been restored to cultivation.

I also had a taste of “Excelsa Coffee” (a rare variety discovered in Chad, West Africa, in the 20th century) at Kew, which I mentioned in my speech at the 3rd Agrobiodiversity Conference.

◉ *Coffea stenophylla* and Excelsa coffee plants. Source: Daily Coffee News & Perfect Daily Grind

Saladino: I believe people are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of agrobiodiversity and endangered foods, and we are seeing more innovations in local food systems. These innovations can integrate into local economies as well as be incorporated into larger markets and digital supply chains.

Additionally, there has been an increase in research regarding endangered foods such as tubers and grains. Because these crops are drought-resistant and can withstand extreme temperatures, there is also significant interest in their nutritional value.

While there are many such positive stories, there is also bad news. For example, the population of wild Atlantic salmon has been steadily declining, and they truly seem to be on the brink of extinction.

◉ In 2022, wild Atlantic salmon were listed as “Near Threatened” (NT) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, meaning they face a high risk of extinction in the wild. Source: IUCN official website

Saladino: I wish I had more time to revisit and review these crop varieties. Recently, I was invited to Northeast India to film a 20-minute documentary about the story of Indian citrus.

My next book will examine the interaction between humans and “foodscapes”, starting from various ecosystems such as forests, mountains, and grasslands. I believe these endangered species are the connection points between us and the ecosystem; they reflect how we, as part of nature, either collaborate with the natural world or dominate and reshape it.

Finally, a personal question. What are your eating habits? Do you cook at home?

Saladino: Of course; when I’m at home, I cook for my family. I often make Italian dishes. However, I don’t follow recipes—I cook by intuition. I just blend various ingredients together.

Every week, my household orders a veg box from an organic farm, and in the future, I might do the same with a fish box. I am a living example of someone who is not satisfied with the conventional food options in supermarkets and actively seeks out alternative supply chains.

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Are there any foods from your hometown or the city where you live that you used to be able to eat, but are now hard to find? Why do you think they disappeared?

Please leave a comment and let us know. We will select one outstanding comment to receive a copy of *Disappearing Foods*.

Interviewed and compiled by Ze’en and Tianle

Zhou Chen also contributed to this article