Publications & Presentations

plant-forward: earth day april 2022 update

As we celebrate Earth Day for the 53rd time along with the 13th anniversary of the launch of Plant-Forward Dining, created by Changing Tastes Founder Arlin Wasserman for a Earth Day-themed culinary competition held at the James Beard House, Changing Tastes has conducted new research into what Americans want to eat, particularly protein choices as well as the tremendous accomplishments the culinary profession has made in addressing the global challenge of climate change.

There’s new advice for what to put on menus to meet the changing tastes and expectations of the dining public who are returning to restaurants in record numbers as Covid 19 recedes.

You can read our latest findings and advice for succeeding as the dining public returns to our tables here.

MORE IF BY SEA: SEAFOOD NUTRITION PARTNERSHIP STATE OF SCIENCE SYMPOSIUM 2021

What will it take to have Americans choose to eat a greater share of our food from the oceans? That’s what Arlin Wasserman is tackling in his keynote presentation you can watch here.

plant-forward: earth day april 2021 update

April 2021 marks the 52nd time we celebrate Earth Day and the 12th anniversary of the launch of Plant-Forward Dining, created by Changing Tastes Founder Arlin Wasserman for a Earth Day-themed culinary competition held at the James Beard House. This April also marks the availability of Covid19 vaccines to the general public presaging a return to us once again coming together and eating out.

In anticipation, Changing Tastes has conducted new research into what Americans want to eat, particularly protein choices, over the next year or two as life and dining both return to normal.

You can read our latest findings and advice for succeeding as the dining public returns to our tables here.

Grassfed + Blended

Learn how Changing Tastes and Harvest Table Culinary Group worked to switch ALL of the ground beef used in major college foodservice operations along the east coast to local grassfed beef. To do so, we used a proven, plant-forward culinary strategy to achieve a big local and sustainable food change. 

We also measured and evaluated everything in our trial: nutrition, environmental impact, local economic benefit, student satisfaction and kitchen operations. The results were exceptional and the approach we developed to move to plant-forward dining featuring grass-fed meat offers a model that other college and university foodservice programs can use to make the big switch. By adopting the same model, other foodservice operations also can successfully deliver greater environmental, animal welfare, local economic benefits along with delicious food that student diners preferred all without significant change to operations or costs.

You can read our white paper that reviews the culinary strategy, operational changes and impacts, and student diner acceptance here.

PLANT FORWARD: 10 YEARS ON

Our 2019 study brings together two years of research by Changing Tastes and Datassential conducted to help foodservice companies and culinary professionals understand the changes in diner preferences over the past ten years and since the Plant Forward concept was launched by founder Arlin Wasserman at a culinary competition at the James Beard House in recognition of Earth Day 2009. You can download the study here.

aquaculture | mariculture insights

Our 2019 study finds that new aquaculture technologies like mariculture — farming fish far from shore in the open ocean — can play a key role in growing the market for fish and seafood in the U.S.  The study looked at the attitudes of both consumers and also foodservice operators, the business executives who make purchasing, menu and merchandising decisions about what to offer consumers. You can download our study here.

Conservation Alliance for SEafood Solutions

Our presentation at the 2019 annual meeting of the Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions presented strategies for Breaking Out of the Commodity Trap and getting market recognition for artisan and sustainably produced products in commoditized markets as well as lessons from the West Coast Groundfishery. You can download our presentation here.

HUMAN HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF PLANT-FORWARD CULINARY STRATEGY

Arlin Wasserman collaborated with Dr. Christopher Gardner and others at Stanford University to publish a groundbreaking article on the power of modest reductions, published as the lead article in Nutrition Reviews(R). You can view it here.

F3: AQUACULTURE INSIGHTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Arlin Wasserman presented at the Aquaculture Industry’s 2019 Fish Free Feed conference on new opportunities to grow the market for farmed fish through sustainability. You can download his presentation here.

Humane Aquaculture

Changing Tastes conducted a ground-breaking study on how antibiotics and animal welfare concerns influence fish and seafood choices in the U.S. We found a remarkable opportunity to increase the consumption of fish and seafood by reducing antibiotic use and adopting humane production and slaughter practices. You can download our summary report here.

West Coast Groundfish Pilot Project User Guide & Lessons Learned

The West Coast Groundfish fishery in California is a fishery management success. Yet despite significant ecological progress, fishing and conservation communities continue to share concerns about the long-term economic sustainability of the fishery.

With the fishery now recovered from overfishing, the final step to a full recovery is to reintroduce the harvest of sole, cod, rockfish and other stocks to market and help the fishers recover economically. Would chefs buy local, sustainable fish if the price was competitive? Would consumers want this? The answer is YES to both.

We have several tools available to help you learn more about the project and the lessons we learned.

Regional Market Demand and Opportunities,

Our assessment explores the market demand for U.S. West Coast groundfish in Oregon, Washington, and California. Download it here.

Foodservice operator User Guide

The user guide for foodservice operators in Central California provides guidance for cooking and marketing West Coast Groundfish and guidelines for reintroducing the fish to diners. Download it by clicking here .

Lessons Learned

Our report reviews lessons we learned during the pilot about market acceptance of West Coast Groundfish. The pilot succeeded in reintroducing West Coast Groundfish to diners, increasing fish consumption and substantially increasing the price to fishers. But supply chain problems also surfaced. Download it by clicking here.

business case for investment

We believe a unique and compelling opportunity exists for investing in further expansion of the market for California’s West Coast Groundfishery harvest. Download it by clicking here.

From the Ground Up: Inspiring Community-based Food System Innovations

North American Food Sector, Part One: Program Scan & Literature Review

North American Food Sector, Part Two: Roadmap for City Food Sector Innovation & Investment