The Plant-Based Reset: Lessons, Challenges, and a Path Forward with Maisie Ganzler

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About the Guest

Author, speaker, and corporate advisor Maisie Ganzler is the go-to expert on how companies can make positive change in supply chains and other entrenched systems. Driving strategy for Bon Appetit Management Company, a $1.7 billion company with 1,000-plus cafés at corporations, universities, and cultural institutions in 33 states serving more than 250 million meals per year, Maisie tackled local purchasing, antibiotics in meat production, sustainable seafood, humane care of farm animals, climate change, farmworkers’ rights, and food waste, positioning the company as the foodservice industry’s undisputed leader in sustainable purchasing and holistic wellness. She’s been interviewed by leading media outlets including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, Fast Company, and Bloomberg, spoken at conferences around the world, written thought leadership pieces for Forbes, Huffington Post, and the San Francisco Chronicle and is frequently called upon for strategic counsel by start-ups and big business alike. She is also the author of You Can’t Market Manure at Lunchtime: and Other Lessons from the Food Industry for Creating a More Sustainable Company (Harvard Business Review Press, April 2024), a practical how-to guide for building an authentic brand based upon sustainability, no matter the industry.

About this episode

In this episode of Eat for the Planet, Maisie Ganzler, former Chief Strategy and Brand Officer at Bon Appétit Management Company (BAMCO), reflects on her 30 years of leadership at the forefront of sustainability. She discusses BAMCO’s approach to balancing customer needs with supplier realities, lessons learned from the company’s early adoption of plant-based alternatives, and the critical role of storytelling in driving meaningful change. Drawing on her book, You Can’t Market Manure at Lunchtime, Maisie shares insights into the successes and missteps of the plant-based movement, the potential of ingredient-focused innovations, and the importance of defining clear sustainability values. With candid reflections, she offers lessons and hope for building a more resilient and sustainable food system.

Key Takeaways

  1. Flexibility in Sustainability Policies: Adapting rules to avoid unintended consequences is essential for achieving a balance between sustainability goals and operational realities.

  2. Lessons for Entrepreneurs: Success in the plant-based space requires solving real problems, achieving price parity, and delivering great taste.

  3. Lessons from the Plant-Based Boom:

    1. Food is not technology—scaling physical products requires different expectations than tech-like "hockey stick" returns.

    2. Disrupting an industry works best when disruptors understand the system they are challenging.

    3. Consumers will not sacrifice both taste and cost; plant-based products must meet or exceed current options on both fronts.

  4. The Power of Storytelling: Sustainability initiatives resonate more when framed as emotionally engaging stories rather than purely educational or guilt-driven narratives.

  5. Redefining Success: Sustainability efforts require clear values and goals to ensure authentic leadership and avoid contradictions.

  6. Future Food Trends: Ingredient-focused innovations, such as carbon-negative proteins or sugar substitutes, offer scalable opportunities for meaningful change.