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Fresh and organic vegetables at farmers market

January 2026 Littlefoot Newsletter

LinkedIn

Dear Colleagues,

The past year brought real disruption across food, climate, and capital. As we step into this new year, I’ve been thinking a lot about what 2025 surfaced and what it’s asking of us now.

Here are a few trends that defined last year, and how I’m approaching them in 2026:

Political turbulence is reshaping the food system landscape.
The political whiplash of 2025 was intense. Climate deprioritization, cutting of USAID, disruptions in SNAP, and tightening government and philanthropic funding has created immediate impacts for communities and serious long-term risks for food security/climate resilience. These pressures make our work more urgent than ever and place greater responsibility on mission-driven organizations to fill the gaps.

Greenhushing may have peaked… but momentum hasn’t disappeared.
Last year saw record levels of greenhushing, with many companies quietly stepping back from public sustainability commitments. But that pullback doesn’t mean progress has stalled. Globally (especially in places like China and India) investment in clean energy and food security continues to move forward and offers hope. I expect 2026 to bring a more grounded, less performative return to climate and food-system leadership across the private sector.

Nutrition is moving to the center of the conversation.
One of the most encouraging signals I see heading into 2026 is a growing cross-sector focus on nutrient quality. Across CPG, philanthropy, public health, and policy, there’s increasing alignment around improving the nutritional value of the foods people can actually access. When paired with climate-smart food system strategies, this shift has real potential to drive better health outcomes, advance equity, and strengthen resilience over time.

As we look to the year ahead, I keep coming back to this question: where can I make the most meaningful difference right now?

Personally, I’m staying laser focused on the same target areas as usual: how do we unlock the nutritional and financial value of unnecessarily wasted food in the grocery supply chain?

The stakes are higher than ever. With 119 billion pounds of food wasted annually across the U.S. supply chain, representing $408 billion in lost value, the opportunity for retailers and suppliers to turn waste into competitive advantage has never been clearer.

If you’re attending the FMI Midwinter Executive Conference or NGA this year, let’s connect on the ground. I’m eager to discuss how reducing food loss and waste is becoming a key driver of operational efficiency and expanded access to nutrition.

Drop me a message if you’ll be there (Eva@littlefootventures.com)!

Yours in partnership,
Eva

 

Eva Goulbourne

Founder & CEO, Littlefoot Ventures

 

The Pulse @ Littlefoot

Everything but the Carbon Sink Podcast Season 2 Is Coming!

Check out the trailer:

What if reimagining how we grow and fund our food could help save the planet?

Food systems account for more than one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet they’re still missing from many climate finance and innovation conversations.

The Everything But the Carbon Sink podcast was created to bridge that gap and explores the capital, policies, and partnerships shaping climate-smart food systems.

✨ Season 1 highlights include conversations with:

  • Marion Nestle – America’s leading nutritionist
  • Sara Farley – VP, Food Initiative at The Rockefeller Foundation
  • Connie Bowen – GP, Farmhand Ventures
  • Jay Inslee – former Governor of Washington
  • Leaders from The Nature Conservancy, ReFED, Verdant Technologies, PeakBridge, and more

✨ Season 2 is officially in pre-production!
We’re now accepting Season 2 guest nominations for bold leaders working at the intersection of food, climate, and capital—from investors and operators to policymakers and philanthropic leaders. Submit your nomination via this form (self-nominations welcome).

✨ Interested in sponsoring Season 2?

We’re partnering with mission-aligned brands and organizations to help support bringing these conversations to more listeners. If you’d like to explore sponsorship opportunities, reach out here to request our sponsor information + available packages.

Listen & Subscribe

Opportunity Alert

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, directly assisting 152 million people/year.

They are currently hiring for a Partnerships Officer – Global Philanthropy out of their Rome HQ.

If this is a role you are interested in, apply by the 1/25 deadline.

Insights for Impact

2026 Food Waste Forecast

ReFED

With food prices high and food insecurity top of mind, food waste is increasingly being recognized as both a climate and social impact opportunity. ReFED’s 2026 forecast outlines where that momentum is headed next.

Key insights:

  1. Cost pressure is quietly driving food waste reduction at home

    High food prices are pushing consumers to change habits in ways that reduce household food waste including using leftovers more, prioritizing fresh foods before spoilage, and cutting non-essentials. These behavior shifts could translate into measurable, sustained reductions in residential food waste in 2026, even without formal education campaigns.

    Why it matters: Economic signals may be as powerful as awareness campaigns… and potentially more durable.

  2. Businesses are backing food waste solutions that improve operations, not just behavior

    Food companies are prioritizing embedded, systems-level solutions that integrate waste prevention into core operations (inventory management, ordering, portion design, etc.) rather than relying on staff or consumer behavior change. Examples include tech-enabled waste processing that generates operational insights and customizable restaurant portions, which reduce plate waste and attract customers.

    Why it matters: The most scalable food waste solutions are those that also drive profitability and customer demand, making adoption easier and faster.

    3. Policy momentum and social impact framing are unlocking new capital

    Bipartisan federal support, especially around the Food Date Labeling Act, EPA initiatives, and surplus food utilization, signals continued national momentum.

    At the same time, food waste is increasingly framed as a social impact issue (food affordability, hunger relief, household savings), which is attracting philanthropic and impact investment especially in the wake of the 2025 SNAP disruptions.

    Why it matters: Food waste reduction is becoming a bridge issue linking climate, equity, and economic resilience, and that framing is expanding the funding base.

Using Social Norms to Reduce Plate Waste in Corporate Dining

Scientific Reports

This study examines whether behavioral science–based social norms messaging and portion prompting signage can reduce plate waste in corporate dining environments. It is based on a study at Google, a former Littlefoot food loss & waste strategy client.

Key insights:

  1. Behavioral science messaging cut plate waste by ~31% in real dining settings

    When social norms–based and portion-prompting signage were deployed across corporate cafeterias in six cities, observed plate waste dropped about 31% compared with expected levels without the intervention. This demonstrates that simple behavioral nudges can produce meaningful, measurable waste reductions without changing the menu or pricing.

  2. Employees care about reducing food waste, but perceptions lag reality

    A global survey showed that nearly all employees agree food waste should be avoided and that they personally try to avoid it, however, they underestimate how much their peers care and act on that value. Understanding this misalignment helped inform the messaging that ultimately drove waste reduction.

  3. Scalable tools can work in high-volume, choice-driven environments

    Unlike many waste reduction tactics that rely on restricting choice or altering operations, this intervention used behaviorally informed communication alone. That it succeeded in a free, all-you-can-eat corporate context highlights the potential for low-cost, scalable approaches to reduce food waste in institutional foodservice at scale.

    Why it matters:
    Corporate dining contributes substantially to food waste, especially in free, all-you-can-eat environments. Behavioral nudges rooted in social norms and portion prompting signage can be an effective way to prevent food waste in corporate dining environments and meaningfully reduce waste at scale, offering a practical strategy for sustainability in institutional food service.

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