Why Chobani Is A Bright Spot In Dark Times For Dairy Farming

I’m back this week with a more in-depth Fresh Take newsletter for you, and I hope you enjoy the new format! I’ve been a reporter at Forbes for well over a decade now, and I’m hoping that my expertise will help provide much-needed context behind the headlines. What a time to be reporting on all things food, agriculture and sustainability! I’m honored to be doing it.

And I’m thrilled to share a story that’s been a source of optimism for readers. Amid trade wars and mass uncertainty, billionaire Chobani founder Hamdi Ulukaya is doubling down. He’s investing in infrastructure in a major way—with a $1.2 billion commitment for construction on two dairy plants. The vast majority of the money is going towards building a brand new Chobani plant in upstate New York. For many, the news was a beacon of hope, particularly because the Northeastern dairy industry has been struggling for years as big food companies turn to bigger operations on the West Coast and elsewhere.

As Ulukaya told me, he feels the weight of responsibility: “We could make all the advances in life, but if we can’t feed our children good food, that’s not a success.”

This is our 141st Fresh Take newsletter, and whether you’ve been with us that whole time or you joined along the way, we appreciate you! We’ll continue to experiment with the look and format, but you can always expect a focus on the intersection of food, health, sustainability, equity and accessibility.

-Chloe Sorvino

This is Forbes’ Fresh Take newsletter, which every Wednesday brings you the latest on the big ideas changing the future of food. Want to get it in your inbox every week? Sign up here.

FEATURED STORY

Why Chobani’s Billionaire Founder Is Investing $1.2 Billion In A State-Of-The-Art New York Dairy

Hamdi Ulukaya has also committed another $500 million to expanding his operation in Idaho—and says he is just getting started.

THE FEED

The Fluoride Files: Utah and Florida became the first states to ban fluoride in drinking water this week, despite loud criticism from dentists and public health experts. Other states like Louisiana are considering bans, too. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as head of the Health and Human Services Administration, says he plans to have the Centers for Disease Control end its nationwide recommendation to include fluoride in public drinking water.

Saying Bye To Synthetic Food Dyes: RFK Jr.’s influence is also making change within the world of petroleum-based food dyes by asking companies to stop using the additives. The policy stops short of a full-on ban. But as one of the few reporters ever granted access to the halls of IFF, the largest flavor and fragrance seller in the world, I’m happy to hear it. Years ago, I learned all about the gasoline derivatives in our food there firsthand—and especially thanks to the saccharine smell in the production rooms that left me with a migraine—I’ve been skeptical of them ever since. For more on the research studies, and what’s been actually scientifically linked and what hasn’t, the New York Times did a deep-dive into the data that supports the policy.

Job Cuts Hit FDA: The Trump Administration laid off about 3,500 FDA employees as part of a larger 10,000-person reduction in force at HHS. As Forbes senior contributor Louis Biscotti writes, there’s a debate as to whether these layoffs will impact bureaucracy or cut the agency to the bone, potentially exposing our nation’s food supply to more safety risks.

FIELD NOTES

These oysters were briny yet creamy with a salty finish that tasted so much like ocean that I wanted to jump up and whoop. The bites were the best way to end a tour of the operations at Island Creek in Duxbury, Massachusetts, and equally as perfect as a pregame before speaking at Harvard Business School.

OUT AND ABOUT

It was an honor to speak to students at Harvard Business School all about my book Raw Deal: Hidden Corruption, Corporate Greed and the Fight for the Future of Meat. It brought me a lot of hope!

Here are a few of the opportunities for building a better food system that I urged the Harvard MBAs to consider:

Build infrastructure that supports healthy, sustainable and equitable food production. This can take many different forms, and can be as small-scale as opening a commercial kitchen with a packaging line and lots of freezer space or canning machinery that regional food makers can utilize. Or it could look like a mobile slaughter facility.
If going into finance is the goal, think about alternative financing models that are better designed for long-term businesses (that feed people!) and are not on a three- to five-year return cycle like most VC and PE funds.
Lay the foundations for a public food sector in your community. Universal food access is a crucial way to ensure accessibility is at the forefront of solutions as climate change gets worse.

In short, think collectively.

We don’t have enough time to start from scratch, and as Will Harris of White Oak Pastures says, replicability is better than scalability.

And if you haven’t read Raw Deal yet, here’s your sign. Pick up a copy here, or anywhere books are sold.

Thanks for reading the 141st edition of Forbes Fresh Take! Let me know what you think, and you can subscribe to Fresh Take here to get it in your inbox every Wednesday.