Food Waste and Food Insecurity with Katie Phlohocky

Food waste and food insecurity are on the opposite sides of the same coin: over one third of the food produced in the US is thrown away annually, while nearly 1:7 Americans go to bed hungry each night. This First Thursday we will hear from a local changemaker who is tackling the issues of food waste and food insecurity right here in our backyard. Learn about how food waste contributes to climate change, resource loss, and loss of biodiversity as well as the myriad ways our current food production system contributes to hunger and inequalities.

Katie Plohocky is the Co-founder and President of RG Foods, Inc., a nonprofit enhancing the nutritional and economic health of underserved communities by overcoming barriers to healthy food access.  As an Ashoka Fellow and Women Leaders for the World Fellow, she is dedicated to rebuilding a healthy, equitable food system through economic opportunities. She presented at the 2018 TEDx University of Tulsa with her talk “Throw Away Nations: Food Waste and Food Insecurity”. She was honored as a 2017 Oklahoma Substantial Women in Agriculture and 2016 Tulsa Chapter of Association for Women in Communications Newsmaker Award.  Katie earned her Master’s in Business Administration from University of Phoenix in 2004.