Interview with Julian Mellentin — Nutrition, Food Systems & the Future of Sustainable Eating

In this in-depth conversation, we dive with Julian Mellentin — Director and founder of New Nutrition Business, one of the world’s leading consultancies in the business of food, nutrition, and health.

Julian brings decades of experience analysing global food trends, consumer behaviour, and the shifting landscape of nutrition and sustainability. Throughout our interview we unpack analysing:

• The plant-based movement: what’s real, what’s hype, and why the category isn’t living up to a lot of the expectations in the media and investment circles.

• The rise of lab-grown meats: what it means for consumers and the environment, and how it fits (or doesn’t) into long-term sustainable food systems.

• A critical look at environmental and food journalism: Julian shares why many media narratives around food, nutrition, sustainability, and “solutions” are often oversimplified — and sometimes misleading.

• The broader food landscape: how traditional foods, industry dynamics, and consumer beliefs shape what ends up on our plates.

• What sustainable food really looks like: moving beyond buzzwords to evidence-based, systems-level thinking about health and planetary impacts.

This was one of the most thoughtful and nuanced discussions yet — especially for anyone curious about the intersection of nutrition science, media narratives, and environmental realities.

Connect with Julian here -

• 📌 Website — New Nutrition Business: https://www.new-nutrition.com/ (where you can find his podcast)

• 🐦 X (Twitter): https://x.com/JulianMellentin

If you’re tired of talk and want real science, real debates, and real solutions — this interview cuts through the noise.

In this hard-hitting conversation, I sit down with Professor Frank Mitloehner, Ph.D., Air Quality Specialist and Professor of Animal Science at UC Davis — a scientist who’s been attacked in The New York Times and by environmental activists for his research and outspoken views on food systems and sustainability. 

Mitloehner has become a lightning rod in the debate over climate science, livestock, and the future of food — accused of bias simply for working with farmers and industry to reduce environmental impacts. Yet the investigations claiming wrongdoing find no breach of disclosure requirements, and he continues to defend his work on its merits. 

In this interview we dig into:

• Why he believes the narrative around livestock and greenhouse gases is misleading

• How scientific debate gets distorted when media prioritises clicks over context

• His quest for truth, not ideology

• Why he defends farmers and working food producers

• His critical perspective on synthetic foods & lab-grown meat hype

👉 Follow him on X/Twitter: @GHGGuru — the official handle where he shares research insights and commentary. 

📌 Featured in NY Times article “He’s an Outspoken Defender of Meat. Industry Funds His Research, Files Show” — explore more and judge for yourself. 

***Interview recorded 3rd September 2025***

In this interview, I’m joined by investigative journalist Kate Mason, a researcher and writer dedicated to examining the evolving state of democracy in Australia and critically deconstructing the narratives surrounding the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).Kate’s work emerged from deep concern during the Covid years, when Australians were confronted with conflicting political messaging — calls to “return to normal” alongside promises to “Build Back Better.” Rather than accepting these slogans at face value, Kate set out to uncover what Building Back Better actually meant in practice — and who stood to benefit.Since 2021, she has rigorously analysed government and corporate policy documents, tracing the connections between public institutions, private corporations, and their collaborative bodies. Her investigations span global frameworks down to the Australian political landscape, with a particular focus on net zero agendas, technological transformation, and the policy mechanisms driving large-scale societal change.Kate’s work cuts through carefully crafted, reassuring language to examine the real-world impacts of these agendas — asking how they affect democracy, sovereignty, communities, and individual rights. Her focus is on documenting what governments and corporations are openly stating in their own plans, strategies, and partnerships.With an Honours degree in Applied Science (Social Ecology) and a long history working in community development and welfare, Kate brings both academic depth and lived, people-centred insight to her research. At the heart of her work is a deeply held belief that people have a right to full access to information about transformative policies — and a genuine voice in shaping the future being built around them.Kate argues that government and public–private partnership initiatives must be transparent, accountable, and meaningfully engage the people they affect, rather than being driven by technocratic processes removed from democratic scrutiny.In this conversation, we explore democracy, net zero policies, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and the societal consequences of top-down transformation, asking who decides, who benefits, and what these agendas mean for the future of civic life in Australia and beyond.*Also, just a minor correction regarding Kate's comment that Australia's energy is privatised - she has clarified that some states have privatised energy, others (including the Northern Territory) are public and some are a mixture of both public and private.Where to Find Kate’s WorkWebsite / Research Hub:https://www.katemasonresearch.com.au/YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChK4hnsPQX40yx-IslLFqdgSubstack:https://kate739.substack.com/Rumble:https://rumble.com/user/katemasonIMOP