Jack Bobo is the Director of the University of Nottingham’s Food Systems Institute which brings together transdisciplinary researchers to address some of the most pressing food systems challenges. He is also the author of the 2021 book “Why smart people make bad food choices.” In this episode, Jack shares how breaking down silos can foster collaboration, why reframing your thinking can help navigate tradeoffs, and how small shifts in language can impact people’s perceptions. Jack Bobo: “I believe less in right and wrong and good and bad, and more in thinking in terms of choices and consequences. And if you can help to lay out the consequences of actions, I think in many ways you can lead people to knowledge instead of sort of beating them up with science. Researchers and academics love to tell people what to do and they like to tell them the answer. I think it's much better to be able to help people to understand the consequences of different choices. And then you may end up getting a different outcome, but at least they understand the consequences of it and it's an informed decision.” 00:00 Intro to Jack 01:14 Overview of the University of Nottingham’s Food Systems Institute 03:44 Taking a systems approach to lead global change  05:18 Why consensus is important for problem solving 06:45 Addressing the “language barrier” in food systems solutions 08:38 How shifting from “should” to “could” focuses on opportunities and solutions  11:40 Leading people to knowledge by framing the consequences of choices 13:56 Building trust by understanding confirmation bias and the misleading nature of our brains 17:38 The paradox of improved nutrition research and rising obesity rates 20:00 How to overcome the invisible influences on food choices  23:14 Changing the food system by focusing on social norms 25:51 The importance of word choice for effective change making 27:59 Why networking and storytelling are life skills 29:39 Balancing the continuum of local vs. global sustainability  31:37 Takeaways for changemakers Links University of Nottingham Food Systems InstituteThe Nature ConservancyBook: Why smart people make bad food choicesTEDx: Why We Fear the Food We EatFuturity Food Keep in Touch Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com Follow Food Lab talk on YouTube and LinkedIn *The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer.