Mission & Philosophy
Mission
Food Matters Media delivers evidence-based food truth to nourish science literacy, combat misinformation, and inspire action to create a healthier, more sustainable, and just food future—from farm to fork and far beyond.
Let’s Change the World Together
Speaking, Media & Advisory
Media and Science Communications
From anti-science to junk science, misinformation to disinformation, facts and evidence are missing from too many of today's food and nutrition conversations. Food Matters Media brings truth to complex food challenges through multi-platform content that meets eaters where they're at as a starting point for change.
Speaking and On-Air
Called "rockstar," "charismatic," "entertaining," and "very witty," Dr. Newby appears in a broad array of food, nutrition, and sustainability programming and is currently developing a docuseries. Think: “I view PK as a leader not only at Harvard but in the worldwide food conversation. Her knowledge and passion for the subject matter is unmatched ... [s]he is nothing short of brilliant.” and “[Dr. Newby] has such charisma and enthusiasm for the subject that is infectious and inspiring."
Consulting and Science Advisory
We engage with companies and organizations of all kinds—large and small, public and private—to provide research, products, and content expertise on a wide range of food-related topics. Dr. Newby has also served on science advisory boards of companies such as Virgin Pulse, Abt Associates, Mathematica Policy Research (with USDA), Zone Labs, Epicure, The Vegan Taste, Picadeli, and others.
Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.
Food Philosophy
From farm to fork and far beyond, what we eat matters.
Nutritional Ecology
Food is never just about what is on your plate. It connects our bodies to the places we live, the people who grow and make our food, the businesses that sell it, and the cultures that bring us to the table.
Nutritional ecology brings those relationships into focus through four connected dimensions—health, environment, economy, and society—a framework she learned from Joan Dye Gussow at Columbia University. Combined with her multidisciplinary training, foundation in the social sciences, and food systems thinking, this framework guides everything she does.
- Health
- Nourishment, disease prevention, longevity, and well-being.
- Environment
- Climate, biodiversity, land, water, and the planet’s ecosystems.
- Economy
- Livelihoods, affordability, inputs, outputs, and the true costs of food.
- Society
- Culture, pleasure, traditions, equity, and community.
“When you get right down to it, food is practically the whole story every time.”
The Future of Food Is Ecotechno
Understand What’s Broken
In her book and essays, Newby uses agshittification to name the decay of the global agrifood system due to conventional farming practices that pass the true costs on to public health, the planet, and society—and animal factory farming is at the root.
Imagine What Comes Next
The food revolution is now, with competing paradigms for the future of food. Newby’s ecotechno vision brings ecological ideals together with ethical innovation and scientific tools to build a healthier, more sustainable food system. It is not simply about what we eat, but how we produce food, whose lives it shapes, and what kind of future we choose to create.
Healthy Hedonism
A fun-loving, evidence-based food philosophy that keeps pleasure at the center of the plate.
An optimal diet is not just about nourishing the body; it's also about feeding the soul. Food is central to how we connect to our families, our communities, and our planet—and its wondrous bounty and beauty are here to be savored each and every day. While diet does indeed have the power to treat illness and foster well-being, food is not just fucking medicine. The popular "Food is Medicine" adage, while accurate, is a gross reduction and vast oversimplification of food's extraordinary power, a small part of why what we eat matters.
Plant-based and globally inspired, it promotes health, protects the planet, and nourishes communities. Newby calls it “Cooking and Eating the P.K. Way,” and she coined the phrase to help eaters recalibrate core beliefs about food through mindful eating and moderate indulgence, informed by science and good sense.
The Etymology
The phrase is an almost-portmanteau rooted in the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of health (a state of complete physical, mental, social, and spiritual* well-being) and the ancient Greek philosophy of hedonism (the pursuit of pleasure; sensual self-indulgence).
I added the word "spiritual" to the WHO definition given the sacred and cherished role food plays in so many religious and sacred practices around the world— including my own.
Need inspiration? Ogle plant-based food porn or grab these free cookbooks.
The Three Pillars of the P.K. Way
Plant-Powered
Going green is everything. Plant-based diets bursting with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, and lean proteins are a win-win for your body and our shared planetary home.
Pleasure-Driven
Humans are driven by taste. Globally-inspired meals with incredible flavors and textures are at the heart of a health-giving, planet-saving, tongue-tingling diet that works for you, for life.
Evidence-Based
It's easy to get confused about what to eat in the misinformation age, but science has the food facts that you need to make nutritious, eco-conscious choices. Evidence matters.
On Stage & Screen
Founder and author P.K. Newby, ScD, MPH, MS, shares her philosophy on food, health, and sustainability through books, television, and speaking highlights in this short sizzle reel (featuring a cameo by Chewbacca).
